J.P. Morgan Selected By Western States EBT Alliance For Paperless Distribution Of Benefit Payments

J.P. Morgan has been selected by the Western States EBT Alliance (WSEA) for the distribution of benefit payments via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), direct deposit and commercial branded debit card services. J.P. Morgan has served as EBT contractor to WSEA's

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J.P. Morgan has been selected by the Western States EBT Alliance (WSEA) for the distribution of benefit payments via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), direct deposit and commercial branded debit card services. J.P. Morgan has served as EBT contractor to WSEA’s member states since 1996. Through the continued partnership with J.P. Morgan, WSEA is able to supply needy families with convenient, safe, easy-to-use EBT and debit cards that allow recipients to access their benefits and payment programs.

Current programs administered by WSEA include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the “Food Stamp Program”), Special Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and child support payments.

The WSEA member states joined in their initial procurement for EBT services in 1996 and first re-procurement in 2002. The WSEA has grown to ten members from its original six, and now consists of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming.

J.P. Morgan’s EBT, debit and stored value cards help state governments to cut the time and costs associated with the delivery of benefit payments. An alternative to expensive and cumbersome paper-based systems like checks or vouchers, EBT, debit and stored value cards reduce the significant costs of check delivery, administrative security and fraud, while enabling governments to enhance their paperless environmental initiatives.

“Over the next five years, WSEA anticipates an unprecedented growth in the number of households served, says WSEA spokesperson, Wayne Akizaki with the State of Hawaii’s Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division. J.P. Morgan presented the best value to help us continue to achieve economies of scale in volumes of transactions through tiered pricing and common system functionality with no disruption or change to the States’ current operations and no changes to the states’ EBT interfaces.”

“J.P. Morgan is honored to continue our 13-year partnership with WSEA,” says Laurie Neill, managing director of public sector solutions, J.P. Morgan. “We look forward to continuing to serve WSEA and helping them to leverage new and innovative technologies that will provide improved service and/or operational savings, such as Web services, innovative marketing strategies, enhanced card technologies and card production techniques, and detection and prevention of fraud.”

D.C.

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