North Carolina SNAP Violation Attorneys

You worked hard to build your grocery store. You cannot afford to lose any money or business. However, you may have received an official notice from the USDA. You are being accused of violating the SNAP program.

The USDA will generally attach numerous of pages to your SNAP violation notice. This means you allegedly did something wrong and the USDA has a list of those transactions. What is the first thing you should do?

Do not panic. After you receive a SNAP violation letter, contact your legal team immediately. You have only 10 days to respond to a SNAP violation letter. If you fail to respond, the government will s your store’s privilege to accept EBT payments. You will immediately lose money.

As you contact your legal team and respond to the SNAP violation letter, empower yourself by learning more about what you are accused of doing.

What is the SNAP Program?

The SNAP program is a government program providing a specific amount of money each month on an EBT card. The EBT card replaced food stamps in the early 1990s. The program only pays for the cardholder to groceries. It is not general usage and cannot be used for any fraudulent cash back services.

Each EBT card is issued to a recipient in the state where they live. However, the SNAP program is a federal government program, which allows the SNAP recipient to buy groceries across the country.

The US Code and Code of Federal Regulations is overseen by the federal government. The USDA FNS agency enforces all regulations and runs the SNAP program.

A SNAP Violation

A SNAP violation occurs when a grocery store does not follow the rules outlined by the federal government regarding items that can be purchased with food stamps. This means the store accepted SNAP benefits in exchange for items in violation of the program, including nonfood items like:

. Alcohol

. Non-food goods like toilet paper

. Tobacco

Another rule violation involves submitting false information on the retail store’s application to accept EBT benefits. You can also be accused of violating the program if you allegedly redeemed more food stamps than actual food sales. For instance, a store took $3,000 food stamps, but billed the government for $5,000 in food stamps.

Another violation occurs if your employees allegedly accepted SNAP benefits from someone who was not allowed to use them.

Punishment for a SNAP Violation

As a grocery store retailer, you know that you have to follow a lot of regulations and rules to accept EBT payments. In many situations, you have no problems following the program. Unfortunately for grocery stores like you, following the SNAP program can be tricky. For instance, a SNAP recipient cannot buy electronic goods with food stamps.

SNAP penalties can result in harsh and crushing business penalties. If you are alleged to have committed a major violation, then you may be temporarily or permanently disqualified from accepting food stamps. According to Congress, a business can be disqualified for a period of five years for a SNAP violation.

Contact Us Immediately after Receiving a SNAP Violation Letter

When you receive a SNAP violation letter, you have 10 days to respond to the letter. The failure to respond to the violation allegation will hurt your business. The USDA will make a determination of automatic guilt. You will lose your right to accept EBT cards for the groceries in your store. In addition, the financial penalties you may be forced to pay may be in the tens of thousands of dollars. You need to contact us immediately. Even if you respond to the violation letter, you need a SNAP defense attorney to protect your rights. We will protect your legal rights and fight the allegations.

We look at the policy you accused of violating and show that you are completely innocent. Our goal is to keep your business part of the SNAP program. Contact us today.