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EBT's Top 10 Benefits
- Reduces administrative costs and improves overall efficiency.
EBT eliminates printing, processing, storage and mailing of coupons and replaces manual reconciliation process with on-line automated reconciliation capacity.
- Promote cooperation between public and private sector.
For a successful EBT system, cooperation is fostered between government agencies, vendors, retailers, financial institutions, and medical service providers.
- Reduced opportunity for fraud.
Automatic data input and tracking has allowed quicker identification of duplicate and improper use of government benefit programs.
- Improved retailer checkout process.
Since the EBT system eliminates the need for coupons, it should expedite the checkout process tremendously.
- Utilization of the existing commercial network infrastructure.
The EBT transactions can often be accomplished through existing infrastructure, saving governments and service providers the expense of investing in new systems.
- Increased public acceptance of the programs.
The EBT system enables benefit recipients to join the social mainstream in using existing modern technology. By mainstreaming clients into the general population, EBT also increases the public’s acceptance of government benefits programs.
- Reduced potential for theft of benefits.
Instead of carry coupons that have cash value for the holder, EBT uses an electronic means that has safeguards allowing only the beneficiary access to the benefits.
- Improved self-esteem by reducing stigma.
Clients will no longer be stigmatized using paper coupons at the checkout lanes as most EBT programs use systems similar to credit cards used by the general public.
- Immediate availability of benefits upon credit to the account.
EBT can make the use of social programs simpler. As an example the use of food stamps has been made easier to use through a magnetic swipe card, reducing the bureaucracy of receiving and using aid from food stamps.
- Promote client self-sufficiency by allowing money management of benefits.
The EBT system will allow clients to obtain balance information on their account as well as the history of transactions at any time of the day. This information allows clients to safely manage their benefits and carry forward their balances.
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