HERNDON, Va. — The Electronic Benefits and Services Council of NACHA, The Electronic Payments Association, will mark its 10th anniversary by reorganizing to better support the delivery of electronic benefits and payments by governments. The council also has appointed officers that will oversee the implementation of its expanded agenda.
"Nearly 100 percent of food-stamp benefits are now issued by (electronic benefits transfer), and the portability of these benefits has been made a reality," said Harvey Eckert, EBS Council chairman and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania comptroller. "By restructuring the EBS Council, we have the ability to reach out to state agencies to help them enhance the electronic delivery of other services."
The EBS Council will now operate two forums: the Government Payments and Services Forum and the EBT Forum.
The GPS will help governments identify, analyze and adopt new technologies, products and practices that enhance electronic payments and the electronic delivery of services, including topics like electronic-payment cards, geographic information systems, contactless cards, radio frequency identification, smart cards and biometrics.
The EBT will continue to maintain the Quest operating rules as well as remain a leader in EBT education. The Quest rules specify uniform rights and responsibilities for the interoperable processing of EBT transactions among different state programs.
"The EBS Council is a groundbreaking organization that has been recognized by Harvard and Johns Hopkins University faculty as a model for public-private cooperation," said Louise Meyer, vice chairman of the EBS Council and government business development for VeriFone.
