Electronic Pandemic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) - Delaware Health and Social Services (2023)

PANDEMIC POWER ELECTRONIC TRANSFER (P-EBT)

The Delaware P-EBT program provides food assistance to families with children who are unable to access free or reduced-price school meals due to school closures or reduced in-person attendance resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The P-EBT program was instituted as a result of the declaration of a federal public health emergency for COVID-19 and may continue until the end of the federal public health emergency.

families who receiveSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)and families not receiving SNAP can participate in the P-EBT program if they have eligible children in their families.

Families can use their P-EBT benefits to shopeligible foodsNOFarm shops and marketswho accept SNAP EBT to feed their children while schools are closed or face-to-face reduced.

Delaware P-EBT-Callcenter: 1-866-843-7212

REGISTER TODAY FOR FREE AND DISCOUNTED SCHOOL MEALS

The free and discounted school lunch program is important to many Delaware families. For the 2022-2023 school year, many families will need to fill out an application to find out if their children can get free or discounted meals.Enrollment in the Delaware Free and Reduced Price School Feeding Program is also an eligibility requirement for the P-EBT. Contact your child's school for instructions on applying for the school feeding program.

Families with children who receive SNAP or TANF automatically qualify for the school feeding program and do not need to apply. Children who attend a Community Eligibility Provision school are automatically eligible for the school feeding program.

SUMMER P-EBT 2022

Summer P-EBT benefits will be granted from August 2022. Summertime P-EBT provides emergency food assistance during the summertime when children are off duty and not receiving meals at school.

Terms and Conditions for Summer P-EBT

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

1. Children enrolled in a Delaware school are eligible for free or discounted school meals during the last month of the 2021-2022 school year. This includes children who graduated at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
2. Children who are eligible for free or discounted school meals during the summer of 2022 and were enrolled in a Delaware school during the 2021-2022 school year. Families who place a meal order with their school on or before26. August 2022and Pass qualify for Summer P-EBT provided the child enrolls in the 2021-2022 school year.
3. Children under the age of 6 who are part of a household receiving food benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in summer 2022.

Summer P-EBT is considered an extension of P-EBT for the 2021-2022 school year, therefore school-age children must have been enrolled in a Delaware school during the 2021-2022 school year and be eligible for free or discounted school meals to qualify the buzzer P-EBT.

Summer P-EBT benefit value and schedule

Families receive the standard US summer P-EBT benefit from$391.00 for each eligible childat your home. The Summer P-EBT benefit will be split into two separate editions.

The Summer P-EBT benefit is automatically loaded onto households' SNAP EBT or P-EBT cards. Newly qualified non-SNAP families will receive a P-EBT card in the mail. The date that benefits are awarded to individual families may vary from the schedule above and depends on when the P-EBT eligibility information is received from Delaware schools.

Sign up for free or discounted meals in summer

Families wishing to request free or discounted school meals can contact the child's school's school feeding program or visit the school's website to fill out an application. Families should ask for free or discounted meals weekly26. August 2022may be eligible for the buzzer P-EBT.

P-EBT SCHOOL YEAR 2021-2022

P-EBT credits for the 2021-2022 school year will be issued beginning March 2022.

ELECTION CRITERIA

Children enrolled in preschool through grade 12 in a Delaware school are eligible for P-EBT if they meet the following two conditions:

1. The child is certified directly, by categorical eligibility, or through an application for free or discounted school meals for the current school year, or attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school where all students receive free school meals as part of the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program E
2. The child may not receive free or discounted meals at school for the following COVID-related reasons:
   • The child has an excused absence due to a positive COVID case, possible exposure, school-mandated quarantine, COVID test, or other approved COVID reason; or
   • The child attends school virtually due to a positive COVID case, possible exposure, school-mandated quarantine, COVID test, or other approved COVID reason; or
   • The child is enrolled in an eligible full virtual school program.

