DELAWARE'S P-EBT PROGRAM

**IMPORTANT P-EBT UPDATE**

P-EBT SCHOOL YEAR 2021-2022

Delaware is developing a P-EBT plan for school year 2021-2022 that would allow children who meet specific eligibility rules to receive meal benefits for days missed from school or for remote learning days due to COVID-19. More information will be posted once Delaware's P-EBT plan is federally approved.

SUMMER P-EBT BENEFIT

Delaware's P-EBT Program has been extended through Summer 2021 to provide emergency food assistance benefits to eligible households to cover the summer period when children are on break and not receiving meals at school.

Who is eligible for Summer P-EBT?

• Children under age 6 who are receiving SNAP food benefits during Summer 2021.
• School-age children who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the last month of the 2020-2021 school year.
• School-age children who are determined newly eligible for free or reduced-price meals for Summer 2021 by submitting a school meals application by September 3, 2021.

How much is the Summer P-EBT benefit?

• $375.00 for each eligible child

When will the Summer P-EBT benefit be added to EBT/P-EBT cards?

• July 8 or July 29 for most households (benefits will be available to use the day after they are issued).

Summer P-EBT Requirements

The following children are eligible for the Summer P-EBT benefit:

• Children under age 6 who are receiving SNAP food benefits during Summer 2021;
• Children who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the 2020-2021 school year and received P-EBT benefits for the last month of the school year;
• Children who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the 2020-2021 school year but did NOT receive P-EBT benefits for the last month of the school year because they attended school in person and had access to meals at school; and
• Children who are determined newly eligible for free or reduced-price meals for Summer 2021. Families who would like to apply for free or reduced-price school meals may contact the School Nutrition Program for their child's school or visit their school's website to complete and application.Families must apply for free or reduced-price meals by SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 and be determined eligible for Summer 2021 to be eligible for the Summer P-EBT benefit.

Summer P-EBT Benefit Amount

Households will receive the U.S. Standard Summer P-EBT Benefit of $375.00 for each eligible child in their home. Households will receive the full Summer P-EBT benefit amount in one issuance on their EBT cards. The $375.00 benefit covers all months in Summer 2021.

Summer P-EBT Benefit Calculation

$6.82 x 55 days = $375.00

The P-EBT daily benefit amount of $6.82 equals the federal reimbursement rate for breakfast, lunch, and a snack served at school.

Delaware is using the U.S. Standard Summer P-EBT Benefit that covers 55 weekdays during Summer 2021.

Summer P-EBT Issuance Schedule

The Division of Social Services will issue the Summer P-EBT benefit to most households on July 8, 2021 OR July 29, 2021. The date in July that benefits are issued to individual households depends on when P-EBT eligibility information is received from the Delaware schools. Benefits will be available on recipients' EBT cards the day after they are issued.

SNAP households will have the Summer P-EBT benefit loaded to their existing SNAP EBT cards. Households that do not receive SNAP will have the Summer P-EBT benefit loaded to the P-EBT card that was sent to them in the school year 2019-2020 or school year 2020-2021. Newly eligible non-SNAP households will receive a P-EBT card in the mail along with details on how to use the card.

If the Division of Social Services receives a child's P-EBT eligibility information after July, the household will receive the Summer P-EBT benefit on one of the dates listed below depending on when the Division of Social Services receives the child's information:

• August 19, 2021 (benefits available August 20)
• September 9, 2021 (benefits available September 10)
• September 30, 2021 (benefits available October 1)

PANDEMIC ELECTRONIC BENEFIT TRANSFER (P-EBT)

Delaware's P-EBT Program provides food assistance to families with children who lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to school closures or reduced in-person attendance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as well as families who do not receive SNAP may participate in the P-EBT Program if they have eligible children in their households.

Families can use their P-EBT benefits to buy eligible food items at stores and farmer's markets that accept SNAP EBT to help feed their children while schools are closed or have reduced in-person attendance.

P-EBT SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021

Delaware is developing a P-EBT plan for school year 2021-2022 that would allow children who meet specific eligibility rules to receive meal benefits for days missed from school or for remote learning days due to COVID-19. More information will be posted once Delaware's P-EBT plan is federally approved.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Children enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade at a Delaware school are eligible for P-EBT if:

1. The child is certified either directly, through categorical eligibility, or through an application to receive free or reduced-price school meals for the current school year or attends a school where all students receive free school meals as part of the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program AND
2. The child is not able to receive free or reduced-price meals at school because they are participating in remote learning due to school closures or reduced in-person school attendance or hours during the pandemic.

Children under the age of 6 are eligible for P-EBT starting from October 2020 if;

1. The child is a member of a household that received SNAP food benefits at any time since October 1, 2020.
2. The child lives in an area where one or more schools are closed or operating with reduced attendance or hours because of COVID-19.

Families are eligible to receive P-EBT benefits for each child in their household who qualifies for the P-EBT Program based on these conditions.

Families do NOT need to apply for P-EBT benefits. Eligible families are automatically enrolled in the P-EBT Program and will be notified by mail. Families will receive detailed information on the P-EBT Program and how to use P-EBT benefits to purchase food.

BENEFIT AMOUNTS

Benefit Calculation

$6.82 x Number of Remote Learning Days per Month = Monthly P-EBT Amount

Households will receive $6.82 for each school day that their child did not receive meals at school because the school was closed or the child was participating in remote learning.

