General Retailer Information
EBT
ELIMINATES HANDLING OF PAPER COUPONS
AND MANY CHECKS
DIRECT SETTLEMENT TO YOUR ACCOUNT
INCREASES EFFICIENCY
Retailers interested in accepting the Mountain State
EBT Card for SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamp) benefits must be authorized by Food and Nutrition
Services (FNS). Contact FNS to learn more:
Once authorized by FNS, JPMorgan EFS will send the
retailer a Retailer Agreement package, which has EBT contract information to the
FNS authorized retailers.
Retailers are to complete the Retailer Agreement, Settlement
Authorization, Telephone Authorization (if appropriate) and Site Survey Forms
and return them as quickly as possible after they are received.
The information contained in the retailer package must be received by JPMorgan EFS in order for
the retailer to accept SNAP and/or Cash Benefits
For information about enrollment status, bank account
information/changes, manual voucher supplies and
general information about EBT retailer issues, contract the JPMorgan Retailer
Support Operations at:
- 1-800-350-8533 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday
If you have received EBT ONLY (STATE ISSUED EQUIPMENT)
and have questions about: How to complete an EBT transaction; Have
equipment/phone line problems; Settlement Issues; Claims or Questions concerning
EBT transactions that occurred within the past 30 days call:
Retailer Help Desk (EBT-Only Retailer)
1-800-230-0179
(24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Integrated Retailers must call their
processor
Retailers with existing Debit/Credit equipment must
contact their Third Party Processor (TTP) to alert them of the store’s
intention to begin processing EBT transactions. Early notification of the TTP
helps them in making the necessary changes needed to process EBT transactions.
Reimbursement for EBT transactions and/or cash withdrawals will be transferred
electronically via the Automated Clearing House (ACH) to a retailer’s
bank account within 2 business days following receipt of the retailer’s
end-of-day point of sale settlement information.
NEW
Click here for Retailer Manual Voucher Processing Procedure
NEW
An Important
Message from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Regarding Non Working Cards
and Keyed Transactions
When food stamp
recipients shop at your store, the EBT cards are "swiped" through the Point of
Sale (POS) device which reads the card number and other information from the
magnetic strip on the back of the card. Sometimes, the card strip is
damaged and cannot be read by the POS device. When and only when
the POS device cannot read the card strip, may you manually enter the card
numbers. The recipient must be present and show you the card. You
cannot enter cards manually unless the EBT Cardholder AND card are present.
you may never keep card numbers on file. The recipient must still
enter his or her PIN to authorize a key-entered transaction. Clerks
should never ask clients for their PIN. You should never engage in an EBT
transaction if the customer has a card number written on a piece of paper, but
does not present an EBT card.
SNAP Program
regulations permit key-entry as a back-up convenience for recipients and the
recipient is expected to get a free replacement for the damaged card. If
the EBT card is damaged, please advise the recipient to request a replacement
card by calling the toll-free number on the back of their cards. If your POS
device frequently does not accept EBT cards, it may need servicing. If you
use a commercial POS equipment vendor, contact the vendor for equipment cleaning
instructions or to report problems. If you use EBT only equipment, contact
your POS equipment helpdesk if you think that you are experiencing an equipment
problem. Additionally, the EBT-Only Retailer's Manual recommends cleaning
the card readers with the paper supplier being contact for the needed supplies.
Do not use the
manual key-entry method unless the POS device or the EBT card presented by the
recipient is not working. FNS monitors the frequency of key-entry by every store
and West Virginia has a high percentage of manual key-entered transactions
compared to the rest of the nation.
Further information
about the handling of SNAP EBT transactions can be found in our Training
Guide for Retailers, which can be requested from our office or downloaded from
our website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/retailers.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Go to the FNS Website for more
Retailer Information:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/retailers
Also available at this site:
FNS Authorized Retailer Application to apply on-line or mail; Training Guide for
Retailers; EBT FAQ; Find your FNS field office.
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