Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

ELECTRONIC FOOD STAMP BENEFIT ROLLOUT CONTINUES
This month in western Wisconsin counties

MADISON—Wisconsin’s new Quest Card will soon be available to food stamp recipients in Barron, Buffalo, Clark, Chippewa, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, Trempealeau, and Vernon counties as the rollout of the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) continues.

In early July, food stamp recipients will receive an appointment letter in the mail, which directs them to their local agency for training and card pick-up.  If the recipient is unable to make the appointment, they are instructed to call their local agency to reschedule.  A local phone number is provided.

"We encourage recipients to attend their scheduled appointment, to ensure they receive necessary training with their Quest Card and are able to choose their personal identification number (PIN)," said Department of Workforce Development Secretary Linda Stewart. "But if they are unable to attend, they should call their local agency to schedule a more convenient time."

Traditional food stamps are being phased out in favor of the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Quest Card.  The card is indistinguishable from a bank debit card and will be reloaded each month with a recipient’s total benefits.

"The new Quest Card will eliminate the stigma people feel when using paper food stamps, reduce the potential for fraud and improve the turnaround time for grocer reimbursement," Secretary Linda Stewart said.

Current recipients in this 17 county area will need to have their Quest cards to access their food stamp benefits as they become available over the period of August 2^nd-15^th.  They will be informed of their specific benefit availability date at the training sessions.

The EBT rollout is expected to be complete all across Wisconsin by the end of October.

Attached is the food stamp caseload in each county of the Stage 6 rollout and the number of grocers participating in each area.

News Release Index Page