Thread: Michelle Malkin: ‘Riot time!’: Food stamp users in near-panic over EBT card failures

UPDATE: Mississippi food stamp fiasco not related to government shutdown

Published: October 12, 2013 Updated 2 hours ago

TIM ISBELL/SUN HERALD The Dollar General store on Pass Road in Gulfport has a sign indicating the EBT or Electronic Bridge Transfer network is down. Food stamp users in Mississippi are being declined at area grocery and convenience stores.

DHS: Vendor power outage caused issues
By MARY MARGARET HALFORD and JUSTIN MITCHELL— SUN HERALD
Food stamp users across Mississippi and 16 other states were being declined Saturday morning as they tried to use their EBT, or Electronic Benefit Transfer, cards at grocery, dollar and convenience stores because of a power outage at the EBT vendor.
Julia Bryan, public information officer for the Mississippi Department of Human Services, said the problems stemmed from a power outage at the main data center for Xerox, the vendor for EBT cards in Mississippi and 16 other states across the nation. The outage caused equipment problems that led to cards being declined at stores across the state.
Bryan said Xerox reported that the issue should be resolved shortly, but no specific time frame was available.
"This has nothing to do with the federal government shutdown," Bryan said.
A Sam's Club member services representative said the cards would work if purchases were broken down into smaller increments worth less than $90, but one food stamps user said his card wouldn't work for a $4 purchase.
Managers at Wal-Mart, Rouse's, Sam's Club and dollar stores said the system was having problems Saturday, but they weren't sure why.
A manager at Winn Dixie in Biloxi said their system was experiencing no problems. The same could be said for the Winn Dixie in Hattiesburg.
When Kimber Necaise of Carriere called the EBT benefits hotline today, she said she was upset to hear that she was unable to use her food stamp benefits card.
"I called the reference number and an automated message said that they aren't accessible at this time," Necaise said.
Necaise and her boyfriend, who have three children, receives around $600 per month in food stamp funds.
"We really depend on our benefits," she said.
Jennifer Waits, of Kiln, said that she hopes her card will be operational again.
Waits, a single mother with one son, said that the $179 she receives per month helps with food cost.
"It helps pay for my son and I to eat," Waits said. "It's really stressing me out."
Louisiana and Alabama stores were also experiencing problems Saturday.


http://www.sunherald.com/2013/10/12/...-declined.html

Foodstamp Nation In Turmoil: EBT System Goes Dark, "Glitch" Blamed

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 10/12/2013 17:03 -0400

In the past five years it has become apparent that America can survive a near-fatal financial system collapse, an economy teetering on the edge and kept ticking only thanks to the Fed's now perpetual QE, a collapsing standard of living for everyone but the wealthiest 0.1%, declining wages, zero interest rates, surging food, energy, rent, tuition and welfare costs, and pretty much everything else, as long as the welfare state keeps humming along. Any be welfare state we mostly mean providing the daily bread to the nearly 50 million Americans living in poverty and surviving only thanks to the only thing to have exploded to epic record highs under Obama (in addition to the Fed's balance sheet of course): foodstamp usage. However, the true stability of the US may be tested very soon following reports that due to a "possible computer glitch" the Electronic Benefits Transfer System, aka EBT, ala Foodstamps, is offline. Cue mass panic among the best-weaponized population in the world. Naturally, this latest fiasco involving a country that has grown accustomed to sucking on the government's teat was immediately blamed on a "glitch" - just like everything else that is slowly but surely breaking in the New Normal.

CBS reports:

Reports from around the country began pouring in around 9 a.m. on Saturday that customers’ EBT cards were not working in stores. The glitch, however, did not appear to be part of the government shutdown. At 2 p.m., an EBT customer service representative told CBS Boston that the system was currently down for a computer system upgrade.

The representative said the glitch is affecting people nationwide. She could not say when officials expected the system to be restored.

People calling the customer service line were being told to call back later.

State officials said they were preparing a statement to further explain the issue.

The federal EBT website was unavailable due to the government shutdown.

