The day that your shop receives a notification from the USDA that your ability to accept EBT payments has been suspended, immediate action is certainly required. Losing the chance to accept what equates to food stamps of the past, the potential loss could literally have a negative financial impact on the shop for years to come. The chance of getting that decision overturned is consulting with a skilled local SNAP violations attorney.
These are a few reasons how the SNAP violations lawyer can assist in getting your business back to accepting those EBT payments.
Taking the Charges Serious – The letter that arrives from the USDA concerning the violation with EBT payments is extremely serious. Too many business owners feel that the charge is unwarranted, and by the time they get around to taking this serious, the window of opportunity has closed and they can lose the ability to accept EBT payments indefinitely. With so little time to file a dispute, the thing any shop owner can do in this situation is to contact a SNAP violations attorney for assistance.
One of the biggest benefits to consulting with the attorney is getting answers to those questions in a timely manner. The stress of not knowing can make a bad situation worse, consulting with the lawyer can make this very clear about what to expect.
Understanding Where Things Went Wrong – The letter explaining the violation is very specific, but that can be something that doesn’t always give the shop owner the ability to see what went wrong. If the violation was because of an error with the EBT application, it is clear how to proceed to get this resolved. If the violation was a result of someone getting benefits who was not entitled or the shop exchanging benefits for things like alcohol or tobacco-based products, proving innocence can be quite challenging.
Trying to dispute a claim that the shop owner feels they didn’t commit in the first place is problematic. Luckily the SNAP violation lawyer has defended many of these cases and can consult with the shop owner on exactly how to proceed and what to expect.
Collecting Important EBT Evidence – Now that the shop owner understands what the charges mean and how it could impact business, now comes the time to collect that evidence to support your innocence. Time is certainly not on the shop owners side, because this information needs to be filed in ten (10) days or the case is not going to be heard. The SNAP violations lawyer is going to explain exactly which documentation that they need in order to have the change to convince the USDA that these claims are in fact unfounded.
With such a small window of opportunity, when the attorney makes a request for any information, it is in the shop owners interest to take care of that matter immediately. The attorney needs adequate time to prepare, and any delay could hinder your chance to once again accept EBT payments in the store.
Allowing Your Attorney Time – Once your SNAP violations attorney has everything they need to put together your dispute, the legal team will get that information prepared and filed before the deadline. If all goes as planned, the benefits could be reinstated soon-after. If the court wants more information, shop owners must provide the attorney what they ask for the day they request the information. There is still a chance the court could reject the dispute, leaving one last option that your attorney can utilize.
Having only an appeal left to try and get this case dismissed, your SNAP violations lawyer will prepare that appellate brief containing the new information and details of your side of the story. The chance of winning this case is having a respected and knowledgeable attorney guiding you every step of the way.
Never assume that the shop can handle the violation in-house because it appears to be a simple misunderstanding. The courts have rules and procedures in place for disputing these types of claims that need to be followed to the letter. Your SNAP violations attorney will draw on years experience in these type cases to fight to get you the most favorable results.
An awesome firm that truly cares about you. I thought I could handle the USDA on my own, but failed. Todd intervened and helped fix my mistakes.
- Denton, CLIENT Denton