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

Each month, Delaware schools report to the Department of Social Services which students are eligible for free and discounted meals and the number of COVID-related days of absence or virtual school days for each student. The Social Services Department uses this P-EBT eligibility information to provide benefits.

Families do NOT need to apply for P-EBT benefits. Eligible families are automatically enrolled in the P-EBT program and notified via email. Families receive detailed information about the P-EBT program and how to use the P-EBT benefits to purchase groceries.

BENEFITS VALUES

Families will receive $7.10 for each school day that their child did not receive meals at school because the school was closed or the child was excused from a COVID-related reason or attended school virtually.

The P-EBT benefit amount is equivalent to the state breakfast, lunch and snack reimbursement rate of $7.10 per child per eligible school day. Families receive P-EBT benefits for all eligible children in their household in monthly payments. The family will NOT receive P-EBT for days their child attended in-person school and received meals at school or for non-COVID days absent.

Calculating the monthly P-EBT benefit:

$7.10 x Number of COVID-related Absence Days and/or Virtual School Days = Monthly P-EBT Benefit Amount

Children participating in a purely virtual school program:

An eligible child enrolled in a full virtual school program will receive a standard P-EBT benefit amount of$127.80 per monththat the child attends school practically the whole month. The benefit amount is $7.10 x 18 school days per month.

Schools unable to track COVID-related absences:

Some Delaware schools are unable to track COVID-related absences in their attendance systems. If a child attends a school that cannot track COVID-related absences, the child will receive P-EBT benefits for excused absences from5 or more consecutive school days.Families would need to contact their child's school to report COVID-related absences of 1-4 school days. This only applies to the following schools and counties:

• Caesar Rodney School District
• Cape Henlopen School District
• Colonial School District
• Delmar School District
• Lake Forest School District
• Red Clay Consolidated School District
• Newark Charter School

The Department of Social Services will issue P-EBT benefits for the 2021-2022 school year based on each child's school attendance records, therefore benefit amounts will vary by child and month.

MONTHLY PLAN OF P-EBT BENEFITS

DSS begins issuing benefits for the 2021-2022 school year inMarch 2022.

The dates that benefits are granted to each family depend on when the Department of Human Services receives entitlement and attendance data from each school.

Some families may experience delays in receiving benefits, and benefits may become available within 2 weeks or more of the monthly issuance date.

P-EBT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS

The Delaware P-EBT program also provides P-EBT benefits to families who receive SNAP food benefits with children under the age of 6. Eligible SNAP families will receive P-EBT for the 2021-2022 school year (September 2021 - June 2022).

A child under the age of 6 is entitled to this P-EBT benefit if two conditions are met:

1. The child is a member of a household that received SNAP food benefits during the P-EBT benefit month.
2. The child lived in an area where one or more schools were closed or operated with reduced frequency or hours due to COVID-19 (all children under age 6 in SNAP families in Delaware meet this condition).

Benefit P-EBT Herbst 2021

SNAP families receive the P-EBT benefit for each child under the age of 6 in their family. For each qualifying child under the age of 6, the SNAP household receives a standard benefit amount for each month the household received SNAP food benefits.

Example 1: A family has 1 child under the age of 6 and received SNAP food benefits in November and December 2021. Fall 2021 family P-EBT performance is $70.

$35.00 (monthly P-EBT benefit amount) x 1 (number of children) x 2 (number of months receiving SNAP) = $70.00 (Fall 2021 P-EBT benefit)

Example 2: A family has 2 children under the age of 6 and received SNAP food benefits in September, October, November and December 2021. Fall 2021 family P-EBT performance is $280.

$35.00 (monthly P-EBT benefit amount) x 2 (number of children) x 4 (number of months receiving SNAP) = $280.00 (Fall 2021 P-EBT benefit)

The P-EBT monthly standard benefit amount for children under age 6 is calculated by comparing USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) lunch orders in Delaware since the start of the 2021-2022 school year to the same months prior to the COVID. 19 pandemic.

