In a push to keep food benefits out of thieves’ hands and in residents’ kitchens, Governor Maura Healey has ordered the state Department of Transitional Assistance to roll out chip-enabled EBT cards, with a pilot program set for later this year. The new cards will carry EMV microchips that generate a unique code for every purchase, a setup meant to make stolen card data essentially worthless to skimmers. The move follows recent state reviews and whistleblower allegations that flagged tens of millions of dollars in improper SNAP and other public-benefits payments.
As reported by the Boston Herald, Healey has directed the Department of Transitional Assistance to begin piloting chip-enabled, chip-and-tap EBT cards later this year. Her office told the paper that less than one percent of the state’s nearly one million SNAP recipients have been tied to fraud. Roughly 5,500 retailers that accept SNAP will need point-of-sale upgrades to process the new cards.
How the chip will protect benefits
The EMV microchip on the redesigned cards generates a one-time cryptographic code every time the card is used. Officials say that makes stolen card numbers far less useful, since a code used in one transaction cannot be reused in another. That in turn is expected to undercut the value of skimming schemes that currently rely on copying magnetic-stripe data.
“Adding chip-based cards would be a significant step in preventing fraud and stolen benefits,” Haywood Talcove told the Boston Herald.
Background and controversy
The tech upgrade is landing in the middle of a broader political and bureaucratic storm. A DTA whistleblower has alleged that abuse of the SNAP program has gone undetected at a substantially higher rate because of directives from upper management. Healey’s team is casting the new chip cards as one piece of a larger fix that also involves hiring more staff and changing internal systems to tighten eligibility checks and recover misspent funds.
What recipients and stores should expect
State officials say the pilot will give the agency time to work out the kinks, from card issuance to retailer upgrades, before the program goes statewide. The new cards are expected to support both chip and tap payments.
Until the updated point-of-sale terminals are installed and DTA finishes issuing the new cards, recipients may still be exposed to skimming. The administration is urging cardholders to keep a close eye on balances. Healey said the updated cards will “strengthen protections against theft and make sure support goes to people who need it.”
Next steps
According to Healey’s office, Massachusetts will be the third state to introduce chip-enabled EBT cards, following federal authorizations last year and USDA guidance issued in August 2025 that opened the door to chip-and-tap technology. The Department of Transitional Assistance plans to launch the pilot later this year and will work with retailers on terminal upgrades, the administration says.
What to watch
Anti-hunger advocates say the chip cards could significantly cut the number of households blindsided by theft, but they are also pressing for faster replacement benefits when fraud does occur and clearer public timelines for the rollout. Recipients, retailers and lawmakers will be watching the DTA pilot closely as Massachusetts tries to secure the SNAP program without slowing down access to food assistance.
