Important Information about Your Child’s School Meals
What is Pandemic EBT (P-EBT)?
Federal law allows States to
implement a temporary program called Pandemic- Electronic Benefit Transfer
(P-EBT), which provides eligible children with Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) benefits. Preschool
(Pre-K) through 12th grade students within eligible school buildings who are
eligible for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch
Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) may be eligible for P-EBT
benefits.
The program is administered by the Ohio Department of Job
and Family Services and the Department is partnering with the Ohio Department
of Education (ODE) to ensure eligible children receive this important benefit.
For questions regarding P-EBT, please contact the P-EBT customer service line at 1-866-244-0071.
How do I know if my child is
eligible for P-EBT benefits?
Under the new law passed October 1, 2020, a
school child is eligible for P-EBT if two conditions are met:
The child would have received free or
reduced-price meals under NSLP or SBP if not for the COVID health emergency; and
The child does not receive free or reduced-price
meals at the school because the school is closed (includes virtual/remote
learning) or has been operating with reduced attendance or hours (includes
hybrid schedules) for at least 5 consecutive days.
Once this criteria
has been met, the child is eligible for P-EBT benefits for the days he or she
does not attend school in person, or attends school in person but does not
receive a meal at school to eat at school.
Children are not eligible for P-EBT benefits for days they attend school
in person and receive meals at school. Examples of potentially eligible school
children are the following situations:
-
All children are participating in fully remote
learning;
- Children in hybrid learning;
-
Children who have the option of attending fully
remote (e.g. Virtual academies), even though the school is operating fully
in-person; or
-
Children who normally attend school in-person
full time but have had to quarantine due to COVID for at least 5 consecutive
days.
Under the old law,
a school operating a hybrid schedule for at least 5 days with in-person
instruction occurring every other day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) with
virtual/remote learning on the other days (Tuesday and Thursday) was not
eligible for P-EBT. Under the new law, a
school with this type of hybrid schedule meets the requirements for P-EBT. Based upon the date a school met the
requirements above, eligible children who were not previously eligible under a
hybrid model may be provided benefits for August and September.
How much will an eligible child receive?
Each child will
receive $6.82 (the combined daily federal reimbursement rate for
breakfast and lunch for school year 2020-2021) for each day the child does not
receive free or reduced-price meals at the school because the school is closed
(includes virtual/remote learning) or has been operating with reduced
attendance or hours for at least 5 consecutive days. This also includes days a
child is not at school in-person for at least 5 consecutive days because they
are sick or having to quarantine due to COVID-19. Weekends, holidays or school
breaks are not included.
How are P-EBT benefits issued?
ODJFS obtains a list from the schools or school
districts of all children eligible for free and reduced-price meals and the
number of days they met the criteria for P-EBT. Based on this data, P-EBT
benefits are provided on an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card.
-
If the child is a current
SNAP recipient:
The P-EBT benefits may be added to
the account on which the
child is active in early February.
If the child was unable to be
matched to his or her active SNAP account, you will be sent a P-EBT card in the
child’s name.
-
If the child is not a current SNAP
recipient:
- Mid-February you should receive a
preloaded P-EBT card in the mail.
- The card will be in the child’s
name, not the parent or guardian’s name.
- Instructions on how to activate
the card will be included (also see instructions below).
- You must keep this new card as it will
be used for any future P-EBT benefits your child is eligible for.
If the
child has previously been on SNAP, but is not currently, he or she will receive
a P-EBT card. Each child will receive a
P-EBT card; benefits of siblings will not be grouped onto one card.
Although you will receive a new card in mid-February,
if you received a P-EBT card for prior benefits it will still be active and can
be used if there is a balance.
How often will this benefit be issued?
If your child meets the P-EBT
eligibility criteria in a month, benefits will be provided as follows:
-
The October and November benefits (and August and September benefits for children
now eligible under the new law) are to be issued in early February. New P-EBT
cards should be received by families in mid-February.
-
December
benefits will be issued by the end of February.
-
January
benefits will be issued by the end of March.
-
February
benefits will be issued by the end of April.
-
March
benefits will be issued by the end of May.
-
April
benefits will be issued by the end of June.
-
May
benefits will be issued by the end of July.
-
June
benefits will be issued by the end of August.
Can a family apply for P-EBT
benefits?
No. P-EBT does not have an
application. Any child eligible for free and reduced-price meals should receive
the P-EBT benefits. If your child has not been approved for free or reduced-price
meals, you should contact your child’s school to ask how to apply.
Does a family have to accept the card and
use it?
No, your participation in the program is voluntary. If you choose not
to participate, please dispose of your card by cutting through the magnetic
stripe on the card and discard the card in a secure manner. You cannot transfer
the card to someone else.
How long will a family have access
to the P-EBT benefits on the card?
