Summer EBT is Now Live!

Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) has launched the new Summer EBT benefit from the US Department of Agriculture, thanks to Governor Healey’s leadership. The program will provide eligible families $120 per eligible school-aged child for groceries during the summer. DTA will issue Summer EBT to provide benefits to students who receive SNAP, certain MassHealth coverage, DTA cash, as well as providing eligibility for this program to families with foster children. Most eligible families will be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT, and do not need to apply. 

We encourage families with school-aged children to learn more about whether they qualify for this exciting program, which is based on income and some other qualifying factors. Answers to frequently asked questions about Summer EBT can be found in several languages here. For more information, DTA also has a list of FAQs on their website.

What to know now:

1. In mid July, DTA started mailing notices and sending text messages out to families who who were automatically issued Summer EBT benefits on July 25.
2. Families who are actively receiving SNAP, should have received a notice like this and automatically received Summer EBT funds on their EBT card on July 25th.
3. Families who do not actively receive SNAP benefits, but were automatically enrolled in Summer EBT through other qualifications would have received a notice like this, and a white Summer EBT card should have been mailed to your home the last week of July.
   1. If your family does not receive SNAP and you did not get a text from DTA or this notice by approximately July 20, but you think your family might be eligible, we encourage you to apply for Summer EBT, through DTAconnect.eohhs.mass.gov. 
   2. Families whose household does not receive SNAP, and received a text from DTA about Summer EBT, but did not receive a notice in the mail by July 20, should urgently check and/or update their mailing address on file with DTA by calling the Summer EBT hotline number: 855-425-8770. DTA will send the Summer EBT card to the address on file, so you may need to update your address if they have an old one, or you will not receive the Summer EBT card.
   3. Families who received a white Summer EBT card in the mail will need to PIN the card to use it. Here are instructions from DTA (in 10 languages) on how to PIN the card. In order to pin the Summer EBT card families will need their case number. The case number was provided on the welcome letter, but if families did not get / don’t have the letter they may get their case number a few ways:
      • Call the DTA Summer EBT hotline at 855-425-8770
      • If they can’t get through, fill out DTA’s form here.
      • Keep an eye out for DTA’s summer EBT approval notice that should be coming out via mail mid August. It will have the case number listed. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

If you’re part of an organization that works with families in Boston, you can help spread the word about Summer EBT by sharing Summer EBT flyers. These flyers are available in most of Boston’s many languages through both OFJ and DTA. 

 If you have any additional questions, please call the Summer EBT hotline at 855-425-8770.