North Dakota Attorney Lawyer

A growing number of countries, run on food delivered by electronic postage stamps, but the lack of interoperability of systems between the states is a challenge widespread use of debit cards.

Mary Ann KEEFFE act under-secretary for food and foodstuffs for consumer services in the Department of Agriculture told a House subcommittee last week that the proportion of food stamps electronically States has increased by about 2 per cent in 1993 to 16 per cent.

Currently, eight States national electronic benefits transfer (EBT) systems to provide the Confederation / Country food stamp program: Kansas, Maryland, New Mexico North Dakota South Carolina South Dakota, Texas and Utah.

“Until the end of this year, we expect that 25 countries have operational EBT systems represented 30 per cent of all food stamp benefits provided” KEEFFE told the house on agriculture for operations subcommittee department of food and agriculture business.

The state and local governments prefer EBT delivery, because the growing recognition of fraud reduces the administrative burden and increased security for recipients of benefits. EBT is used to provide food stamps and cash benefits for temporary help poor families and in some cases, the child and Medicaid among others.

The state adopted the Social Reform Act last year, requires all states to use to provide food stamp EBT 2002. “It is the only country needs to test the management advantage required by law, EBT,” said Ronald Spendal was testimony on behalf of the American Public Welfare Association, and is a manager of the Oregon Department of Human Services of man. The goal is that the card works in each state.

EBT systems collect data such as the dollar amount of goods, food stamps when the acquisition took place on the register and storage of food stamp account number. EBT cards are similar to those commercially available debit cards. 197 000 records about who are authorized to accept food or trademarks of EBT cards. More than $ 3.3 billion to $ 21 billion in total worth of food stamps issued each year on EBT. More than 24 million people receive food stamp benefits.

During countries have made progress towards issuing cards EBT few obstacles to the full provision of food stamps. The main obstacle is the lack of interoperability of the system. Plans to ask the USDA, public and specialized suppliers in EBT systems such as various public systems should cooperate and EBT as a bridge between the costs of transactions are processed.

So far, only Texas and New Mexico’s EBT interoperability of systems, resources may receive food stamp their cards in stores that accept food or stamps.

In response to a recent report by the Inspector General of the USDA other changes are in memory for the program. USDA plans to develop strategies to fight against fraud with recipient countries to explore working with the states, legislation may be needed at EBT to address fraud and the protection of privacy to ensure that changes EBT processor to a database are properly recorded in the system and the development of a federal model to identify abnormal samples of transactions and trade in services.

Some progress has been made in these areas have been made KEEFFE said. The concessionaire has developed recently EBT Data Exchange System accelerates the process of change States retailer databases. In addition, all offices KEEFFE this year, the installation of Anti-Fraud Locator With (???) EBT transactions illegal traders to identify food stamp trafficking in human beings.

Roger Viadero said the USDA inspector general, it supports the use of EBT to provide food stamps as an alternative to paper and it is gratifying to coupons, the USDA to implement its plans Bureau’s recommendations. But he said that the maps need more security features such as UV ink and holograms. The Secret Service is a member of the National EBT Task Force recommends that biometric data such as fingerprint identification should be considered.