Connecticut
SNAP benefits continue to be stolen, but reimbursement funding is dried up
People who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits, to put food on the table are looking for help.
Thieves have been stealing those benefits, and the federal funding to reimburse stolen benefits has dried up.
SNAP benefits being stolen through skimming or other means has been a problem for the past few years.
Grace Perry, a resident of New Britian, said she was trying to purchase groceries earlier this week when her Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, card declined unexpectedly after receiving March’s benefits that same day.
“It’s tough, it still is tough,” Perry said. “It’s scary. You’re losing your ability to take care of yourself, you’re losing your independence.”
Perry said she worked with the Connecticut Department of Social Services and learned almost $500 worth of benefits from March, and saved from last month, were stolen at three in the morning and used in Pennsylvania.
“This card has been in my wallet the entire time, I’ve never let another soul use it, ever,” Perry said.
But Perry is not alone in this experience. Since 2023, the Connecticut Department of Social Services said $6,363,297 worth of benefits have been stolen.
“Now, with the price of groceries going even higher, it makes it just exacerbates the problem,” Jason Jakubowski, of Connecticut Foodshare, said.
Jakubowski said people whose benefits are stolen are always welcome to check out any of the 600 food pantries statewide.
“We do our best to be able to make up the difference for a lot of these families. But again, we can only provide a fraction of what SNAP is able to provide,” Jakubowski said.
The state offers these tips for people to try to avoid getting their information stolen:
- Avoid simple PINs.
- Keep your PIN and card number secret.
- Beware of phishing. DSS and EBT will never call or text to ask for your PIN or card number.
- Change your PIN at least once a month, right before your benefits are added to your card.
- Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges.
- Report suspicious activity to DSS.
Perry said she receives reminder texts from the Department of Social Services frequently and changes her pin monthly. She said the advice she’s getting now is to change her pin after every purchase.
“You can’t plan on being stolen from,” Perry said.
The state was able to replace almost $6 million worth of stolen benefits since 2023 thanks to a federal reimbursement program.
The funding for that program ended on Dec. 20. Now, some leaders are calling on the federal government to put more money towards it.
“We want Congress to reconsider/increase funding to the USDA for investigating EBT thefts. And funds to increase the security of the EBT cards to make it harder for criminals to steal, including providing funding for states to transition all EBT cards to EMV, or chip cards,” the Connecticut Department of Social Services said in a statement.
Senator Richard Blumenthal’s (D-Connecticut) office tells NBC Connecticut they will be negotiating the next budget this week, and he’s in on a bipartisan bill that would make SNAP reimbursements permanent.
VESTAL, NY (WBNG) — In a second straight doubleheader Saturday following up a Bearcats women’s win, the Bearcats men’s team dropped their second consecutive home game, 84-67 to Central Connecticut State.
In a closely contested matchup early on, the Bearcats stayed in it heading into the break only trailing by seven points.
In the second half, Binghamton brought it to within four points before the Blue Devils pulled away once again and went on an 11-0 run and went up by as much as 20 points.
Darin Smith Jr. finished with a game high, 23 points for the Blue Devils.
The Bearcats were without center, Demetrius Lilley which led to junior forward, Zyier Beverly, having an increased role.
Beverly led Binghamton with 21 points and five rebounds.
After back-to-back losses at home, the Bearcats now go on the road for a three game road stretch starting on Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Pittsburgh at 7p.m.
Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.
New Canaan faces Cheshire in the 2025 Connecticut high school Class L football state championship on Saturday afternoon.
The game begins at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.
The game will stream live on the NFHS Network.
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What: Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class L football championship
Who: New Canaan vs. Cheshire
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
Where: Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Stream: NFHS Network
Tickets: $11,50
Record, MaxPrep state rankings: New Canaan 12-0, No. 1; Cheshire 9-3, No. 11
Here’s more information about the game from the Hartford Courant, via the Tribune News Service:
New Canaan is going for its 16th state title and fourth straight under veteran coach Lou Marinelli and New Canaan outscored its playoff opponents, 85-13. Cheshire’s last finals appearance was 2009, when coach Don Drust was an assistant for the Rams’ team, which beat Staples in overtime to win a Class LL title. Cheshire rallied from a 19-point deficit against Fairfield Ludlowe to win the Class L quarterfinal game and beat Ridgefield 21-0 in the semifinals. QB Aiden Gregorich’s pass to Liam Suomala proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in the quarterfinal.
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Have you still seen a lot of mini-liquor bottles, littering the streets in Connecticut?
Members of one environmental group said they still see them, and believe a ban is the best way to solve a multi-tiered problem.
State data shows in the past 12 months, ending September 30, there were more than 93 million mini-liquor bottles sold in our state.
The group supporting local bans says it’s not just the litter, but also the fact mini-liquor bottles are easy to conceal and consume on the job, in the car, or at school.
The group “Connecticut Towns Nixing the Nip” met this week, working on strategies to get a legislative hearing on the issue in the upcoming 2026 session.
Right now, stores collect a 5-cent surcharge for every mini-liquor bottle sold, resulting in about $5 million annually for town and city environmental cleanup efforts.
Town funding from nip sales
Average revenue per year 2021 to 2025.
“Having talked to a number of towns, well a few towns, they like the money, said Tom Metzner, a member of the group. “It’s fairly broad in how it can be used. It’s environmental. It doesn’t have to be used for cleaning up nips. And so the towns have become somewhat silent on the issue of banning nips.”
The group cited Chelsea, Massachusetts, where minis are banned, both litter and alcohol related EMS calls decreased.
The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, which devised the “nickel per nip” program, said banning the mini-liquor bottles would be unprecedented.
Instead, it said the environmental group should be challenging municipalities to prove they actually use the money for cleanup.
Legislative leaders suggested several years ago the way to really do this is to have a redemption program for mini liquor bottles, and now, that could be possible.
At least one state with the Clynk bottle collection program has redeemed mini-liquor bottles for cash.
The company just announced a major expansion in our state, but it told us it is not aware of a redemption program for mini-liquor bottles here any time soon.
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