COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Ohio lawmakers have approved a bill aimed at stopping theft from Ohioans’ EBT cards, but the final measure also adds new Medicaid verification requirements that critics say could have made it harder for some people to get care.
The legislation began as an effort to crack down on EBT card theft after Ohio SNAP recipients reported their benefits were stolen directly from their cards.
In May 2023, Chillicothe mother Brandie Burks said she was struggling after losing $1,000 in benefits. “I’m desperately limiting the milk right now. We’re trying to make one gallon a day last,” Burks said then. She contacted ABC6 Investigates and said there was not any way she could feed her family without the benefits…