The New York EBT Card holds the food assistance benefits...

The New York EBT Card holds the food assistance benefits assigned each month. On Sunday, EBT cards won't be able to be used from midnight to 11 a.m. due to a change in the vendor. Credit: New York State Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance

New York residents seeking to buy groceries with their government food assistance benefits this Sunday morning may have to wait.

Due to system changes, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program users will not be able to use their New York Electronic Benefits Transfer cards to purchase food, or use a mobile app and client portal from 12:01 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, though actual outage times may vary. People who receive Temporary Assistance benefits will also experience the expected disruption, state officials said Wednesday.

That’s because New York’s EBT system is changing to a new contractor, which is required by law because the existing vendor contract has expired and can’t be extended, officials said.

Ahead of the Sunday change, some state officials are urging residents to plan.

“I urge all EBT cardholders to do their shopping and make cash withdrawals ahead of time, so they will not be inconvenienced during this brief switch over,” Barbara Guinn, acting commissioner of the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, said in a  statement.

Once the update is completed, people may use their same EBT card and PIN, the statement read. However, they’ll need to use the new ebtEDGE app and client portal.

The portal lets cardholders change their PIN, freeze and unfreeze cards and monitor transactions, officials said.

To find out when the EBT system is functioning again, residents can check otda.ny.gov or call 888-328-6399 on Sunday.

More information about the transfer can be found at otda.ny.gov and mybenefits.ny.gov.

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