A SNAP violation is when a business does not abide by the regulations that have been put in place for accepting food stamps. There are various types of violations, but these are some of the most common ones that you could possibly be accused of:
-Submitting false information when applying to become a provider for the SNAP program.
-Your business fraudulently took food stamps, including if an employee did so.
-Your business has accepted food stamp benefits for non-food items like alcohol or tobacco.
-Your business has redeemed more in food stamp sales than in actual food sales.
These are just some of the things that businesses can be accused of in regards to the food stamp program. If you are unsure of what you are being accused of, it’s important to work with an attorney. If you are accused, and in need of funding due to a lack of money , you can always speak to a small business funding company, like Delancey Street, that does hard money lending against your store.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore the Situation
Business owners who are accused of SNAP violations should not ignore this potentially serious situation. For one thing, your business could face serious financial implications. If a large percentage of your sales are based on EBT sales, then you could lose a lot of income by no longer being able to accept these benefits. Additionally, the people who live in your community and who rely on your business for the food that their family eats could be negatively affected by something like this as well.
Also, you should know that the USDA takes these types of violations very seriously and has taken steps to help prevent them from happening. Business owners can face serious fines — to the tune of thousands upon thousands of dollars — for SNAP violations. This could be enough to cripple your business.
Because of just how serious SNAP violations can be and just how negatively you, your business and your community could be affected by this, it is important to handle the situation properly. Even though you can appeal it yourself, this is probably not recommended. Instead, you will probably want to work with an experienced lawyer from a good law firm who can help provide you with the defense possible.
Possible SNAP Defenses
There are various ways that a lawyer can defend you with this type of case. Your attorney will talk to you about the situation and read the letter from the USDA. Then, he or she will work on determining the possible defense. This can help you avoid hefty fines and can help you maintain the ability to accept electronic food stamp benefits in your grocery store, convenience store or other type of business.
As you can see, a SNAP violation is something that you should take very seriously if you are a business owner who has been accepting food stamps at your place of business. This is not a situation that you should try to handle on your own. Instead, let our team of skilled and experienced attorneys help with your defense.
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