The Food and Nutrition Service is taking a leadership role in assuring our customers and the American public that the electronic delivery of food stamp benefits will transition smoothly into the year 2000. FNS is actively working with states, EBT processors, retailers, third party processors, and financial networks to assure that food stamp benefits will be accessible to our clients on January 1, 2000. We have received assurances from major retailers and third party processors, the point where our clients exchange their food stamp benefits for food, that they are Y2K ready and will have food available in the new year. And, FNS has asked and is now receiving assurances from states that their EBT systems can provide food stamp account and benefit information to the EBT processors. The plan below was developed to address the steps FNS is taking to monitor, and where possible, assist States in achieving Y2K compliance.
Progress reports from Georgia leave little, if any, room for error or time slippage.
The Agency intends to send its contractor, SAIC, to Georgia for a second time to provide assistance and support to the State agency, and to independently verify and validate the State's contingency system. The letter will express FNS' concern and will seek assurance that funding, approvals, and appropriate procurement vehicles are in place to make these areas Y2K compliant by the date the State has reported it will achieve Y2K compliance. In addition to the above steps, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman will soon be sending a letter to each State Governor emphasizing the importance of timely Y2K preparation and requesting the Governor's assistance in full Y2K preparations. FNS will be contacting each State with more specifics about that State and to finalize preparations for the transition to the year 2000. FNS' Regional Offices will meet with the relevant commissioners and State agency staff to insure that program beneficiaries will not have interruption in the receipt of their program benefits.