441—65.4 (234) Issuance. The department shall issue food assistance benefits by electronic benefits transfer (EBT).
	 65.4(1) Schedule. Benefits for ongoing certifications shall be made available to households on a staggered basis during the first ten calendar days of each month.
	 65.4(2) EBT cards. EBT cards shall be mailed to clients.
	  a.   	 Personal identification number selection. When a client receives the EBT card, the client shall call the automated response unit to select a personal identification number. The client must provide proof of identity before selecting the personal identification number.
	  b.   	 Replacement of EBT cards. EBT cards shall be replaced within five business days after the client notifies the EBT customer service help desk of the need for replacement.
	 65.4(3) Client training. Written client training materials may either be mailed to clients or be handed to the clients if they visit the local office. Clients will be given in-person training upon request or if they are identified as having problems using the EBT system.
	 65.4(4) Point-of-sale terminals. Point-of-sale terminals allow clients to access food assistance benefits and retailers to redeem food sales.
	  a.   	 Redemption threshold. The department will not place point-of-sale terminals with any authorized retailer with less than $100 in monthly food assistance redemptions. Those retailers may participate through a manual voucher process described in paragraph 65.4(5)“b.”
	  b.   	 Shipping. Government-supplied point-of-sale terminals may be shipped to authorized retailers along with instructions for installation of the equipment and training materials. A toll-free number is available for retailers needing assistance.
	  c.   	 Replacement. The department shall ensure that government-supplied point-of-sale terminals that are not operating properly are repaired or replaced within 48 hours.
	 65.4(5) Voucher processing.
	  a.   	 Emergency vouchers. Authorized retailers may use an emergency manual voucher if they cannot access the EBT host system.
	 (1) 	 The client shall sign Form 470-2827, Offline Food Stamp Voucher, to authorize a debit of the household’s EBT account.
	 (2) 	 The retailer shall clear the manual transaction as soon as the host system becomes operational.
	 (3) 	 The retailer shall receive a payment of the actual amount of the voucher, up to a maximum of $50.
	  b.   	 Manual vouchers. Authorized retailers without point-of-sale terminals and retailers whose equipment fails may use a manual voucher. If a manual voucher is used:
	 (1) 	 The client shall sign Form 470-3980, Offline Food Stamp Voucher: Non Equipped Retailer (No POS), to authorize a debit of the household’s EBT account.
	 (2) 	 The retailer shall obtain a telephone authorization from the EBT retailer help desk before finalizing the purchase.
	 (3) 	 The retailer shall clear the manual transaction within 30 days.
	 (4) 	 If there are insufficient funds in the client’s account when the voucher is presented, the client’s account shall be debited for the amount in the account. The remainder of the amount owed shall be deducted from benefits issued for subsequent months. If the next month’s allotment is less than $50, the deduction shall not exceed $10.