Why It Matters
Virginia is rolling out chip-enabled Electronic Benefits Transfer cards to all 749,000 residents who receive food assistance through the federal SNAP program, aiming to stop a form of fraud known as “skimming” that has drained benefits from low-income households across the country.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced Thursday that the state had begun mailing the new cards, which use chip-and-tap technology to generate a unique encrypted code for each transaction — a significant security upgrade over the magnetic stripes on existing cards, which can be copied by criminals using skimming devices.
How the Rollout Works
Cardholders do not need to request a replacement. New cards are being mailed directly to recipients, who must verify their information, activate the card, and set a PIN using instructions included in the mailing. Benefits will continue without interruption throughout the transition.
The first wave of mailings is targeting localities with the highest rates of benefit theft, including Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Fairfax City and County, Lynchburg, Roanoke, and Chesterfield, among others. A second round of mailings is scheduled to begin at the end of October, with all Virginia EBT cardholders expected to receive replacements by year’s end.
The new cards support both chip-insert and tap transactions. The state recommends tapping when possible for the strongest protection against fraud. The Department of Social Services also advises recipients to lock their cards through the ConnectEBT app when not in use, change PINs regularly, and never share card numbers or PINs in response to unsolicited contact.
By the Numbers
Virginia is the eighth state to adopt chip-enabled EBT cards and the fifth to deploy technology supporting both tap and insert transactions. The results in earlier-adopting states have been substantial: California reported an 83 percent drop in benefit theft after switching to chip cards in January 2024, and Alabama has reported comparable declines.
Before the rollout, state testers visited retailers across Virginia to confirm that point-of-sale systems could handle the new card format. The Department of Social Services tracked mailing times, card activations, and transaction issues during the testing phase.
Federal Funding Backdrop
The announcement comes as the SNAP program faces significant federal cuts. The federal spending legislation known as H.R. 1 is projected to reduce SNAP funding by up to $187 billion over the next decade, while also shifting more program costs onto states and tightening eligibility requirements for recipients.
Spanberger framed the card upgrade as a protective measure at a difficult moment for food-assistance recipients. Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa told the Virginia Mercury families that qualify for food assistance “should not have to worry about someone stealing them.”
Recipients with questions can contact the EBT Call Center at 866-281-2448. Virginia’s November ballot will also include more than 40 school construction tax referendums across the state.