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Virginia EBT news
Reviewed Virginia-specific EBT and SNAP news items about benefit timing, eligibility, and program rules.
Updated on: September 8, 2026
Independent information tool. Not a government website.
Virginia will begin issuing new chip-enabled SNAP EBT cards in September 2026, with customers in 20 pilot localities receiving cards by October 1. Benefit amounts and issuance schedules will remain the same, but old magnetic stripe cards will deactivate 60 days after the new card is mailed.
Starting October 1, 2026, SNAP customers in Virginia will no longer be able to use SNAP benefits to buy carbonated sweetened beverages, including soda, diet soda, “zero” soda, carbonated energy drinks, and carbonated drinks with at least 5 grams of added sugar per serving. Eligibility, monthly benefit amounts, and benefit schedules are not changing.
Virginia DSS says it is issuing new chip-enabled SNAP EBT cards beginning September 2026 through December 2026. Balances will transfer to the new cards, and old magnetic-stripe cards will stop working when the new chip card is activated or 60 days after the new card is mailed.
Virginia DSS says the deadline to apply for SUN Bucks 2026 is August 31, 2026. Benefits are loaded onto EBT or Virginia SUN Bucks cards, and unused funds expire about four months after issuance.
Virginia’s 2026 SUN Bucks application period ends August 31, 2026. Families not automatically enrolled must apply online, by mail, or by phone by that date; applications submitted after the cutoff are not for 2026 benefits.
Virginia says SUN Bucks 2026 applications will be processed through August 31, 2026; applications submitted after that date will be considered for Virginia SUN Bucks 2027 instead.
SNAP enrollment has dropped sharply in several Central Virginia localities, with Axios Richmond reporting declines through June 2026 and ongoing effects in July from federal SNAP eligibility and work-requirement changes.