Quality Assurance staff are working with county offices to ensure the plans implemented are providing quality service to elderly/disabled food stamp participants.  Generally the plans stress training participants during the application process and, when necessary, referring participants to agencies or individuals who can provide follow-up assistance with using their EBT card.

To determine the effectiveness of the plans, a listing of elderly/disabled participants whose food stamp benefits have aged, is being sent to staff monthly.  A set of questions and a summary sheet is provided to record information received during contacts with each participant.

The listing attached to this memorandum, and the next two listings will include participants whose benefits aged prior to implementation of the plans described above.  Beginning in April, the listings will include the names of participants whose benefits aged after implementation of the plans described above.  It is anticipated these listings will reflect fewer participants with aged benefits.

All participants shown on the county listings have food stamp benefits that have aged from the EBT account.  Participants who have aged food stamp benefits of less than $5.00 or are identified in EBTU as saving food stamp benefits are not shown on the listing.  Each listing will contain participants who have not been shown on previous listings starting with the January aged benefit file.  Participants who continue not to access benefits and are not identified as saving benefits will reappear on the county listing each quarter.  Recontact these individuals to determine if a problem continues to exist when using the EBT card.

The purpose of this follow-up approach is to work with each individual to determine problems that may exist and how to assist him/her.  County offices may want to designate a specific number of staff to contact the individuals on the listing until all contacts are completed.  Staff must contact the participant in person or by phone, answer any questions, and provide assistance in using the EBT card.

Upon receipt of the listing, county staff must take the following action.

• Contact each individual on the listing.  If the participant does not have a phone or cannot be reached by phone, send correspondence to his/her address requesting s/he contact the county office and/or utilize partner agencies to contact the individual.

 
• Use the questions provided as a guide to determine the reason a participant is not using food stamp benefits.  These questions may not cover all possible situations and the worker should use his/her best judgment regarding additional questions to ask.

 
• Record the information received during the contact on the summary sheet provided.  Each summary sheet is to contain only one participant contact record.

 
• Answer any questions the participant has about EBT and other related information.

 
• Provide assistance to the participant in activating the EBT card or explain how to do so.  Staff can assist the participants in contacting the Deluxe Help Desk, but must not stay on the line when the participant needs to enter information.

 
• Assist participants in obtaining an authorized representative or home health agency to assist with grocery shopping.

 
• Refer participants to agencies or individuals that are working with DFS to assist in the EBT process.

 
• Explain that the participant may save benefits.  The benefits will be moved off line and can be replaced at the participant's request.  Put a "Y" in the "AGING OVERRIDE" field of EBTU to identify the participants who wish to save benefits.  These individuals will not appear on future listings if the "Y" indicator is in the "AGING OVERRIDE" field.

NOTE:  Not all counties will have participants on the aging file each month.  If you do not receive a listing each month, you may contact Food Stamp Program and Policy to verify if your county should have received one.  If there is no listing for your county for that month, no action is required.

• Discuss the memorandum with all appropriate staff.

 
• Contact each participant on the listing and complete the summary sheets.

 
• Assist participants with questions, concerns, or problems they have with the EBT process.

 
• File all summary sheets in one central file.  Quality Assurance staff will review the file.