LEWISTON — The federal government has asked Maine to delay its plan to put photos on EBT cards until it can fully review and approve the state’s plan. Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew said late Friday that the plan is critical to the prosecution of welfare fraud, and her office […]
EBT cards
Posted inOp-Eds
Sen. Jim Hamper: Governor, state officials looking to curb EBT fraud
Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, commonly known as EBT cards, have been a high profile topic during the current legislative session. I think most Mainers agree that welfare programs such as EBT cards serve an important purpose and, when used appropriately, are an efficient way to provide basic support to Maine families in need. Temporary Assistance […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
County Jails checking new inmates’ EBT cards
AUBURN — Getting arrested in a growing number of Maine counties, including Androscoggin and Oxford, now includes a check of EBT cards. Since last fall, the jails have discovered dozens of the Electronic Benefit Transfer cards in the possession of arrestees but issued to someone else. The state uses the cards to disburse welfare money, […]
Posted inMaine
Mills assures her office is prosecuting all forms of welfare fraud
Maine’s top lawyer said in an open letter released Monday that state prosecutors would continue to clamp down on all forms of welfare fraud while suggesting that some people might be tempted to exploit the problem during an election year. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills was responding to a letter from state legislative leaders who […]
Posted inLetters
V. Bacon: EBT card story interesting
The Sun Journal article (Jan. 19) about some Mainers using some of their EBT card cash for some interesting things got my attention. I delivered oil for about 30 years in 20 different towns. A lot of my customers who received help deserved it. They had worked hard all their lives and it was the […]
Posted inLetters
M. Gordon: Startling revelations
Great job by Lindsay Tice and the Sun Journal on the story about how Mainers use their EBT cash benefits (Jan. 19). Sharp, balanced reporting, writing and editing … and some pretty startling revelations. Please continue to keep us informed on this important issue. Michael Gordon, Mulberry, Fla.
Posted inMaine, Nation / World, sj-web
EBT system restored after 17-state outage
AUGUSTA, Maine — The system that processes the Electronic Benefits Transfer transactions is back to normal. On Saturday, the EBT system experienced problems in Maine and other states across the country. In some cases, people left stores without their groceries. “Access to EBT accounts has been restored, and card holders may now access their benefits […]
Posted inLetters
L. Lyons: Poor choice for EBT card use
I was recently at a local grocery store standing in line to be checked out. The woman in front of me had six 12-packs of soda among other items. After she was rung up, she paid with an EBT card (Food Stamps). People should not be allowed to buy soda on the taxpayers’ dime. It […]