Due to the recent influx of EBT theft, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has decided to include CVV as part of the electronic transaction validation process for food and cash EBT purchases to improve card security. CVV technology is an additional layer of coding embedded in the magnetic stripe on the back of the EBT card and not visible to clients. (Unlike the CVV number on most credit or debit cards, the EBT CVV number is not printed on the card itself.)
Any EBT card that was mailed to you after June 2018 or printed for you in a county office after October 2019 will already have CVV technology embedded. If you have an EBT card that was issued before June 2018/October 2019, the state automatically mailed you a replacement EBT card in March or April. If you haven't already started using the new card, you should do so now - the older cards will no longer work after CVV is activated on June 20th.
What should I do if I have issues with EBT transactions after CVV is activated?
You can call the number on the back of your EBT card for help with any issues you're having. If you have an older EBT card and did not get a replacement in the mail, you can come into any of our Social Services offices to have a new card printed for you.
