STRATEGIC PARTNERS
February 21, 2002
Herndon, VA -- Brian J. Wing, commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, is the new chairperson of the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Council of NACHA - The Electronic Payments Association.
Richard S. Jenkins, senior vice president and corporate counsel of SHAZAM, Inc., is the council's new vice chairperson.
"A major challenge facing EBT stakeholders is the nationwide implementation of interoperability, which will permit EBT transactions to take place across state borders," Wing said. "My priority for the EBT Council is to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the adoption of national operating rules for interoperability, which is required by recent legislation."
Wing first became involved with EBT in 1994, participating in the state/federal workgroup of the Federal EBT Taskforce. He became a charter member of the EBT Council, and was the first chairperson of its Rules Committee. He continues to serve on the Council's Representative Board and the Strategic Expansion Workgroup.
Wing also spearheaded the development of the Northeast Coalition of States, which brings together New York and the six New England states in a consortium to develop and implement their EBT systems.
Jenkins has been involved in the EBT Council since the early meetings leading to its formation. He has represented SHAZAM, Inc., a Des Moines, Iowa-based EFT network, on the Council's Board of Directors for the past four years, and is currently serving his second term as chairman of the EBT Council's Quest Rules Committee.
The EBT Council is composed of 58 members representing governments, financial institutions, payments networks, merchants and other stakeholders in EBT. The Council maintains and administers the Quest operating rules, which establish the foundation for nationwide EBT, and use of the QUEST mark.
Adopted by the EBT Council in April 1996, the rules specify the responsibilities and obligations of participants involved in EBT transactions. They provide for uniformity in key aspects of EBT, such as transaction sets, payments settlement and security and card specifications. Currently, 25 states plus the District of Columbia and Sacramento County, Calif. use the rules.
The QUEST Mark is an identifier that assists cardholders in determining where their cards can be used. It appears on cards issued in programs governed by the rules, as well as on ATMs and POS terminals that are operated in compliance with the rules. Because it is a national identifier, cardholders can look for the QUEST Mark on terminals across the U.S.