AP adds:

People in Ohio, Michigan and several other states found themselves unable to use their food stamp debit cards on Saturday, after a routine check by vendor Xerox Corp. resulted in a system failure. Shoppers from Maine to Oklahoma had to abandon baskets of groceries because they couldn't access their benefits.

Ohio's cash and food assistance card payment systems went down at 11 a.m., said Benjamin Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ohio's cash system has been fixed, however its electronic benefits transfer card system is still down. All states that use Xerox systems are affected by the outage.

Xerox spokeswoman Karen Arena confirmed via email Saturday afternoon that some EBT systems are experiencing temporary connectivity issues. She said technical staff is addressing the issue and expects the system to be restored soon.

As a reminder, this is how many Americans and households were on foodstamps as of the most recent monthly update (hint: a record).






And now, it's time for the sequel to @MrEBT's hit masterpiece: "My EBT... has been rejected."



Xerox Statement on Temporary EBT Systems Outage

During a routine test of our back-up systems Saturday morning, Xerox’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system experienced a temporary shutdown. While the system is now up and running, beneficiaries in the 17 affected states continue to experience connectivity issues to access their benefits. This disruption impacts EBT beneficiaries who rely on the system for SNAP and WIC. Technical staff is addressing the issue and expect the system to be restored soon. Beneficiaries requiring access to their benefits can work with their local retailers who can activate an emergency voucher system where available. We appreciate our clients’ patience while we work through this outage as quickly as possible.

In short: Cue panic, because while the Nasdaq may be down for 3 hours and only a few vacuum tubes would notice, take down EBT, and you will have a full-fledged revolution in no time.

Via Twitchy,

Jazmen Ashley @jazmen04o25
NOBODIES EBT CARD IS GOING THRU AT WALMART
3:47 PM - 12 Oct 2013



EBT cards in many states aren’t working today, and as you might expect, some Walmart shoppers aren’t very happy.


J A N A E @JanaeHudson
"@Creamteam_bitch: Government done shut down the #EBT cards in Ga... These folks going crazy in walmart lol"swearrrr
4:21 PM - 12 Oct 2013



Kelly gentry @KellyKgentry23
Walmart just made an announcement on the intercom that EBT for the state of Georgia is down...there are now full carts Left everywhere #awk
3:40 PM - 12 Oct 2013



Chelsey Oliveira @chelseyoliveira
EBT is down so Walmart is complete chaos right now, so glad I'm leaving in 2 hours
3:36 PM - 12 Oct 2013



Lorena Bobbitt @iNoUliKmYdReAdZ
EBT down at walmart and MF going crazy!
2:41 PM - 12 Oct 2013



J.Thrash @dreadsANDretros
THEY DONE SHUT DOWN EBT CARDS IN MISSISSIPPI...... Walmart fulla mad motha ****as right now
3:32 PM - 12 Oct 2013



cassidy davis @cassEdav
I almost just killed some people at Walmart, EBT is apparently down today #madhouse
2:17 PM - 12 Oct 2013



Rudy Huxtable ♡ @ForevaHisBadass
EBT isnt being accepted at walmart and people are going crazy.
1:21 PM - 12 Oct 2013




MS. UPTOWN @MZUPTOWN
Walmart is in here announcing they not taking EBT due to state wide issues  ppl in here PISSED! Lol
2:14 PM - 12 Oct 2013




Pricetag @AtoDa
Heard a fight broke out at Walmart cause ppl EBT card stopped working lmao
2:11 PM - 12 Oct 2013




dani @danid373
in Huntsville Alabama,they are refusing ebt/food stamp cards at walmart. my daughter works there and says it's getting really bad
2:00 PM - 12 Oct 2013




. @_KaylaJeann
Working at walmart while EBT is ****ing up <<< I just might get shot today. Lol.
3:18 PM - 12 Oct 2013



Carolyn Ingold @angelady1127
OMG. MULTIPLE LANES OPEN! CASHIERS BEGGING FOR CUSTOMERS! IF ONLY EBT MACHINES WERE DOWN EVERY DAY!!!!! (at @walmart) http://4sq.com/18YjLvZ
4:31 PM - 12 Oct 2013 from Whitehall, OH, United States
A check-in at Walmart Supercenter

Carolyn (and over 40 million other people) use Foursquare to keep up and meet up with their friends on-the-go.