Spring 2022 P-EBT Advantage

The Spring 2022 P-EBT benefit for children under the age of 6 will be issued at a later date. More information on the Spring 2022 P-EBT benefit will be shared once it is finalized.

CARD INFORMATION

P-EBT benefits are automatically loaded on SNAP EBT and P-EBT cards. P-EBT benefits for all eligible children in a family are loaded onto the EBT and P-EBT cards in monthly installments (see P-EBT Monthly Benefit Plan).

• SNAP Families receive their P-EBT benefits on their existing SNAP EBT card.
• Non-SNAP families who previously received P-EBT will receive P-EBT benefits on the P-EBT card mailed to them in a previous school year.
• Newly qualified non-SNAP families will receive a new P-EBT card in the mail. The P-EBT card will be mailed on the benefit issue date and may take 1-4 weeks to be delivered to the school's registered address. The P-EBT card contains information for activating the card and creating a personal identification number (PIN).

SNAP EBT and P-EBT cards work like a debit card. You can buySNAP-eligible foodsNOFarm shops and marketsentitled to accept SNAP EBT. Select EBT, swipe your card and enter your private PIN.

FAMILIES WHO DO NOT WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE P-EBT PROGRAM MUST IMMEDIATELY DESTROY, CUT, AND DISPOSAL OF ANY P-EBT CARD SENT TO THEM.

P-EBT benefits are non-transferrable and will expire after 274 days if you do not use your card and benefits. It is illegal to buy, sell or trade an EBT card or benefits.

Go towww.ConnectEBT.comor call1-800-526-9099for inquiries about EBT card credit, PINS or replacement cards.

RESOURCES

P-EBT leaflet:EnglishorSpanish

Questions and answers about P-EBT:EnglishorSpanish

P-EBT Card Instructions:EnglishorSpanish

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

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

Click herefor the latest updates on the Division of Social Services' COVID-19 program.

CONTACT INFORMATION

DELAWARE P-EBT PROGRAM

Please contact the social welfare office on tel1-866-843-7212if you have questions about the Delaware P-EBT program.

DELAWARE SCHOOL NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM

Contact the nutrition department of your child's school district, charter school, or private school for information on how to request free or discounted school meals. You can apply online by visiting your school district's website. Families must meet certain eligibility criteria to participate in the school feeding program.

Click hereand select School Nutrition Sponsor Contacts to find out if your school participates in the School Nutrition Program and offers free or discounted meals.

General questions about eligibility for free or discounted school meals can be emailed toschoolnutrition@doe.k12.de.us.

OBSERVE:If your child attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school where all students receive free meals, you do NOT need to apply for free or discounted school meals. All CEP students are automatically eligible for P-EBT benefits.Click herefor a list of CEP schools in Delaware.

If your family needs food assistance:

• ContactDelaware 2-1-1
• Apply online for the Delaware Dietary Supplement Program atDelaware-ASSIST

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil liberties laws and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil liberties guidelines and regulations, this institution is prohibited from acting on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender (including gender identity and gender), religious belief, disability, age, political beliefs, or Retaliation or retaliation for past civil rights activities.

Program information may be provided in languages ​​other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., braille, large print, tape, American Sign Language) should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for services. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech impediment can contact the USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination claim, the complainant must complete Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Claim Form, available online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR% 20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf from any USDA office by calling (833) 620-1071 or writing a letter addressed to the USDA. The letter must include the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory act in sufficient detail to enable the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) to notify the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation inform . The completed AD-3027 form or letter should be mailed to:

1. Correspondence:

   Food and Nutrition Service, USDA

   1320 Braddock Place, Quarter 334

   Alexandria, Va. 22614; I

2. Fax:

   (833)256-1665 or (202)690-7442; You

3. Email:

   FNSCIVILRIGHTSCOMPLAINTS@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunities provider.