| Occasionally, due to a system error, a
retailer is not paid for a food stamp or cash purchase or cash withdrawal
using an EBT card. Effective February 1, 2003, policy is changed
to allow eFunds to debit EBT accounts to pay the retailer.
eFunds notifies the state that an adjustment
is needed to an EBT account. The household is sent notification of
the pending adjustment to its EBT account. A copy of the notice is
also sent to the county office. The adjustment process works the
same for both the Food Stamp Program and Temporary Assistance, although
each program has its own adjustment notice.
The notices tell the household that food
stamp or cash benefits were not charged correctly and provides the following:
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store name,
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location of the transaction,
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the time of the transaction,
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the amount of the transaction,
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the amount that will be deducted from the
account, and
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the phone number of the county office.
The notice also informs the participant of
the right to a hearing and provides the telephone number of the legal aid
office serving the county. Samples of the adjustment notices are
attached.
The debit is done 15 days after the notification
is received from eFunds, to allow the participant time to request a fair
hearing without losing any benefits.
If the household requests a hearing within
15 days from the date of the notice:
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No action is taken to debit the household's
account and credit the retailer until the hearing decision is rendered.
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If the Agency is upheld at the hearing the
adjustment amount is removed from the account without further notice and
credited to the retailer.
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If the Agency is reversed at the hearing no
further action is taken.
Households have 90 days from the date of the
adjustment notice to request a fair hearing based on the notice.
If the household requests a hearing more than 15 days from the date of
the notice:
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The adjustment amount is debited from the
household's account and credited to the retailer.
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If the Agency is upheld at the hearing no
further action is taken.
If the Agency is reversed at the hearing the
appropriate Program and Policy Unit adds the benefits back to the EBT account.
Use normal procedures to schedule a fair
hearing. Immediately fax a copy of the IM-87 Application for State
Hearing form to the Administrative Hearing Unit serving the county and
to the appropriate Program and Policy Unit:
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Food Stamp Program and Policy Unit fax (573)522-4333,
or
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Temporary Assistance Program and Policy Unit
fax (573)526-4837.
The appropriate Program and Policy Unit will
provide the county with relevant documentation and assistance as necessary
in the hearing process. The Administrative Hearing Unit conducts
the hearing. Follow normal office procedures for fair hearings, such
as the pre-hearing conference, selecting the agency witness, qualifying
the documentation as a business record, etc. Include as documentation
the county's copy of the adjustment notice and documentation forwarded
by the Program and Policy Unit.
Food stamp adjustments are only processed
against food stamp benefits, and cash adjustments are only processed against
cash benefits. If the funds remaining in the household's food stamp
or cash EBT account after 15 days or after the hearing decision will not
cover the adjustment, eFunds attempts to complete the adjustment the following
month. If there are not enough funds the second month, the adjustment
is not completed and is dropped.
The Administrative Terminal Transaction
History screen displays a total of 10 transaction types regarding adjustments:
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CCC (Clearing Cash Credit) - An adjustment
crediting the cash account was completed.
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CCD (Clearing Cash Debit) - An adjustment
debiting the cash account was completed.
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CFC (Clearing Food Stamp Credit) - An adjustment
crediting the food stamp account was completed.
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CFD (Clearing Food Stamp Debit) - An adjustment
debiting the food stamp account was completed.
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HCD (Hold/Flagged Cash Debit) - An adjustment
to debit the cash account is pending (first 15 days).
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HFD (Hold/Flagged Food Stamp Debit) - An adjustment
to debit the food stamp account is pending (first 15 days).
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ECD (Expired Cash Debit) - An adjustment to
debit the cash account was pending but the participant requested a hearing
within 15 days, or there were insufficient funds to cover the adjustment
after the second month and the adjustment was dropped.
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EFD (Expired Food Stamp Debit) - An adjustment
to debit the food stamp account was pending but the participant requested
a hearing within 15 days, or there were insufficient funds to cover the
adjustment after the second month and the adjustment was dropped.
-
RCD (Reversal Hold/Flagged Cash Debit) - An
HCD transaction type was reversed by eFunds.
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RFD (Reversal Hold/Flagged Food Stamp Debit)
- An HFD transaction type was reversed by eFunds.
If a household disputes an amount debited
from its EBT account by a retailer:
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the household must call the customer service
number on the back of the EBT card to file an exception report;
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if the exception report is denied, State Office
staff send the household a notice telling them the claim was denied;
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the household has the right to request a fair
hearing based on these notices; and
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if the household requests a hearing, contact
the appropriate Program and Policy Unit to obtain the relevant documentation
and assistance as necessary in the hearing process.
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