The EBT card is handy for both recipient and the USDA.
When food stamps were introduced in the 1930s, they were actual stamps. Low-income participants bought a dollar's worth of orange stamps to receive 50 cents worth free to spend on whatever else they needed besides essential food items, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. From there, they evolved to paper coupons exchanged at the cash register for food. Today, food stamps are loaded on Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.
The EBT Card
The EBT card was piloted in 1988 and by 2002 it replaced the paper coupons that were cumbersome and easily stolen or counterfeited. This little plastic card, looking just like a bank debit card, made food stamp transactions quick and easy, and carried away much of the embarrassment and stigma associated with food stamps.
Distribution Amounts and Dates
Your benefit amount is deposited into your EBT account on the same day each month. The particular day depends on your state and is often based on your social security number. Your benefit amount is determined by your level of need. Maximum allotments begin at $200 for a single person and increase depending on the size of the household. A family of four, for example, can receive up to $668 a month, as of 2011.
What to Buy
You can buy all kinds of food with your EBT card: pasta, milk, cheese, eggs, meat, vegetables, microwavable dinners, drinks, snacks and yogurt, according to the USDA. You can even purchase seeds and vegetable or fruit plants to grow your own food. You're currently (as of 2011) allowed to purchase soda, chips and processed foods; you can also buy lobster, steak and caviar. You can't buy toilet paper, medicine or hot buffet foods.
Use
Have you ever used a bank card? Using an EBT card is the same process. You select a PIN number during the application process. When your purchases are tallied by the cashier, swipe your EBT card and enter your PIN. After the sale, whatever ineligible items you have (such as magazines or shampoo) are calculated, choose another payment method to pay for these. The remaining balance in your food stamp account is printed on the bottom of your receipt.
Tags: benefit amount, food stamp, food stamps, paper coupons, Your benefit