Foursquare @foursquare



Then again, every cloud has its silver lining:

KatieKaBoom @Katie_Ka_Boom1
#EBT down?! Sweet, I can go to Walmart today! It'll be empty!!
4:15 PM - 12 Oct 2013


Welcome to the Obama economy.


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-1...-glitch-blamed

GOVERNMENT

‘FOLKS ABOUT TO RIOT’: TWITTER EXPLODES WITH OUTRAGE OVER ELECTRONIC FOOD STAMP SHUTDOWN

Oct. 12, 2013 5:35pm Dave Urbanski

Related:

• Food Stamps,
  
• Twitter

(Credit: Twitter/Harold Goodridge)

Amid major problems reported Saturday all across America with the Electronic Benefits Transfer System (i.e., electronic food stamp debit cards), leaving consumers stuck with no way to pay at registers, many people took to Twitter to express concern.
(Warning: Some rough language ahead…)

(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy)

(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy)

(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy)

(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy)

(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy)

(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy)

(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy)

(H/T: Twitchy)
–

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013...tamp-shutdown/

GOVERNMENT

NATIONWIDE ELECTRONIC FOOD STAMP SHUTDOWN REPORTED, COMPUTER SYSTEM UPGRADE BLAMED (UPDATE: AP REPORTS VENDOR CHECK CRASHED SYSTEM)

Oct. 12, 2013 3:51pm Dave Urbanski

(TheBlaze/AP) — Major problems were reported Saturday all across America with the Electronic Benefits Transfer System, as consumers were stuck with no way to pay at registers, notes WBZ-TVin Boston.
WBZ reported that a computer-system upgrade was to blame, while the Associated Press reports that a routine check by vendor Xerox Corp. resulted in a system failure.
People in Ohio, Michigan and several other states found themselves unable to use their food stamp debit cards while shoppers from Maine to Oklahoma had to abandon baskets of groceries because they couldn’t access their benefits.
Ohio’s cash and food assistance card payment systems went down at 11 a.m., said Benjamin Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ohio’s cash system has been fixed, however its electronic benefits transfer card system is still down. All states that use Xerox systems are affected by the outage.
Xerox spokeswoman Karen Arena confirmed via email Saturday afternoon that some EBT systems are experiencing temporary connectivity issues. She said technical staff is addressing the issue and expects the system to be restored soon.

More from WBZ:

Reports from around the country began pouring in around 9 a.m. on Saturday that customers’ EBT cards were not working in stores.
The glitch, however, did not appear to be part of the government shutdown. At 2 p.m., an EBT customer service representative told CBS Boston that the system was currently down for a computer system upgrade.
The representative said the glitch is affecting people nationwide. She could not say when officials expected the system to be restored.
People calling the customer service line were being told to call back later.
The federal EBT website was unavailable due to the government shutdown.

This is breaking news; updates will be added.

(H/T: Weasel Zippers)
–

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013...pgrade-blamed/

I Want My Bailout Money by Michael Adams the Health Ranger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnT21hmlT4o

And it's gone (original)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DT7bX-B1Mg

Wheres my Money Stewie & Brian (Hd)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZomwVcGt0LE

EBT shutdown ‘glitch’ doesn’t bode well for Obamacare’s future

Posted at 4:08 pm on October 12, 2013 by Twitchy Staff | View Comments

EBT card failures reported nationwide, wait till your insurance cards report failure to work as well, thanks Obamacare! #tcot
—
Jami (@Jami_USA) October 12, 2013

CBS is reporting that a “possible glitch” in a computer system upgrade was likely responsible for rendering EBT cards useless across much of the country Saturday afternoon. Computer glitches have been testing Americans’ patience and preventing them from signing up for health insurance under Obamacare for two weeks now, but it took only hours of the EBT glitch for talk to turn to fear, panic and even rioting.

