Contact Jean Daniel (703) 305-2286
jean.daniel@fns.usda.gov 

Washington, October 31 2000—A U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and State of Wyoming team was honored today for implementing the first joint Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Food Stamp off-line Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system. The 17 members of the state and federal team will receive the Hammer Award from Vice President Gore’s National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR) for its collaboration on a smartcard system which replaces the paper Food Stamp coupon and the WIC food check with a single card.

The Hammer Awards are presented to teams of employees who develop innovative programs to make government work better and achieve results important to the American public. Award recipients are given a hammer symbolizing the Vice President’s answer to yesterday’s government. As stated by NPR Deputy Director, Jennifer Muller, "The Hammer Award is an excellent tool for tearing down outmoded structure and is also very useful in building something new and better in its place". The Wyoming project is a model of state and federal cooperation, innovation and partnership that could result in greater program accountability for equal or reduced costs in Wyoming or other States.

"I want to congratulate this team for your dedication to improving benefit delivery to our customers – many of whom depend on the Food Stamp and WIC programs for critical nutrition assistance every day," said Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Shirley Watkins. "The Wyoming Team has successfully implemented Vice President Gore’s powerful reinvention formula – making government work better. They have done so in programs administered by a Federal Agency designated as one of the National Performance Review’s "high impact" agencies – those that collectively affect the lives of 90% of the American public".

The Wyoming system uses "smart card" microprocessor chip cards in systems that are off-line. Transactions are authorized between the chip in the card and a specially programmed point of sale device (POS). The client enters a PIN verified by the chip and the chip debits dollars from Food Stamp benefits and/or food item amounts from WIC food prescriptions according to the client’s purchases. EBT is key to delivering benefits efficiently, affordably and securely to recipients. In 1992, barely one percent of all food stamp households nationwide were receiving their food stamp benefits electronically. Today, 75 percent of all households are using an EBT card to access their benefits. 41 states, plus the District of Columbia have now implemented EBT systems, in all or parts of their states, and all states are required to issue food stamp benefits electronically by the year 2002. Wyoming’s project breaks new ground in demonstrating the effective use of smartcards as reliable vehicles for EBT for both the Food Stamp and WIC Programs. Wyoming is the first to demonstrate successful coordination in services between these two programs within State government.

"The accomplishments of the Wyoming WIC/Food Stamp EBT team are a testament to the close and productive partnership among USDA, and the staff at the state and local levels that work with WIC participants every day," said Under Secretary Watkins. "And together we vow to continue to provide the best quality service to WIC and Food Stamp participants to help ensure the future health of America’s children."

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