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State of Wisconsin |
Release 24-02 |
FoodShare benefits are deposited in a member's account using an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system and are spent using a debit-like card called the Wisconsin QUEST card. Like other debit cards, the QUEST card must be activated by the cardholder, and the cardholder must create a Personal Identification Number (PIN) before it can be used. The cardholder will be asked to provide this PIN whenever a transaction is made.
The Wisconsin QUEST card allows access to FoodShare benefits through point-of-sale, swipe card terminals, or online EBT payment options with participating SNAP retailers. These transactions look like any other debit card transaction and are free to the cardholder.
Online and phone orders:
| Example 1 | Hannah calls the local grocery store to place a grocery order for pickup. Hannah cannot use a FoodShare EBT card to “pre-pay” for the groceries. However, when Hannah goes to the store to pick up the food, Hannah can use an EBT card to pay for eligible food items. |
| Example 2 | Sam places a grocery order online with Walmart for $80. Sam is using FoodShare to pay for this order. Sam enters the information from their EBT card into the payment section. Sam’s groceries are delivered two days later. Following the delivery of the grocery order, Sam’s FoodShare account is debited $80 for the cost of food purchased online through Walmart. |
Advanced payment exception: FoodShare benefits can be used to pay in advance when prior payment is for food purchased from a nonprofit cooperative food purchasing venture.
Certain people can receive their own QUEST card to help members purchase food for the households. This includes legal guardians, conservators, powers of attorney, authorized representatives, authorized buyers, and alternative payees. To learn more (see SECTION 3.22.1 DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVES).
Authorized Buyer
An authorized buyer is a person who is designated by the applicant, member, authorized representative, legal guardian, power of attorney, or conservator to purchase food for the member’s household using their FoodShare benefits. An authorized representative cannot also be an authorized buyer. A person can only be an authorized buyer for one FoodShare household. To gain approval as an authorized buyer, the designated individual is required to fill out and submit form F-16004 to the agency of the applicant or member. A group living arrangement or facility-authorized representative cannot also be listed as an authorized buyer for anyone living in the facility.
Once approved, the authorized buyer receives a QUEST card in addition to the member, which allows them to purchase food for the member’s household. The authorized buyer is limited to only using the FoodShare benefits and cannot report changes, access case information or any other benefits or services.
Alternate Payee
An Alternate Payee is a person designated by an applicant, member, authorized representative, legal guardian, power of attorney, or conservator to purchase food for the member’s household using their FoodShare benefits. To become an alternate payee, complete and submit form F-16004 to the applicant’s or member’s agency. They can only assist with the applicant or member’s use of FoodShare benefits. Once appointed, the alternate payee will receive a QUEST card instead of the applicant or member. An authorized representative can be an alternate payee. A person cannot be an alternate payee and authorized buyer for the FoodShare household.
A temporary QUEST card is for FoodShare members who need access to their benefits right away, including but not limited to:
A temporary QUEST card can be obtained at the agency and, once activated and assigned a PIN, functions just like a permanent QUEST card. Like a permanent QUEST card, it can be used to purchase eligible food items at authorized SNAP retailers. However, a temporary QUEST card is only usable for 30 days or until the member assigns a PIN to their new permanent card, whichever is sooner.
Members approved for expedited benefits must be offered the opportunity to receive a Temporary QUEST Card at an agency if they do not have an active QUEST card on file and available to them. This offer must be made by the worker on the same day the member is approved for expedited issuance or on the next business day after the member is approved for expedited issuance. This offer must be documented in the case file.
Eligibility for a temporary card must be determined by a worker at the time of the request.
To request a temporary card in both expedited and non-expedited situations, the Temporary QUEST Card Request Form (F-02260A) must be completed by the requestor and then submitted in person at the agency. This form asks the requester to share information about themselves and their relationship to the case, provide information about the reason for their request, and acknowledge that they understand how temporary QUEST cards work and who can legally request and use them.
Once received, the worker will review the form, ask additional questions, and research the case further before determining whether a temporary QUEST card can be issued. Many factors are considered when determining if a person is eligible to receive a temporary QUEST card, such as:
The requesting person will also be required to verify their identity at the time they are requesting the card, even if they have already verified their identity in CWW. This means the person will need to either confirm personally identifiable information (such as their Social Security number, date of birth, or address) or provide an ID document linking them to the FoodShare case (see Section 1.2.6.1 Required Verification to Determine Eligibility for a list of acceptable forms of identification).
All the information will be reviewed as part of the completion of the Temporary QUEST Card Issuance Worker Checklist (F-02260). This is a required checklist that the worker(s) must complete and scan into the Electronic Case File (ECF) when someone requests a temporary QUEST card, regardless of whether the request is approved or denied. This checklist can be completed by one worker (who both completes the checklist and issues the temporary card) or by two workers (one who completes the checklist and another who issues the temporary card). This decision may vary by agency.
The Temporary QUEST Card Issuance Worker Checklist that determines eligibility for a temporary card must not be completed by the same worker who most recently approved the household for FoodShare benefits. Also, a temporary card must not be provided by the same worker who most recently approved the household for FoodShare benefits.
In addition to the primary person on a FoodShare case, other individuals with a relationship to the case may request a temporary QUEST card, including but not limited to:
| Note | To receive a temporary card, the requestor must be listed in CWW as either an adult food unit member or a representative of the case. |
When a person is determined eligible for and issued a temporary card, the agency must help them activate and add a PIN to the card. The temporary card is not ready-to-use until it has been activated and given a PIN. When a temporary card is issued, a new permanent QUEST card will be automatically sent to the household. This permanent card will be mailed via USPS to the cardholder's mailing address on file.
| Example 3 | Jonnie is Amanda’s authorized representative. Jonnie requests and receives a temporary card on behalf of Amanda. The permanent card will be mailed to Amanda, not Jonnie. |
Agencies can provide a maximum of one temporary QUEST card per case per 12-month period. There are limited exceptions to this rule, which include:
| Example 4 | Hannah, her husband, and three children are receiving FoodShare. One night, Hannah and her three children fled their home and went to a domestic abuse center. Hannah was unable to take their QUEST card when she left, but she needs to buy food for herself and her children. Hannah has an extenuating circumstance and would be eligible for a temporary EBT card. |
DHS is required to monitor the total number of replacement QUEST cards each household is issued in a 12-month period. If four or more replacement QUEST cards are issued to a household in a 12-month period, the Office of the Inspector General may review their case for possible misuse of benefits.
After a person has been issued a temporary QUEST card, the permanent replacement card that is automatically mailed gets counted toward the four replacement card threshold. Each time a replacement card is issued (whether it is issued to the primary person on the case or another authorized cardholder), it is counted towards the four-card threshold.
The temporary QUEST card itself does not count toward the four replacement card threshold.
| Example 5 | The primary person on a FoodShare case is issued a temporary QUEST card on May 12. They receive a new permanent card in the mail on May 18. This permanent replacement card is counted as card one toward the four-card threshold. Then, on August 20, the authorized buyer on the same case requests a replacement QUEST card. They receive their new card in the mail on August 28. This permanent replacement card is counted as card two toward the four-card threshold. |
This page last updated in Release Number: 24-01
Release Date: 04/03/2024
Effective Date: 04/03/2024
Notice: The content within this manual is the sole responsibility of the State of Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (DHS). This site will link to sites outside of DHS where appropriate. DHS is in no way responsible for the content of sites outside of DHS.
Publication Number: P-16001