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Louisiana Selected for SNAP Mobile Payment Pilot

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DCFS Seeks Retail Partners to Help Implement Contactless EBT Option

BATON ROUGE, LA - The USDA Food and Nutrition Service has selected Louisiana as one of five states to test mobile payment technology for EBT cardholders in the next few years, and the Department of Children and Family Services is now seeking retail partners to help implement the new option for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The SNAP Mobile Payment Pilot will allow recipients of SNAP and other EBT benefits to use mobile payment methods - like tapping or scanning their personal mobile device - as an alternative to their physical EBT card. The new option also will allow SNAP and Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) recipients to have immediate access to their benefits when approved and issued, eliminating any delay resulting from waiting for a mailed card.

DCFS will work with the Louisiana Retailers Association to identify potential retail partners for the project. While most of the design and system work will be done by the State and EBT vendor Inmar, it is important that retailers participate throughout the entire process. Joining the pilot early will allow retailers to acquire insight into the pilot process and timeline updates. Also, retail system changes could potentially be minimized for retailers who participate from design to implementation.

"We are thrilled to be chosen to participate in the SNAP Mobile Payment Pilot," said DCFS Secretary Terri Ricks. "Over the past few years, we've focused on ways of using technology to make SNAP applications and purchases easier for the families we serve, including through text messaging reminders, a mobile app for managing benefits, online SNAP purchasing and even a virtual D-SNAP process following disasters. The goal of the Mobile Payment Pilot is to build on these efforts by making purchases more convenient and reducing the time involved in receiving access to benefits."

Read the full announcement from USDA FNS at https://www.fns.usda.gov/news-item/fns-006.23.