US orders Mass. to fix food stamp procedures. Stores turn away some because of confusion over photo ID cards

The Boston Globe reports:

Massachusetts last year became one of the first states to require food stamp cards to include photos of recipients, but the new program has created such confusion that some low-income families are unable to buy groceries and the federal government is demanding that the state quickly fix the problem.

The cards, known as EBTs, an acronym for Electronic Benefit Transfer, act like debit cards and are issued to heads of households. But some store cashiers have turned away the recipients’ family members or others in the household — who can legally use the benefits — because they do not match the photos. Such practices violate federal rules, which require retailers to treat food stamp recipients like any other customer.

It is unclear how widespread the problems were. But they were significant enough that the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food stamp program, recently sent state officials a strongly worded letter detailing concerns about the implementation of the photo cards.

The great moments of the Welfare State.