New food stamp benefit cards are being mailed to more than 400,000 households as Ohio prepares to convert to a new system for distributing food stamps, ODJFS Director Barbara Riley announced today.

Food stamp recipients may use the new Ohio Direction Cards starting Monday, March 27. Benefits for the month of April will be available via the new cards on that same date. The existing Ohio Direction Cards will no longer be accepted on March 27. Any balances that remain on the current cards will be transferred to the new cards on Wednesday, March 29.

"The new system will save taxpayers $23 million per year and consumers will benefit because the cards will work just like credit and debit cards," Riley said.

Because account information on the existing Ohio Direction Cards is contained in a computer chip on the front of each card, the so-called "smart cards" must be read by special readers. The new cards have a magnetic stripe on the back and can be read by the same readers already in place to accept credit and debit cards.

ODJFS announced in June that a contract to operate the new system had been awarded, through the competitive selection process, to Affiliated Computer Systems. Under the contract, which is renewable through State Fiscal Year 2013, the cost for each food stamp case is 89 cents per month. The case cost per month under the smart card contract was $4.74. The new cards can be used in any stores in Ohio that display the Ohio Direction Card sticker. Unlike the current cards, the new cards will also work in out-of-state stores that display the Quest logo.

To help prepare for the conversion, multiple notices about the change have been mailed to all food stamp families in addition to instructions about how to use the new cards. Materials have been distributed to county departments of job and family services, community organizations and advocacy groups. ODJFS worked closely with the Ohio Grocer's Association to help inform retailers of the changes. Samples of informational brochures and signage were shared with retailers for posting in their stores. Public service announcements were mailed to more than 300 radio stations across the state last month to help get the word out.

The food stamp program provides a total of about $100 million in benefits per month for slightly more than one million people. Benefits for the program are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture while administrative costs to run the program are split between the federal government and the state.

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