Purpose

The bill aims to regulate how residents’ food assistance benefits (via electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards) are used in licensed residential programs. It seeks to ensure that when program staff buy food on behalf of a resident, it is done only by staff who are officially listed as an authorized representative of that resident, and that all such purchases are tracked and recorded.

Main Provisions

• Adds Subd. 13 to Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 245A.11.
• For a staff person at a licensed residential program to make food purchases on behalf of a program resident using the resident’s EBT card, the staff person must be listed as an authorized representative of the resident.
• A residential program must maintain a log of purchases made by program staff using a resident’s EBT card.
• The program must retain records of purchases made under this subdivision according to Minnesota Statutes 245A.041.

What this bill changes in existing law

• Establishes a formal requirement that staff can use a resident’s EBT card only if they are an authorized representative of that resident.
• Creates a new logging and recordkeeping requirement for purchases made with a resident’s EBT card by program staff.
• Ties the retention of these records to an existing section (245A.041), ensuring ongoing documentation and potential auditability.

Implementation considerations

• Applies to staff at licensed residential programs who use a resident’s EBT card to purchase food.
• Requires maintaining an up-to-date authorization list for staff and a purchase log.
• Requires keeping purchase records in line with existing recordkeeping standards (245A.041).

Potential impact

• Increases accountability and traceability of EBT card use within residential programs.
• Aims to prevent misuse by ensuring only authorized staff can spend a resident’s benefits and that all purchases are documented.

Relevant Terms

• electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards
• resident
• staff
• licensed residential program
• authorized representative
• log of purchases
• retain/records
• Minnesota Statutes 245A.11
• subdivision 13
• 245A.041