Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

The Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system is a direct access web-based program. Staff, other than the issuance staff, must request card issuance in TIERS or complete Form H1175, EBT Change Request, to authorize action in the EBT system.

B—261 EBT System Functions

Revision 21-2; Effective April 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

Designated staff use the EBT system to perform authorized functions. Since there are multiple functions that can be performed using the EBT system, there are multiple levels of access secured by individual sign-on IDs.

B—261.1 Issuing a Lone Star Card or Enabling PIN Self-Selection

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

EBT issuance staff use the EBT System to issue Lone Star Cards or enable PIN self-selection when:

• establishing a new PCH;
• replacing a Lone Star Card or PIN; or
• establishing a secondary cardholder in the local office.

B—261.2 Creating a Cardholder Record

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

Staff request EBT card issuance in TIERS or complete Form H1172, EBT Card, PIN and Data Entry Request, to establish a primary cardholder record via the EBT system.

B—261.3 Splitting and Merging Primary Cardholder Records

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

EBT regional coordinators use the EBT system to split PCH records when EBT accounts are incorrectly linked.

EBT accounts may be incorrectly linked when staff fails to reassign the EDG name to the current head of household from the previous one. As a result, the EBT system links the both EDGs belonging to two different people under one account.

Staff complete Form H1175, EBT Change Request to request that a EBT regional coordinator separate the incorrectly linked accounts.

EBT site and regional coordinators use the EBT system to merge PCH records when the EBT system cannot link them because of discrepancies in the cardholder's biographical data.

Discrepancies may occur in the cardholder's biographical data when staff do not correctly match the name, date of birth (DOB), sex, or SSN on a person's TANF and SNAP EDG numbers. As a result, the EBT system cannot merge the two PCH records into one record with a link to both accounts and a merge is required to allow individual access to both benefits on the same EBT card.

If the person wants to use one card to access both accounts, staff complete Form H1175 to authorize the merge. When the cardholder has one card for the cash account and another for the food account before the merge, the EBT system user indicates which card the person wants to use. After completing the merge, the EBT system automatically disables the card not chosen, and it must be destroyed.

B—261.4 Updating a Primary Cardholder Record

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

EBT issuance staff use the EBT system to update the PCH record. This can happen when the current PCH passes away and the PCH record needs to be updated to the current head of household.

Staff complete Form H1175, EBT Change Request, to authorize the PCH record update via the EBT system.

B—261.5 Creating a SNAP Benefit Record

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

SNAP

HHSC limits the direct entry of SNAP benefit authorization in the EBT system when TIERS is unavailable, preventing the timely issuance of priority SNAP benefits.

Staff must request EBT card issuance to authorize benefit data entry into the EBT system following established sign-off procedures.

EBT regional coordinators complete EBT system data entry only after receipt of Form H1175.

B—261.6 Performing EBT System Inquiry

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

Designated local office staff use the EBT system to perform benefit record inquiry or to validate that a Lone Star Card is active. Staff view the EBT Card Details page to confirm if there is a previously issued Lone Star Card associated with the EDG.

EBT regional coordinators use the EBT system to perform transaction history inquiry.

B—261.7 Changing an EDG Number

Revision 18-1; Effective January 1, 2018

TANF and SNAP

EDG numbers cannot be changed, but multiple EDGs can be entered and connected to the same card.

B—261.8 Pending Card Registration

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

Staff pend the Lone Star Card registration during card issuance and in the EBT system when:

• issuing a card to someone other than the PCH; or
• mailing a card.

B—262 Reconciliation

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

This section provides general information about reconciliation. For details, see the Security and Accountability Handbook and the Eligibility Operations Procedures Manual (EOPM) Appendix: EBT Procedures Manual.

B—262.1 Reconciling EBT System Benefit Records to Forms H1175

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

SNAP

Each day EBT staff designated in Local Office Security Plan (LOSP) prints the local EBT Report. This report contains a list of benefit records manually entered on the EBT system, sorted by employee identification number. A designated person must check these entries against Form H1175, EBT Change Request, on a daily basis to ensure accuracy.

B—262.2 Reconciling Benefit Records

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

SNAP

Each day EBT staff use the list of benefit issuances on the EBT Report to reconcile the EBT benefit record entries with Form H1175, EBT Change Request. Within five days, state office staff send exception reports (TF-07E-01/TG-37E-1) to field offices to clear within established time frames.

To avoid exception reports, EBT issuance staff must ensure that interview staff report issuances via TIERS within three working days.

B—262.3 Reconciling EBT Card Issuances

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

Each day, designated staff use the list of card issuances on the EBT Report to reconcile cards issued in the region.

If the office has problems reconciling these, staff report the problem to the supervisor and the EBT regional coordinator to complete reconciliation.

B—262.4 TF-36, More Than One SNAP Benefit Authorized

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

SNAP

After all issuances for a benefit month have been reconciled, state office generates the TF-36 report to display duplicate benefit issuances. Management reviews each SNAP EDG listed on the report to determine how the duplicate issuance occurred:

•    individual error; 
•    suspected fraud; 
•    coding error; or
•    whether the household correctly completed Form H1855, Affidavit for Nonreceipt or Destroyed Food Stamp Benefits, before the duplicate issuance.
 

Related Policy

How to File an Overpayment Referral, B-730

B—262.5 TF-07E-01, EBT Reconciliation Exception

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

SNAP

When an EBT issuance cannot be reconciled with the TIERS database, state office staff generate and send a TF-07E-01 to the supervisor of the employee who processed the last case action. This report serves as the clearance document to report case findings and actions taken.

Staff check the case record to determine:

• the reason for the reconciliation exception; and
• whether the amount of benefits provided to the household is correct.

Related Policy

How to File an Overpayment Referral, B-730
Restored Benefits, B-800

B—263 Security

Revision 21-3; Effective July 1, 2021

TANF and SNAP

Only authorized staff with special permissions can enter data in the EBT system. Staff are designated by office. They must ensure that all information remains confidential.

The level of user access is determined by the individual user's sign-on ID. Designated employees have authorizations that allow updates to all or part of the system. Other users have inquiry access only.