Final Memo Version

OMB Control #: 0584-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: This information is being collected to assist the Food and Nutrition Service in determining the State agency’s need for a waiver to provide flexibility in administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This is a voluntary collection. This collection does not request any personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.  The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-XXXX.  The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22306 ATTN: PRA (0584-XXXX).

State Plan for Providing Online Purchasing to SNAP Households

1. Type of Request: Initial

2. Primary Citation: Covid-19 Response

3. State [specify]:

4. Proposed Alternative Procedures:

The State proposes to provide online purchasing as an option to SNAP households in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 that was declared a National Disaster on March 13, 2020, resulting in many individuals needing to self-quarantine and engage in social distancing, which in turn has made it challenging for some SNAP households to travel to stores to purchase food.

The State acknowledges that an expedited timeframe for this project carries some inherent risks, such as potential disruption to normal EBT transaction processing if the changes are not thoroughly tested before implementation. The requirements outlined below allow the State to address how these risks would be mitigated.

Requirements: By submitting this plan to FNS, the State is confirming/acknowledging the following:

• A change order has been initiated with the EBT Processor for these changes or an agreement has been reached as to how costs will be covered.

• This plan has been discussed with the contracted EBT Processor, the Third Party Processor/Secure PIN-entry Provider (TPP) and the experienced retailers currently authorized for online purchasing, and all parties agree they can support an implementation date of [DATE]. A letter of commitment from each of these stakeholders is attached to this plan.

• The timeline in this plan includes the following activities:

  • Full documentation of the changes to the EBT system or a plan for how/when such documentation will be received.

  • QA testing of the EBT system (either by the processor or the State) to include not only online purchasing functionality but also regression testing of point of sale transaction processing.

• The changes necessary for online purchasing have been fully reviewed such that the State was able to subsequently assess any downstream impacts of these changes to their State system(s).

• The State has developed a detailed timeline and is able to make the necessary updates to their systems by the implementation date[] and will have the necessary technical resources to meet the timeline and requirements.

• EBT production test cards will be provided to retailers such that production, end-to-end testing is conducted and passed prior to opening up online purchasing to SNAP households. This testing will include all stakeholders of this project including: the State, the EBT Processor, the TPP, the retailers and FNS. This testing involves the retailer running standard transaction scenarios on the their website (successful purchase, insufficient funds, invalid PIN, balance inquiry, split tender, etc…) and verifying that the transactions execute as expected and the State is able to view the transaction details in their State EBT system.

Reporting: The State commits to report to FNS regarding project development status (via email or phone call) at least weekly, and to inform FNS of any changes to the implementation plan or expected launch date.

5. Justification for Request: Coronavirus COVID-19

6. Affected Caseload: Any households in the State will be able to utilize online purchasing. [If retailers plan to start in a limited area and expand coverage over a period of time address that in the response.]

7. Anticipated Implementation Date:

8. Signature and Title of Requesting State Agency Official:

__________________

Signature

__________________

Print Name and Title

9. Date of Request: