Food Stamp System To Be Offline Monday

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) -- With the state Department of Children and Families switching to a new vendor, the program that provides food assistance, formerly known as food stamps, to low-income people will be temporarily offline Monday, Sept. 16.

Purchases with electronic benefit cards will not be available from midnight until Monday evening.

DCF spokesman Whitney Ray said people who would normally receive funds close to that day are instead receiving them this week, and they should get ready for the system being down.

"We ask that all EBT customers go ahead and prepare by stocking up on groceries,'' Ray said. "We hope to, by the afternoon, have benefits flowing again. Folks won't need new cards in that situation, and they'll be able to go to the store and make those purchases once again."

DCF has been working since July on the switch to the new vendor, e-Funds, which will provide electronic-benefit services.

It says the switch will lead to $21 million in savings over three years in the food-assistance program known by the acronym SNAP.

"The News Service of Florida contributed to this report."