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Job Service North Dakota is to make unemployment insurance benefit payments electronically to debit cards carried by claimants, starting November 2007. The government agency, which administers unemployment insurance benefit in North Dakota, says it will stop mailing paper checks.
Job Service has teamed up with U.S. Bank to issue ReliaCard reloadable Visa prepaid debit cards to unemployment insurance claimants. The ReliaCard is similar to prepaid cards that U.S. Bank issues for child support and temporary assistance for needy families in North Dakota.
Each ReliaCard is attached to an account into which Job Service deposits unemployment insurance benefits. Money is deducted from the account as the claimant makes purchases or cash withdrawals with the card.
The prepaid debit card account is separate from any bank accounts a claimant may already have.
Electronic payments are more secure than the current paper check process, because the possibility of lost or stolen checks is eliminated, according to Job Service officials. Additionally, cardholders do not need to carry large amounts of cash because the prepaid debit card can be used at any gas station, healthcare facility or other retailer that accepts Visa.
In 2006, Job Service mailed over 153,000 checks, which equated to over US$61,000 in postage, plus other processing costs.
Related Links
www.reliacard.com
Unemployment Insurance Benefits Will Soon be Paid via Debit Card
www.jobsnd.com/