For children under age 6, SNAP households will receive $6.82 per day multiplied by the average number of virtual days per month reported for the public schools located in the county where the household lives. SNAP households will only receive P-EBT benefits for the children under age 6 for the months that the household received SNAP food benefits during the school year.

The P-EBT benefit amount equals the federal reimbursement rate for breakfast, lunch, and a snack of $6.82 per child per eligible school day. Households will receive the P-EBT benefits for all eligible children in their home in monthly issuances. Households will not receive P-EBT for the days that their children attended school in-person and received meals at school.

DSS uses information collected from the Delaware schools to determine eligibility and attendance for children. P-EBT benefits for the 2020-2021 school year are based on each child's attendance record, so benefit amounts will vary by child and month.

MONTHLY P-EBT BENEFIT SCHEDULE

P-EBT benefits for August and September 2020 were previously issued. Eligible households will receive benefits for October 2020- June 2021. DSS will begin issuing benefits on Monday, March 29, 2021 for the months of October and November 2020. Benefits will be available on recipients' EBT cards the next day.

The dates that benefits will be issued to individual households depend on when DSS receives eligibility and attendance data from each school. Some households may experience a delay in receiving benefits, and benefits may become available within 1-2 weeks from the first issuance date. The date range that households may receive monthly benefits is listed in the schedule below.

P-EBT Benefit Issuance Schedule for School Age Children

P-EBT Benefit Month	Date benefits will be loaded to EBT cards *Households will receive one benefit issuance during each issuance period.
October 2020 & November 2020	March 29, 2021 to April 15, 2021
December 2020 & January 2021	April 22, 2021 to May 6, 2021
February 2021 & March 2021	May 13, 2021 to May 27, 2021
April 2021 & May 2021	June 3, 2021 to June 17, 2021
June 2021	July 1, 2021

P-EBT Benefit Issuance Schedule for Children Under 6

P-EBT Benefit Month	Date Benefits will be loaded to SNAP EBT cards (benefits will be available to use the next day)
October 2020 & November 2020	May 6, 2021
December 2020 & January 2021	May 20, 2021
February 2021 & March 2021	June 3, 2021
April 2021 & May 2021	June 24, 2021
June 2021	July 8, 2021

CARD INFORMATION

P-EBT benefits will automatically be loaded onto SNAP EBT cards and P-EBT cards. The P-EBT benefits for all eligible children in a household will be loaded to EBT and P-EBT card in monthly installments (see the Monthly P-EBT Benefit Schedule).

• SNAP households will receive their P-EBT benefits on their existing SNAP EBT card.
• Non-SNAP households who received P-EBT before will receive P-EBT benefits on the P-EBT card that was mailed to them in the spring or fall of 2020.
• Newly eligible Non-SNAP households will receive a new P-EBT card in the mail. The P-EBT card will be mailed on the benefit issuance date and may take up to 2-3 weeks to be delivered to the address on file with the school. The P-EBT card will come with information on how to activate the card and create a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

SNAP EBT and P-EBT cards operate like a debit card. You can purchase SNAP eligible foods at stores and farmer's markets authorized to accept SNAP EBT. Select EBT, swipe your card, and then enter your private PIN.

FAMILIES WHO DO NOT WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE P-EBT PROGRAM SHOULD IMMEDIATELY DESTROY THEIR P-EBT CARD THAT WAS MAILED TO THEM BY CUTTING UP THE CARD AND SECURELY DISPOSING OF IT.

P-EBT benefits are non-transferable and will expire in 365 days. It is illegal to buy, sell, or trade and EBT card or benefits.

Go to www.ConnectEBT.com or call 1-800-526-9099 for questions about EBT card balances, PINS, or replacement cards.

RESOURCES

P-EBT Flyer: English or Spanish

P-EBT Questions & Answers: English or Spanish

P-EBT Card Instructions: English or Spanish

Click here for a list of foods you can buy with P-EBT benefits.

Click here to find a store near you that accepts SNAP EBT and P-EBT cards.

Click here for Department of Education Student Nutrition Sites. Families who receive P-EBT benefits may continue to pick-up meals from the Student Nutrition Sites located throughout Delaware.

Click here for the latest Division of Social Services COVID-19 program updates.

Click here to watch Raymond Fitzgerald, Director of the Division of Social Services, moderate a Q&A session with Aimee Beam of the Department of Education, and Marcella Spady of Social Services, about Pandemic EBT benefits in Delaware.

CONTACT INFORMATION

DELAWARE'S P-EBT PROGRAM

Please contact the Division of Social Services at 1-866-843-7212 if you have questions about Delaware's P-EBT Program.

DELAWARE'S SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM

Please contact the Nutrition Department for your child's school district, charter school, or private school for information on how to apply for free or reduced-price school meals. You may be able to apply online by going to your school district's website. Families will need to meet certain eligibility criteria to participate in the School Nutrition Program.

Click here and select School Nutrition Sponsor Contacts to find out if your school participates in the School Nutrition Program and offers free or reduced-price meals.

General questions related to eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals may be emailed to schoolnutrition@doe.k12.de.us.

PLEASE NOTE: If your child attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school where all students receive free meals, you no NOT need to apply for free or reduced-price school meals. All students at CEP schools are automatically eligible for P-EBT benefits. Click here for a list of Delaware's CEP schools.

If your family needs food assistance:

• Visit the Department of Education Student Nutrition Sites
• Contact Delaware 2-1-1
• Apply online for Delaware's Food Supplement Program at Delaware ASSIST