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DETROIT - Michigan residents in a federal food program are being denied purchases with their debit-style cards because of technical problems. A woman from Fenton, who asked not to be identified, spoke with WWJ about her experience. “I’ve been in two different stores and in both stores, I was told that food stamps could not be authorized so I was not able to make a purchase. I’m absolutely outraged and furious,” she said. “Today is Saturday, my only day off to go grocery shopping for my children and I’m very, very angry that this has happened.” Officials said they’re not...

The number of Erie County residents in the food stamp program is the highest its been in 20 years. One in 5 people, or 20.5 percent, in the county are on food stamps. In all, more than 57,000 Erie County residents are on food stamps, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. About 38,000 city of Erie residents, or nearly 37 percent, are on food stamps, a 24 percent increase from 2009.

Kelly Ishaq, manager of Broadway Food Center on Broadway Street in Toledo, said the system hasn’t allowed customers to use their cards to buy food. A message comes up saying “unavailable,” he said. Brian O'Connor, a central Toledo resident, said he ran into a similar problem at the VIP food market, Bancroft Street and Ashland Avenue, and that other residents in the apartments where he lives were "panicking" about their food-stamp cards not working.

Customers at BJ’s Wholesale Club, Hannaford supermarkets and other grocery stores in Maine abandoned their carts at registers and headed home empty-handed earlier Saturday. Lou Craig, the owner of College Carry-Out in Augusta, said he had to turn away about 50 customers Saturday because the system wouldn’t accept their EBT cards. “They just won’t go through,” he said. “It just prints out ‘declined.’ ” Craig said its a particularly busy time for those using food stamps, because their cards are usually reloaded with cash value from the 10th through the 14th. Jason Quincannon, acting store manager at Hannaford on Forest...

(TheBlaze/AP) — Major problems were reported Saturday all across America with the Electronic Benefits Transfer System, as consumers were stuck with no way to pay at registers, notes WBZ-TV in Boston. WBZ reported that a computer-system upgrade was to blame, while the Associated Press reports that a routine check by vendor Xerox Corp. resulted in a system failure. People in Ohio, Michigan and several other states found themselves unable to use their food stamp debit cards while shoppers from Maine to Oklahoma had to abandon baskets of groceries because they couldn’t access their benefits.

People in Ohio, Michigan and several other states found themselves unable to use their food stamp debit cards on Saturday, after a routine check by vendor Xerox Corp. resulted in a system failure. Shoppers from Maine to Oklahoma had to abandon baskets of groceries because they couldn't access their benefits.Ohio's cash and food assistance card payment systems went down at 11 a.m., said Benjamin Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ohio's cash system has been fixed, however its electronic benefits transfer card system is still down. All states that use Xerox systems are affected...

Will Obama Stop the Music This November? The current “shutdown” of 17% of the federal government has primed America for chaos with constant left-wing rhetoric and news media reports couched in apocalyptic terms such as crisis, brink, catastrophe, hostage, arsonist and terrorist. But a catastrophe is useful to a would-be tyrant only as long as it can be blamed on a hated enemy. In 1933 Hitler’s agents burned the Reichstag, not just to sow fear and confusion, but primarily in order to charge his Communist enemies with treason as an excuse to obliterate them. The German “mainstream media” dutifully parroted...

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. A Sam's Club member services representative, however, said the cards would work if purchases were broken down into smaller increments worth less than $90, but one food stamps user said his card wouldn't work for a $4 purchase.

Bridge Cards reportedly not working EBT Food stamps system experiencing glitches in Michigan, other states Joanne Marie Hoopes Oct 12 2013 01:54:13 PM EDT DETROIT - The Local 4 newsroom has been flooded with calls and emails from people reporting problems with their Michigan EBT Food stamp card. Viewers say they attempted to use their Bridge Card but the system is not working and they are left unable to purchase groceries. Local 4 contacted the Michigan Department of Human Services; a spokesperson says the issue with client cards is not on the DHS end. The spokesperson says the issues are...

On the Chuck Brooks Law-Call hour, 12:00-1:00 pm, Saturday October 10, on the Baltimore station WCBM, two separate callers stated that the "Food Stamp System" was not working at several Baltimore grocery stores. The second caller mentioned that folks in the store were blaming Republicans. I cannot personally confirm these reports. Are other Freepers noticing this in their locations?

Some grocery and food shoppers who were trying to used government benefit cards to pay got a rude awakening on Saturday morning: their EBT cards were not working. A check here in Central New York, however, showed that grocery chains were apparently unaffected. We are being told that a technical services vendor (Xerox) had a power outage which did affect being able to pay with a benefits card in several states. As of early Saturday afternoon, the debit system was back up and the SNAP program was being rebooted, with expectations that all services would be back up shortly.

I was in Walmart the other night and saw something I did not know was available. As I was standing in the checkout line a woman was using her Food Stamp EBT card to buy stuff and at the end of the transaction she was able to get money back on the EBT card like you can with a debit card. I enquired about this and was informed that a change had been made by Government that permitted this. So you can get a cash back on a EBT Card then are able to buy things not on the approved...

This is not the headline you see this weekend. More typical is “House Republicans pass deep cuts in food stamps” like the New York Times. It is not until deep in the article you realize the “deep” cuts of 40 Million are over 10 years. That’s for a program that will still spend $700 Billion with a “B” after the deep cuts. Two other provisions included with the trimming are to drug test recipients if they want our generosity and preventing lottery winners from receiving food stamps.

The House has voted to cut nearly $4 billion a year from food stamps, a 5 percent reduction to the nation's main feeding program used by more than 1 in 7 Americans. The 217-210 vote was a win for conservatives after Democrats united in opposition and some GOP moderates said the cut was too high. The bill's savings would be achieved by allowing states to put broad new work requirements in place for many food stamp recipients and to test applicants for drugs. The bill also would end government waivers that have allowed able-bodied adults without dependents to receive food...

It may be busier than usual at grocery stores today. On Monday, food stamp recipients will not be able to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards. The Florida Department of Children and Families is contracting with new vendor e-Funds to provide EBT services. The switch is expected to save the state $21 million over the next three years. But in order to make the final switch, EBT cards won’t work starting at midnight. There is some misinformation out there about the switch. Benefits for food stamp recipients will not change. Also, people will be able to use their EBT cards...

According to USDA estimates, about half of households that received food stamps suffered from some amount of food security, largely because the subsidy is so small.

NEWARK— The owner of four dollar stores in Essex and Union counties pleaded guilty today to defrauding the food stamp program out of $5 million by letting customers use the federal subsidy to pay for electronic devices and other non-food items, prosecutors say.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Food stamp fraud is a “significant problem” in Rhode Island. That was the message U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha sent Thursday when he announced that nine people are facing criminal charges for allegedly defrauding the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program out of more than $3 million. During a two-year undercover investigation, Neronha said eight Rhode Island residents and one New York man were found to be illegally allowing food stamp recipients to use their EBT cards to obtain cash in exchange for a large surcharge at five Providence convenience stores. ... Six people were charged by...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Many people in Mecklenburg County are not getting their food stamps on time. The Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services serves 80,000 households on food stamps. No one is giving an exact number on how many of those are having to wait longer than usual. Kristi Adams said it's, "stressful, real stressful." . . . The state admits it's not picking up the tab [food donations], but it is sending out experts to DSS offices across the state to help counties tackle their backlogs. For example, Union, Cabarrus, Rowan, Iredell, and Gaston counties are each getting two...