SF Calif. Restaurant Meal Program EBT Card-JP Morgan Illegal Fees

by SFHomeless | December 2, 2007 at 12:06 pm

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J.P. Morgan EFS is the contracted EBT Card processor in several states but, they have been processing illegal charges for sales tax, card processing fees in several U.S. Cities, including San Francisco.

[ This article, from SFHomeless Yahoo! Group, is part of a series that addresses some dirty little secrets behind EBT Card Food Stamp programs. J.P. Morgan EFS is contracted to process EBT transactions for millions of EBT Card Holders and provide training for the employees of the stores, restaurants, markets and cafes that accept Food Stamp Food Benefits. ]

Due to an apparent lack of adequate training & oversight by J.P. Morgan EFS, participating stores; restaurants and our local & state government agencies, several million of dollars worth of taxes, processing fees and surcharges (card holder charged higher price for food than the menu or price tag states, for food and beverages only because they are using Food Stamps) have been taken away from EBT Card Holders' Food Benefits, over the past several years.

All affected EBT Card Holders are rightfully entitled to receive compensation for these highly predictable, known, preventable and illegal charges that were taken from their EBT Card (Food Stamp) Food Benefits.

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS RECURRING PROBLEM ?

All three groups involved in these illegal transactions share some measure of responsibility for their negligent handling and processing of EBT Cards. EBT Cards are the electronic method of purchasing food stuffs under the USDA Food Stamp Program which is supposed to be regulated and monitored by local and state agencies.

HOW MANY ELDERLY, DISABLED, POOR AND HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF ?

Millions of people that are unable to cook in their own homes for themselves, such as is the case with elderly, mentally and physically ill, poor and homeless persons (including those that live in homeless shelters) are given monthly Food Benefits (averaging around $100 per month) that can be used in many cities, to purchase hot and cold food at participating restaurants, stores, cafes and markets.

WHO'S IN CHARGE OF TRAINING AND PROCESSING FOR PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS & MARKETS ?

Program participants that sell the food; J.P. Morgan EFS (and other EBT Card processing contracting companies)that is supposed to properly train them; and our government tax authorities have all been cited in several official government audits as being fully aware that these charges are illegal, yet they happen every day at both local and nationally franchised restuarants and markets like Subway Sandwiches and Kroger Supermarkets.

WHO KNOWS BETTER THAN TO LET THESE ILLEGAL CHARGES CONTINUE FOR ALL THESE YEARS ?

Official State and Local audits cite many failures in which the employees that ring up the food sales at cash registers are not trained properly and the contracted EBT Processors have not been processing and performed adequate account reconciliations or apparently made any attempt to refund illegal charges back into the accounts of millions of EBT Card Holders, nationwide.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THEY ILLEGALLY TOOK FROM EBT CARD HOLDER FOOD BENEFITS ?

Instead of using the EBT Card Trasaction details that they already have stored on archived transaction files to return the money back to the poor people they took it from, contract EBT Card processors like J.P. Morgan EFS, apparently just stick the money into 'slush' accounts under the heading of 'unapplied' EBT Overpayments or the money is kept by tax collectors who are supposed to refund the money to the merchants to process refunds back to each EBT Card Account.

WHY AREN'T THEY SUPPOSED TO GIVE THE MONEY BACK TO THE PEOPLE THEY TOOK IT FROM ?

They are ! According to the law and Food Stamp Program rules and guidelines. 'If' the merchant (or J.P. Morgan as Agent/Processor) fails to agree to do that, then the tax collectors are allowed to keep the money.

IT'S ONE GIANT RIPOFF ! IT LOOKS LIKE ILLEGAL AND UNETHICAL 'WIND FALL' PROFITS FOR EBT PROCESSORS AND TAX COLLECTORS.

What a HUGE ripoff ! And it's something that is a known practice that is easy to predict and prevent if the particpating merchants; EBT processors and government authorities were on the ball, which they do not seem to be.

APPARENTLY, IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR MANY YEARS AND THEY HAVE ALL BEEN MADE AWARE OF IT ACCORDING TO SEVERAL STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIAL AUDIT REPORTS.

IT'S A well known, PREDICTIBLE AND PREVENTABLE ILLEGAL PRACTICE !

Several offical government audits (some going back to 1995) also cite the failures of local and state overseers who likewise, have failed in their duties to enforce the laws and program contracts that were designed to protect the poor and homeless from have their Food Benefits illegally taken away from them by such illegal charging of sales tax, card processing fees and practices that discriminate and harm the poor, disabled and homeless, such as when restaurants charge EBT Card Holders more for their food than they do customers using cash or credit cards.

SUBWAY SANDWICH RESTAURANT IN SAN FRANCISCO, ILLEGALLY DISCRIMINATES AGAINST OUR CITY'S ELDERLY, DISABLED, POOR AND HOMELESS - SUBWAY MANAGER PROHIBITS THEM FROM BUYING FOOD DURING CERTAIN HOURS BUT LET OTHERS USE CASH, CREDIT CARDS.

ONLY EBT CARD CUSTOMERS ARE BEING RESTRICTED WHICH VIOLATES FOOD STAMP PROGRAM GUIDELINES AND FEDERAL & STATE LAWS.

Another harmful and discriminatory practice that has happened at Subway Restaurants in San Franciso include things like a store on Polk Street that does not let EBT Card Holders use their cards after 6pm. These practices are illegal under federal and state law and violate the USDA's Food Stamp Program rules.

So, who's responsible for the millions of dollars that have been essentially stolen from our nation's elderly, mentally ill, disabled, poor and homeless residents ?

WHO'S GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE MILLIONS ARE RETURNED TO THE EBT CARD HOLDERS AND MAKE SURE THESE ILLEGAL PRACTICES STOP ?!!

Actually, it looks like a 3 way tie between the merchants, the contract processors and our local, state and federal government servants.

SHAME ON THEM ALL FOR TAKING FOOD FROM OUR POOR, DISABLED AND HOMELESS PEOPLE AND FAMILIES !

DO you know a reputable LAW FIRM with EXPERIENCE IN GOVERNMENT CLAIMS & TORTS TO HELP US GET JUST COMPENSATION FOR AFFECTED EBT CARD HOLDERS ?

The SFHomeless Yahoo! Group is now looking for qualified, experienced attorneys to handle this case on behalf of the EBT Card Holders affected in San Francisco and around the country.

Please Email them today, at SFHomeless@yahoo.com, if your law firm has experience in these types of claims and class action law suits.

HAVE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW WITH AN EBT CARD OR FOOD STAMPS, BEEN CHARGED ILLEGAL SALES TAX OR CARD PROCESSING FEES IN YOUR COUNTY ?

if you are an EBT Card Holder that has been illegally charges sales tax, surcharges or card processing fees from your Food Benefits, let us know the details so we can help you, too !

Email: SFHomeless@yahoo.com

Group Site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfhomeless/