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March 29, 2024 6:03 am

Extra COVID-19 benefits ending in March

GOLDSBORO — The Wayne County Department of Social Services has announced that extra Food and Nutrition Services benefits for COVID-19 will end in March 2023.

The benefits were temporarily increased because of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This means more benefits were placed on electronic benefits transfer cards each month than normal to help meet emergency needs during the pandemic. The federal government will be ending FNS emergency allotments, with February 2023 being the final month for emergency allotments.

As a result, benefits will go back to pre-pandemic, regular monthly benefit amounts starting in March. Neither the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services nor the local department of social services has control over this change. The reduction of benefits related to the emergency allotment ending is not subject to fair hearings.

FNS recipients will continue to receive FNS benefits until the end of their certification period as long as eligible. Notice is only being provided that the additional benefits will be ending.

FNS recipients can view their regular monthly FNS benefit amount and their emergency allotment amount online at www.ebtedge.com. Regular monthly FNS benefits are issued between the 3rd and 21st of every month based on the last digit of the recipient’s SSN, while emergency allotments are issued on or after the 22nd of the month.

There are three ways to check the balance and transaction history for electronic balance transfer cards. Visit www.ebtedge.com. Click on “More Information” under EBT Cardholder. Participants will be prompted to login and/or register their account. Also, participants can download and use the EBT Edge mobile app. It can be downloaded on Google Play or Apple Store. In addition, contact the North Carolina EBT Call Center at 1-888-622-7328 and follow the prompts. For more information on FNS eligibility and benefits, please visit the Food and Nutrition Services website (www.ncdhhs.gov/fns).

For more information, call the EBT Call Center at 1-866-719-0141 or the Wayne County Department of Social Services at 919-580-4034. For additional help with food, call the department of social services or visit www.ncdhhs.gov/foodresources.

— From the Wayne County website