DELAWARE'S P-EBT PROGRAM

**IMPORTANT P-EBT UPDATE**

NEW P-EBT BENEFIT FOR CHILDREN UNDER AGE 6

Delaware's P-EBT Program has expanded to provide P-EBT benefits to families receiving SNAP food benefits with children under the age of 6. The P-EBT Program for children under the age of 6 is effective from October 2020 through September 2021.

A child under that age of 6 is eligible for this P-EBT benefit during the 2020-2021 school year starting from October 2020 if two conditions are met:

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.

For each child under age 6, the SNAP household will receive $6.82 per day multiplied by the average number of virtual school days per month reported for the public schools located in the county where the household lives. The average number of virtual school days per month can change so P-EBT benefit amounts may change each month.

SNAP households will only receive P-EBT benefits for children under age 6 for the months that the household received SNAP food benefits during the P-EBT period. SNAP households will receive P-EBT benefits on their existing SNAP EBT cards and can use their P-EBT benefits just like SNAP food benefits to buy eligible food items at stores and farmer's markets that accept SNAP EBT.

P-EBT 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

P-EBT BENEFITS FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

P-EBT benefits for eligible school-age children for the months of April 2021 and May 2021 will be issued beginning June 3, 2021. Some households may experience a delay in receiving benefits, and benefits may become available within 1-2 weeks from the June 3 issuance date. Households may receive their P-EBT benefits between June 3 and June 17. The dates that benefits will be issued to individual households depends on when the Division of Social Services receives eligibility and attendance data from each school.

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.

P-EBT BENEFIT INCREASE FOR AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2020

On or after September 30, 2020, eligible households received P-EBT benefits to cover the months of August and September for the 2020-2021 school year.

The P-EBT daily benefit amount has increased for the 2020-2021 school year. The benefit amount changed from $5.86 to $6.82 per day. The P-EBT benefit amount equals the federal reimbursement rate for breakfast, lunch, and a snack.

Because of this change in the benefit amount, eligible households will receive additional P-EBT benefits for children who previously received P-EBT benefits for August and September 2020. The additional P-EBT benefits will be loaded to EBT cards by March 19, 2021.

Households will receive the difference between the new P-EBT benefit amount and the old P-EBT benefit amount for each day that their child attended school remotely in August and September 2020.

P-EBT Benefit Calculation for August and September 2020

New P-EBT Amount $6.82 - Old P-EBT Amount $5.86 = $.96 per remote learning day

$0.96 x number or remote learning days for Aug. & Sep. 2020 = P-EBT benefit amount for each child

DSS provided P-EBT benefits for August and September 2020 to households with school-aged children who are certified to receive free or reduced-price school meals or who attend schools that offer free school meals to all students, but who were unable to access free meals because their school was participating in remote learning for at least five consecutive days.

If your family needs food assistance:

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

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.

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.

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

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

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 issuance dates may change. This P-EBT benefit schedule will be updated if changes occur.

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.