What are some reasons that the benefits card might not work at the point of sale?

The most common reasons why a benefit card may be declined at the point of sale are:

The benefits card has not been activated. 
The benefits card has been used before the 24-hour waiting period after activation is over. 
The participant has insufficient funds in the benefit account to cover the expense. 
Non-eligible expenses have been included at the point of sale. (Retry the transaction with the eligible expense only.) 
The merchant is encountering problems (e.g. coding or swipe box issues).
The pharmacy, discount store, department store, or supermarket cannot identify eligible items at checkout according to IRS rules.