SNAP Permanent Disqualification Reversal Lawyers
If you are a business owner who owns a grocery store, convenience store or other type of business that sells food products, you may have decided to participate in the SNAP program. Basically, this means that you might have chosen to accept food stamps as a means of payment for the products that you sell in your store. This can be a good thing for both the business owner and the customers who patronize the business. If you have been participating in the SNAP program and have recently received a letter that states that your business is permanently disqualified from participating in the program and accepting food stamps, you could be wondering what you can do next. Fortunately, this is a situation that an attorney can help you with.
What is a SNAP Permanent Disqualification?
First of all, you could be wondering what the letter that you have received really means. Basically, if you are permanently disqualified from accepting SNAP at your place of business, your business will never again be able to sell products to customers who are using food stamps to pay for their purchases.
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(212) 300-5196How a SNAP Permanent Disqualification Can Affect Your Business
A SNAP permanent disqualification can be a big deal for many businesses. Right now, a good portion of your income might come from customers who pay for their purchases with food stamps. Additionally, this type of disqualification does not just affect you and your business; it can also affect your customer base as well. After all, if the people who live in your community have started to rely on your store as a source for the food that they need for their families, then they might not have a lot of alternatives that are close by where they can do their grocery shopping. This means that a SNAP permanent disqualification can actually have an impact on your community as a whole.
Todd Spodek
Lead Attorney & Founder
Featured on Netflix's "Inventing Anna," Todd Spodek brings decades of high-stakes criminal defense experience. His aggressive approach has secured dismissals and acquittals in cases others deemed unwinnable.
You've owned a small grocery store for twelve years and just received a letter from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service stating that your store is permanently disqualified from the SNAP program due to alleged trafficking violations by a former employee. You never authorized or knew about any improper transactions, but the disqualification threatens to destroy your business since over 40% of your customers pay with EBT cards.
Is there any way to reverse a permanent SNAP disqualification, or is my store finished?
A permanent disqualification from SNAP is not necessarily the end of the road for your business. Under 7 U.S.C. § 2021 and 7 C.F.R. § 279, you have the right to file an administrative review with the USDA within 10 days of receiving the disqualification notice, and if that fails, you can seek judicial review in federal district court within 30 days. We can challenge the statistical evidence the FNS used to flag your store's transactions and present proof that any violations were committed without your knowledge or authorization. In some cases, we can argue for a civil monetary penalty in lieu of permanent disqualification under 7 C.F.R. § 278.6, allowing your store to remain in the program while paying a fine.
This is general information only. Contact us for advice specific to your situation.
