Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cardholders in New York are advised to make advanced transactions before May 19, as the system will undergo maintenance and upgrades. 

The state's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) reassures EBT cardholders that the temporary outage from 00:00 to 11:00 Eastern Time (04:00 to 15:00 UTC) is primarily due to a system and contractor change. This maintenance, while necessary, might have lasted longer or shorter than expected.

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Cardholders Urged to Complete EBT TRansactions

OTDA acting commissioner Barbara Guinn urged cardholders to complete their EBT transactions beforehand to avoid significantly suffering from the outage.

Upon the completion of the transition, current EBT cardholders can use the same card they have, and all other pre-transition transaction procedures and helplines will remain the same. 

NBC's Rochester affiliate WHEC reported that the outage would only affect New York EBT cardholders, while counterparts from other states would continue to use their cards in New York without interruption during the said period.

If you have any concerns or need assistance during this period, please don't hesitate to call the EBT customer service helpline at 1-888-328-6399. You can also stay informed with real-time updates on the OTDA website . 

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