President Obama might have dismissed the glitches on the HealthCare.gov site as simple, unavoidable growing pains, but if the reaction to the EBT shutdown is any indication, the government needs to get things in order quickly if there’s to be any confidence in its ability to administer Obamacare nationwide.

E

BT cards down all across the country and people panic.It is so easy for the government to control the people. Look forward to obamacare —
KOH (@nursekimrn) October 12, 2013

#ebtshutdown Special Report WH transfers EBT database to #Obamacaredatabase developer's. Should be back online soon as healthcare exchange.—
Mark Ricketts (@Roadglide100) October 12, 2013

#EBT down!! And you trust the govt to run your healthcare??? #Obamacare#tcot #UniteBlue #P2—
Elisabeth (@10thAmendment) October 12, 2013

Looks like the #EBT website update made it just as efficient as the#Obamacare site.—
Mrs. JB (@ExplicitHonesty) October 12, 2013

EBT network must be tied into the Obamacare network. Makes sense.#brokedown—
(@Mamadoxie) October 12, 2013

#EBT obviously being switched (or glitched) over to #Obamacare servers.—
(@HankKnowsSports) October 12, 2013

They have the Obamacare IT team on the EBT case …no worries.—
Phillip J Hubbell (@PJHubbell) October 12, 2013

@KCBD11 @anotherday1 Wonder if the EBT program was designed by those folks who designed the wildly successful #ObamaCare site.—
Anarchist Thurman (@Mayortommm) October 12, 2013

We’re hoping talk of rioting is just talk, but the fact that HealthCare.gov is still broken after nearly two weeks doesn’t lend much confidence to the idea that the EBT system will be back up quickly. There’s a lesson in here somewhere.

Depending on the Government isn't such a good idea. #EBT #Obamacare—
Al Gorelioni (@Al_Gorelioni) October 12, 2013

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
#EBT http://t.co/O3cxi8pPHr—
Christian (@ChristianCalls1) October 12, 2013

http://twitchy.com/2013/10/12/ebt-sh...acares-future/

I if the report will come out that the Republican government shutdown caused this. Another engineered crisis by the Socialist Democrats?

NATIONWIDE ELECTRONIC FOOD STAMP SHUTDOWN REPORTED, COMPUTER SYSTEM UPGRADE BLAMED (UPDATE: AP REPORTS VENDOR CHECK CRASHED SYSTEM)

Oct. 12, 2013 3:51pm Dave Urbanski

(TheBlaze/AP) — Major problems were reported Saturday all across America with the Electronic Benefits Transfer System, as consumers were stuck with no way to pay at registers, notes WBZ-TVin Boston.
WBZ reported that a computer-system upgrade was to blame, while the Associated Press reports that a routine check by vendor Xerox Corp. resulted in a system failure.

People in Ohio, Michigan and several other states found themselves unable to use their food stamp debit cards while shoppers from Maine to Oklahoma had to abandon baskets of groceries because they couldn’t access their benefits.

Ohio’s cash and food assistance card payment systems went down at 11 a.m., said Benjamin Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ohio’s cash system has been fixed, however its electronic benefits transfer card system is still down. All states that use Xerox systems are affected by the outage.

Xerox spokeswoman Karen Arena confirmed via email Saturday afternoon that some EBT systems are experiencing temporary connectivity issues. She said technical staff is addressing the issue and expects the system to be restored soon.

More from WBZ:

Reports from around the country began pouring in around 9 a.m. on Saturday that customers’ EBT cards were not working in stores.

The glitch, however, did not appear to be part of the government shutdown. At 2 p.m., an EBT customer service representative told CBS Boston that the system was currently down for a computer system upgrade.

The representative said the glitch is affecting people nationwide. She could not say when officials expected the system to be restored.

People calling the customer service line were being told to call back later.

The federal EBT website was unavailable due to the government shutdown.

This is breaking news; updates will be added.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013...pgrade-blamed/