Electronic Benefits

Electronic Delivery of Federal and State Benefits -- Issues for Low Income Recipient

Policy Analysis

• Comments: NCLC, Consumers Union, and eight other groups to USDA on Proposed Changes to Food Stamps EBT Regulations, September 7, 2001
• Testimony: before the Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, regarding the EFT Requirements of the Debt Collection Improvements Act of 1996 and the Use of ETAs, June 20, 2001
• Comments: NCLC and other consumer and community groups on Treasury' proposal to regulate the delivery of federal benefits through check cashers, April, 1999
• Comments NCLC and other national and local consumer and community groups onTreasury's proposed special new account, called the "ETA" for unbanked recipients of federal benefits to receive their payments electronically, January, 1999
• Comments: NCLC and other national and local consumer and community groups onTreasury's proposed regulations for the delivery of federal benefits by electronic means, May, 1998
• Testimony: before the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit on the impact of Treasury's Proposed Regulation under the "EFT 99" Provisions of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 On the Poor, the Elderly and the "Unbanked", March 4, 1998
• Comments: to Treasury Secretary Rubin about the need to exclude unregulated fringe bankers from the delivery system for federal benefits, November 19, 1997
• Testimony: before the Committe on Banking and Financial Services on the impact of Treasury's Proposed Regulation under the "EFT 99" Provisions of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 On the Poor, the Elderly and the "Unbanked", September 25, 1997
• Comments: on Proposed Rule Making on Electronic Benefits Transfer, 31 CFR 207, July 8, 1997
• Testimony: before the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight on the Impact of "EFT-99" on the Poor, the Elderly and the "Unbanked", June 18, 1997
• Testimony: before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs regarding the Impact of "EFT-99" o n the Poor, the Elderly and the "Unbanked", May 22, 1997
• Comments: on the Electronics Benefits Transfer Benefit Adjustments, July 24, 1998

Consumer Information

• Order form to receive a handbook for New York public assistance recipients on EBT rights and responsibilities, July 2001
• Article: Federal recipients' rights to continue receiving paper checks, despite the requirement for electronic deposits, November, 1998

Background Information and Resources

• Selected Characteristics of State EBT Systems, by Barbara Leyser, June 2001, PDF (46KB)
• Findings From A Survey of New York City EBT, by Barbara Leyser, February, 2001
• Findings From the First Multi-State Survey of EBT Recipients, February, 2001
• Barbara Leyser: "Recepients Concerns with the Use of Electronic Benefit Transfer Systems for the Delivery of State and Federal Benefits", Clearinghouse Review Vol. 32, Nos. 5-6, Sept.-Oct. 1998, pp. 216-251 PDF (141KB)
• The Need for Interoperability Among EBT Systems, by Barbara Leyser, January 6, 1998