On May 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved Florida’s request to implement the Pandemic EBT program across the state. Pandemic EBT, or P-EBT, will provide nutrition benefits to the families of more than 2 million children eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, and is administered by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), in partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).
Families who are eligible for the free and reduced-price school meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) are eligible to receive P-EBT. P-EBT benefits will be issued by the Florida Department of Children and Families automatically during the month of June. Children that were receiving free and reduced-price school meals prior to the school closures on March 16, 2020, will receive a one-time benefit of $5.70 per day (55 days) and per child. If the child was eligible for the free and reduced-price school meals program after March 16, 2020, they will receive a pro-rated amount based on the month of eligibility.
Please refer to the chart below for benefits amounts for each eligible child:
|
Free and Reduced-Price School Meal Program Eligibility Date |
P-EBT Benefit Amount |
|
Prior to April 1st |
$313.50 |
|
April 1 - April 30 |
$245.10 |
|
May 1 - May 29 |
$119.70 |
For existing SNAP customers with a child receiving free and reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program, the P-EBT benefit will be added to their current EBT card automatically. For Medicaid and/or TANF recipients with a child receiving free and reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program, the P-EBT benefit will be automatically mailed to the address on your Medicaid and/or TANF file. No further action is required on for a child to receive the P-EBT benefits.
For all children that attend a school under the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 for Lunch, the P-EBT benefit will be automatically mailed to the address on file with the school/district.
Please allow the Florida Department of Children and Families to fully issue all P-EBT benefits by June 30, 2020, before inquiring about PEBT benefit status.
At this time, no action is needed by the school and/or districts unless you receive a request for data. FDACS will also have additional information on our website in the next day or two.
Thank you,
Lisa Church
Chief, Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs
Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
(850) 617-7413 Direct Line
(850) 617-7402 Fax
(800) 504-6609
Mailing address:
Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness
407 South Calhoun St (H2)
Tallahassee, FL 32399