NAP: EBT card to launch in October 2025
The Electronic Benefits Transfer card is expected to be launched in October 2025, according to CNMI Nutrition Assistance Program administrator Margarita Aldan.
According to Aldan, when she assumed the NAP administrator position on July 17, 2023, one of the challenges she faced was the preparation of coupons, which required a significant amount of manpower.
“All of the staff here at NAP—doesn’t matter what unit they’re from—they come down and start preparing the coupons to be ready to be issued. It takes a lot of man hours so again everybody’s involved in that process, except for the certification unit staff, because they cannot approve an application and then issue coupons.”
Aldan stated that they are in the process of implementing the EBT card system, ensuring that it is compatible with both the NAP system and the contractor’s interface.
“We are working and we have our contractors in place. We have contracts that are fully executed, but as you know, there’s a lot of moving pieces with implementing the EBT card system. We’re working with our system and then making sure the EBT system works with the contractor interface, things like that,” said Aldan.
NAP Administrator Services manager Angel Demapan said that October 2025 is the projected date to go live with the EBT card. He emphasized that the change from paper to card involves both food stamp recipients and retailers as well.
“But many retailers should be familiar with the equipment because it will be the same as what they use for WIC (CNMI Women, Infants, and Children Program). However, when we get to the implementation phase in this timeline, they may not be aware of it. There will be training opportunities for the participating retailers, so our team and our contractor for the terminal will be out there to provide that training,” said Demapan.
Demapan added that contracts with card services, hardware, and project management are underway.
“We have already begun contractual services with the card services company, the hardware company hardware. I mean with the programing hardware that we need to run the system and our project management contractor as well. So, all these things are underway and we’re happy to we have this opportunity to update the public because I know it’s been a long time waiting, right?” added by Demapan.
The current coupon system involves manual reconciliation and balancing, which can be cumbersome for retailers. Digitizing the system would simplify the process for retailers, government, and the companies, according to Demapan.
“I will think that it is something that they would embrace. Some of them were already on the WIC system, which is electronic, we see the amount of work, it takes to reconcile paper coupons and balance paper coupons on our end. So, we can only imagine that retailers also go through the same thing when balancing their sales for the day and preparing their financial reports for the month in the quarter of the year, and so I think this is an opportunity to digitize and automate the entire system, so that it’s easier for them, it’s easier for us, and it’s easier for the government,” added Demapan.
The automated system will ensure proper use of the government assistance benefit and Demapan would like to remind recipients of the benefit to use it for its intended purpose, which is providing food for the table.
“Good news is that we’re going to have a greater, responsible, and proper use of these benefits, right? If it’s not being used for its intended purpose, then it defeats the purpose of getting this assistance from the federal government. The automated system will make sure that these benefits are being used to what they’re really intended for and that’s to put food on family’s table.”
Margarita Aldan
