Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT)
| ٲٱ: | August 26, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) |
| Category: | COVID-19 Student Pandemic Benefits |
| Next Steps: | 1) Share with appropriate staff; 2) collaborate with district and campus personnel to communicate to families |
ɬ Health and Human Services (HHS) is partnering with the ɬ Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the ɬ Education Agency (TEA) to provide summer 2021 Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits to eligible children. Please share this information and the attached communications with parentsimmediatelydue to the deadline specified below.
Summer P-EBT, which covers June–August 2021, is for families with children (K–12) who are certified for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and for families with children born after Aug. 1, 2014, who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits. It is a one-time benefit of $375 for each eligible child.There is no summer 2021 P-EBT application.
HHS, TDA and ɬrequest that schools attempt to contact eligible families now about summer P-EBT. Thank you for your assistance with the P-EBT program. We appreciate all the work you do to help make sure ɬ families have access to food during this time.
Eligibility
Children in grades K–12 who were eligible for P-EBT benefits during the 2020–2021 school year and those who are newly eligible for NSLP are eligible for summer P-EBT benefits, as long as they were enrolled in a ɬ school during the last month of the school year. This includes children who did not receive 2020–2021 school year P-EBT benefits based on the virtual attendance percentage provided by their school. Please advise families according to their specific situation:
- Children who received 2020–2021 school year P-EBT benefits
If a child received 2020–2021 school year P-EBT benefits (because they completed the P-EBT online application or they automatically received benefits because they were part of a SNAP family), they do not need to take any action. They will have summer P-EBT benefits automatically loaded on their Lone Star Card or P-EBT Card.
- Children who were eligible, but did not apply, for P-EBT during the 2020–2021 school year
If a child was eligible for 2020–2021 school year P-EBT benefits, did NOT receive SNAP benefits at any time between August 2020–August 2021, and has not already completed the 2020–2021 school year P-EBT online application, the parent or guardian can either complete the 2020–2021 school year P-EBT application or complete and return the household application for free and reduced-price meals (NSLP form) to their school by August 28.
- Children who are newly eligible for NSLP
The parent or guardian should complete and return the household application for free and reduced-price meals (NSLP form) to the child’s school on or before August 28 to see if they are eligible for summer 2021 P-EBT.
See theon the HHS website for more information about student eligibility or reference the letter to families linked to below.
NSLP Household Application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals
Receiving free meals at school does not automatically make a student eligible for P-EBT. It is important to note that P-EBT benefits require individual income eligibility unless a child attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Provision 2 (P2) school.
Please be aware that August 28, 2021, is the deadline for newly eligible families to turn in the household application for free and reduced-price meals (NSLP form) to their school to be eligible for summer P-EBT. The deadline is August 28 because it is the end of the summer P-EBT period. Forms received by schools after that date will not apply to summer P-EBT.
The socioeconomic form cannot be completed now for a student to be eligible for summer P-EBT unless a child attends a newly eligible CEP or P2 school.
Families who filled out the socioeconomic form during the 2020–2021 school year (by June 30, 2021) are eligible for summer P-EBT.
2020–2021 School Year P-EBT
NSLP eligibility for the 2020–2021 school year ended June 30, 2021. The household application for free and reduced-price meals (NSLP form) deadline has passed. It cannot be completed to apply for 2020–2021 school year P-EBT.
To inform eligible families, please use the “P-EBT Letter to Families – August” on the TEA’s COVID-19 Support: Child Nutrition webpage at/texas-schools/health-safety-discipline/covid/covid-19-support-child-nutrition. Select the English or Spanish version, as needed.
For more information, visit(English) or(Spanish), or call the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Central Time.