Customers urged to attend training classes. This week, food stamp and Families First recipients in Hamilton County will receive new debit or benefit security cards that can be used for purchasing groceries or making cash withdrawals beginning January 1. State Human Services officials say the cards will be mailed to more than 14,000 people as the state moves into the electronic age of welfare. Tennessee residents also have the option of placing other federal benefits on the plastic card. Training sessions for residents on how to use the cards are being conducted by DHS and the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service.
Several dates are still available for Hamilton County residents throughout the area.
Customers will no longer have to wait for food stamps and cash assistance checks to be delivered to their homes. Benefits will be placed in their accounts on the same day each month, which will result in the benefits being much more secure. In addition, retailers will no longer have to spend time processing food stamp coupons. By partnering with SAS states, we will have one of the lowest EBT cost in the nation. SAS states include Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina.