Kansas approved for online EBT purchasing

Governor Laura Kelly announced Thursday that the United States Department of Agriculture approved the Department for Children and Families (DCF) proposal to offer Kansas food assistance recipients the option of purchasing groceries online using a Kansas Benefits Card also known as an EBT card.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented enormous challenges – especially for our vulnerable families,” Governor Kelly said. “We will continue to work with our federal and local partners to make critical resources – like food and nutrition – accessible, to keep families healthy and safe.”

DCF is working with its EBT partner to test the new system to ensure there are no disruptions to the normal EBT transaction process. The agency expects testing to be done during the summer with full implementation of online purchasing expected in September.

“We know the pandemic has made it difficult for those receiving food assistance to travel to grocery stores to purchase food,” Howard said. “This new online purchasing program provides those families the flexibility to safely purchase groceries online.”

In addition, the agency will announce partner vendors closer to implementation.

Kansas currently has more than 185,000 individuals who receive food assistance benefits totaling $265 million annually.