LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Thieves have stolen more than $5 million worth of food stamps from low-income families in Kentucky and Indiana over the past year.

Although the reimbursement deadline for victims was originally set to end on Sept. 30, the deadline has now been extended to December 2024.

Austin Metzler, who lives in New Albany, Indiana, relies on $140 in SNAP benefits each month to feed his 4-year-old son. He first noticed an issue in August when he attempted to shop at the grocery store. He discovered there was virtually nothing left on his EBT card.

"I was trying to make a $51 purchase, and there was literally 46 cents on the card," Metzler said. He later found out that thieves in Brooklyn, New York, had stolen almost all the funds on his card through a fraudulent transaction.

A policy passed in December 2022 allows states to use federal funds to reimburse victims of SNAP benefit skimming. However, that program will end on Dec. 20, 2024.

"I am glad we put an end to their partisan games and passed a temporary budget that extended protections for defrauded SNAP beneficiaries through the bill’s funding period," Congressman Morgan McGarvey said in a statement. "I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure that those protections are extended or made permanent when Congress takes up a full year spending bill in December.”

"This is election season," Metzler said, noting that the issue of benefit card fraud should be part of the conversation. "A lot of the people our local congressmen represent use food stamps."

Between August 2023 and June 30, 2024, Kentucky has replaced approximately $2.3 million in stolen SNAP benefits. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services reviews replacement amounts on a quarterly basis, so July through September 2024 are still being tallied.

In the same timeframe, Indiana has reimbursed $3,000,000 due to card skimming and cloning fraud.

Metzler criticized the outdated system, saying, "The system itself does help, but it's antiquated. It's old with no special chips or holograms."

Metzler's community stepped up to help his family while he waited for hos reimbursement to come through, but he worries for other families who may not have access to similar support if federal reimbursements are no longer available.

"There are people out there to feed," he said.

The deadline extension provides a temporary reprieve, but the fate of future reimbursements remains uncertain. 

If you or someone you know has had SNAP benefits stolen, click here to learn how to have them replaced. Victims can also report the theft to the Department for Community Based Services at 1-855-306-8959.

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