New Jersey has begun rolling out new chip-enabled Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards designed to reduce benefit theft, and Ocean County recipients can expect to begin receiving the more secure cards in about four weeks, as TLS first reported.

The state Department of Human Services announced today the first phase of the rollout will begin this summer in Cumberland, Essex and Mercer counties, where recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) will receive the new cards as part of a pilot program.

Following the roughly four-week pilot, the department plans to expand the rollout statewide, including to Ocean County.

However, under the rollout plan, any SNAP or WFNJ benefit recipient requesting a replacement EBT card will receive a chip-enabled card immediately upon request, regardless of which county they live in.

Hundreds of Lakewood families were among thousands across the state who had their benefits stolen from them in recent months.

Human Services Commissioner Stephen Cha said New Jersey is among only a handful of states transitioning to chip-enabled EBT cards, a move aimed at curbing the growing problem of electronic benefit theft through card skimming.

“Under current federal law, electronically stolen benefits cannot be replaced, leaving families who experience this type of theft without recourse,” Cha said. “The new chip cards provide enhanced security to help prevent that kind of loss in the first place.”

The new cards include several updated security features, including an embedded chip, tap-to-pay capability, an expiration date and a three-digit security code. Officials said recipients should insert or tap the new cards when making purchases rather than swiping them whenever retailers have compatible payment terminals.

EBT skimming occurs when criminals install devices on payment terminals to capture card information and PIN numbers, allowing them to steal benefits from recipients’ accounts. While states were previously authorized to replace stolen SNAP benefits, that federal authority expired in December 2024.

Benefits will automatically transfer to the new cards, which recipients must activate within 90 days of receiving them. Existing cards will remain active for 60 days after the replacement cards are issued. Once activated, cardholders should destroy their old cards.

State officials are also encouraging recipients to continue locking their EBT cards when they are not in use through the ConnectEBT mobile app or the NJFamiliesFirst website, noting that chip technology adds another layer of protection but does not eliminate the need for other security measures.

Retailers that have not yet upgraded their payment terminals to accept chip-enabled EBT cards are being encouraged to contact their point-of-sale providers to update their systems before the statewide rollout is completed.