How To Activate Your Mountain State Card

• Dial 1-866-545-6502, the EBT Helpline.

• Press the number 1 on the telephone keypad for directions in English or press the number 2 for directions in Spanish.

• You will be asked for your sixteen (16) digit card number.

     Card Number __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __

• You will be given menu options to choose from.

• To activate your card Press 1.

• You will be asked to enter the birth date of the cardholder.  If you are an authorized cardholder, you will enter the birth date of the person you represent.

     The birthday I'll enter is __ __    __ __    __ __    See below for how to enter your
     date of birth.                 Month    Day      Year

• If the birthday is January 1, 1980, then it is entered as 010180.  This is two numbers for the month, two numbers for the day of the month and two numbers for the year of birth.  All birth dates MUST be entered using a total of SIX (6) numbers.

• You will hear "Your card has been activated and it's ready for you to use".

Go to a quiet room with as little background noise as possible.  Noise can cause incorrect information to be picked up by the voice activation part of the telephone system. 

Have all the necessary information with you so you are ready to enter it.  Many find it helpful to write this information on a piece of paper before placing the call.  It is best to write the information exactly as it is required before calling.  If you do not have a touchtone phone with a keypad, you can speak the information into the phone’s mouthpiece.   

If the Helpline advised you that the information entered is not correct, contact your WVDHHR Customer Service Center at 1-877-716-1212 to verify that the information in the DHHR data system is the same as the information that you entered.  It is possible that a data system error was made or that your information needs to be updated.