HARRISBURG — A new Pennsylvania law is designed to better protect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients from benefits theft by requiring more secure Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.
Act 21 of 2026 directs the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to upgrade EBT cards with embedded chip technology. Unlike traditional magnetic stripe cards, chip-enabled cards use encryption that makes them significantly more difficult to duplicate or compromise through card-skimming devices.
State officials said the change comes in response to a growing number of fraud cases involving stolen SNAP benefits. More than 5,000 incidents of EBT card skimming were reported in Pennsylvania over the past year.
SNAP provides food assistance to eligible low-income individuals and families across the Commonwealth. Officials say the upgraded cards are intended to help ensure benefits reach the people they are intended to serve while reducing losses from fraud.
The Department of Human Services will oversee the transition to the new chip-enabled EBT cards under the provisions of Act 21 of 2026.
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