PM 22-01-01-j: Customer Liabilities

WAG 22-01-01-j.

Customer Misuse

  • If the Illinois Link card is lost, stolen, or misused, any benefit loss that occurs due to the client's own misuse of the card and/or PIN is the client's responsibility. Benefits will not be replaced.

Electronic Theft

  • The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (the Omnibus), signed into law December 29, 2022, allows the replacement of stolen EBT SNAP benefits to victims of card skimming, cloning, and scamming through fraudulent phone calls, text messaging, phishing and other similar fraudulent methods. A customer must file, Report of Electronic Theft of Illinois Link Benefits, to request a replacement. The theft must have occurred between October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2024 and certain other eligibility criteria must be met to determine if a replacement can be issued.  See (PM 22-03-02) for SNAP Replacement Due to EBT Electronic Theft.
  • new manual textA Report of Electronic Theft of Illinois Link Benefits claim will be denied if filed for benefits that are ineligible for replacement.
    • new manual textIllinois Link Cash benefits are not eligible for a EBT theft replacement at this time.
    • new manual textBenefits received under the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) and/or 
    • new manual textVictims of Trafficking, Torture, or other Serious Crimes (VTTC) programs cannot be replaced under the law.
  • new manual textBenefits are not replaced if:
    • the customer was not in possession of their Link card at the time the theft transactions occurred; or
    • was not a victim of electronic theft; or
    • the theft claim is invalid and cannot be processed. An invalid claim is when a customer does not complete all the required fields on the Report of Electronic Theft of Illinois Link Benefits and/or include a signature.

Note: The law does not change current federal regulations prohibiting replacement of SNAP benefits lost due to a customer's misuse of their EBT card and/or PIN.