The electronic system that allows welfare recipients to buy food with their benefits went down across the Atlanta area Saturday, according to local grocery stores.
Several news media reports say the Electronic Benefits Transfer system – which allows low-income people to spend their Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program benefits with payment cards – was not working in Michigan and Virginia as well.
How long before Georgia's 0bama Lovers start using this outage as justification to being rioting, looting and TAKING what they feel is entitled to them?
This comment is not worth the link, but if you scroll down in the comments, it's there, the hatred and racism is just oozing out.
Food stamp users across Mississippi and neighboring states were being declined Saturday morning as they tried to use their EBT, or Electronic Benefit Transfer, cards at grocery, dollar and convenience stores.
Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/...
Well now the story from NBC news is that Xerox had or has a power outage at one of it's facilities.
Sheree Powell, Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, also told NBC10 affiliate KFOR that the system failure is the result of a power outage at a Xerox facility. EBT cards in several states are powered by a company that Xerox owns called ACS, Inc.
"We are getting updated in real time," said Karen Arena, a spokeswoman for Xerox. "But as far as I know right now some of the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system is experiencing temporary connectivity issues. Technical staff is addressing the issue and expect the system to be restored soon. The issue stemmed from a routine check of the system."
Statement from Xerox-Update
During a routine test of our back-up systems Saturday morning, Xerox’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system experienced a temporary shutdown. While the system is now up and running, beneficiaries in the 17 affected states continue to experience connectivity issues to access their benefits. This disruption impacts EBT beneficiaries who rely on the system for SNAP and WIC. Technical staff is addressing the issue and expect the system to be restored soon. Beneficiaries requiring access to their benefits can work with their local retailers who can activate an emergency voucher system where available. We appreciate our clients’ patience while we work through this outage as quickly as possible.