California got rid of food stamps because of the negative stigma associated with their use and gave welfare recipients the EBT card (electronic benefit transfer). It’s basically a credit card.
What is Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT?
Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, is the new system that food stamp recipients in California will use to access their food stamp benefits. A majority of California counties will also use EBT to distribute CalWORKs benefits. Some counties will also use EBT for General Assistance/General Relief (GA/GR), Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) benefits.
Under the new EBT system, instead of receiving monthly food stamp coupons or welfare checks, recipients will be issued a plastic debit-like card which they will use to pay for groceries and in some counties, to get cash benefits. California’s EBT system is being implemented at different times, county by county, through the end of 2004. An updated implementation schedule can be found at the State’s EBT Project Web site, www.ebtproject.ca.gov.
“Under the new EBT system..........”
One would think it would be very easy to denied access to those accounts outside of California.