AUGUSTA — The federal government is “strongly urging” Maine to delay putting photo identification on welfare benefit cards throughout the state.
In a letter on Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said that it hasn’t received a response regarding a variety of questions and concerns about the plan.
Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services said it will begin handing out the new cards throughout Maine on Tuesday. It says the photos will prevent fraud and misuse in the program.
The state has been issuing the new cards in a pilot program in Bangor since April. Federal officials had previously urged the state to wait, but the department decided to move forward with that plan anyway.
It didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday.
Advocates of the poor have said that photos on electronic benefit transfer cards will be ineffective and the Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association said there will be no change in how businesses handle the cards.
“We always maintain that a customer is a customer is a customer,” said Shelley Doak, executive director of the organization.
Gov. Paul LePage’s administration contends that having photos on the cards will help them prosecute those who illegally sell them for drugs or cash. The new cards also state that misusing the card is a crime.
“The card now makes it crystal clear that using EBT inappropriately is a crime, which makes it easier to prosecute those who take advantage of the system,” LePage said in a statement.
About 2,200 people have received the new cards in the Bangor area so far, the department said. There are about 223,000 active EBT cards in the state.
Starting Tuesday, recipients can get their photos taken at their local DHHS offices and the cards will be mailed to them. They can use their old card until their new one has been activated.
DHHS estimates that it will cost $165,922 initially to issue the new cards and $4,154 annually in the future, it said.
The state adopted the new cards despite urging from the federal government to wait until it can fully review the plan. The U.S. Department of Agriculture warned that Maine could use federal funding or face litigation if it violates any of the rules in the program.
Doak said businesses won’t be checking photos on the cards before allowing people to use them. Her association has advised businesses to adhere to their agreement with the USDA, which says they can’t treat welfare recipients any differently than any other customer.
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