The P-EBT benefits will be available for 12
months. If after 12 months the P-EBT benefits have not been spent, they will be
removed (expunged) from the account. Current SNAP households will still have
access to their remaining SNAP benefits.
How is the P-EBT card activated?
The family needs to take the following steps to active the
card:
- Call the phone number on the back of the P-EBT card.
-
Identify the P-EBT card number on the front of the card to
enter,
- Use the date of birth of the child named on the card,
-
When asked to enter the last four digits of the social
security number, enter the year of the child’s birth (e.g. 1980) and
-
Set a new four-digit PIN number which will be used each time
the card is used.
Is Pandemic EBT a
replacement for “grab-and-go” and/or summer meals offered by schools?
No, schools
can continue operating these programs and children may receive both P-EBT
benefits and continue receiving “grab and go” meals.
Are children who are
home-schooled or attend a school that does not participate in the National
School Lunch Program eligible for P-EBT?
No, only children
who would be receiving free and reduced-price meals through NSLP or SBP at
school if not for the COVID health emergency are eligible.
Is P-EBT available
to immigrant children?
Yes. Like the
National School Lunch Program, P-EBT is available to all school children
regardless of immigration status. P-EBT is a replacement for free and reduced-price
school meals which is not considered in a “public charge” determination.
What address will
the P-EBT card be sent to if a child’s parents are divorced or are not residing
in the same household?
P-EBT
cards will go to the address identified by the school. This also applies
to children currently in receipt of SNAP but could not be matched to the active
case.
For foster children
who are in receipt of free and reduced-price meals, who will the EBT card go to
- the foster parent or the public children services agency?
The card will go to the address on file with
the school.
If a family has accidentally
thrown away the P-EBT card or has lost the card, what should they do?
The family should call Conduent (the P-EBT card
vendor) at 1-866-386-3071 to request a replacement if the card is lost, stolen
or damaged. It is the same process SNAP customers do to replace the Ohio
Direction EBT card. The family will have to provide the following information
to request the replacement:
When the family calls, their old card will be locked, and a
new card will be mailed to them. If the family finds their lost card, they will
not be able to use it once they have reported it lost or stolen. The family
will have to wait to receive the replacement card in the mail, which can take
7-10 days.
The family can request a replacement via the inter-active
voice response system (IVR) with their card number or demographic information
if they do not know the card number. To speak with a live Customer Service
Representative to request a P-EBT replacement card when the family does not recall the 16-digit
P-EBT card number:
- Press Option 4 – To report card lost, stolen or damaged
-
Prompt asks to
enter your SSN (P-EBT caller MUST enter: 9 digits. 0 + child’s DOB)
-
Prompt asks to
enter your DOB (P-EBT caller MUST enter child’s DOB: 2 digits for month\2
digits for day\4 digits for the year)
-
When prompted to
enter your PIN, Do Nothing
-
When prompted to
enter your PIN the 2nd time, Do Nothing.
-
This will allow the call to be escalated
in order to speak with a live Customer Service Representative.
Reminder: there are recorded messages about COVID 19 benefits, that
the P-EBT caller MUST listen through, to the very end. At the end of the
message, the caller is encouraged to “Please remain on hold while your call is
being transferred to a Customer Service Representative.”
Who should a family contact if
they have questions regarding P-EBT?
For general program questions, questions
about your child’s benefits or the P-EBT card, please call the P-EBT customer
service line at 1-866-244-0071 Option 1.
If you have questions about whether or not a
child is eligible for free and reduced-price meals, you should contact your
child’s school.
What if the wrong address
for the child was provided to ODJFS and the family needs to report the correct
address?
If the address is
wrong, the family may call the P-EBT customer service line at
1-866-244-0071 Option 1.
How can the benefits be used?
These benefits
can be used to buy food items anywhere Ohio Direction cards are accepted.
These benefits
are non-transferrable. Do not use P-EBT benefits to buy ineligible items, such
as alcoholic drinks or tobacco products. Do not trade or sell these benefits.
You will be subject to a penalty if you purposely do so. Penalties can include
ineligibility for the program, financial penalties, and/or jail time.
For questions reqarding P-EBT, please contact the P-EBT customer service line at 1-866-244-0071
Resources:
P-EBT Flier 2.3.21
P-EBT Flier (Arabic)
P-EBT Flier (Chinese)
P-EBT Flier (French)
P-EBT Flier (Russian)
P-EBT Flier (Somali)
P-EBT Flier (Spanish)
P-EBT Questions and Answers for Families 2.2.21
P-EBT Questions and Answers for Families 2.8.21 (Arabic)
P-EBT Questions and Answers for Families 2.8.21 (Chinese)
P-EBT Questions and Answers for Families 2.8.21 (French)
P-EBT Questions and Answers for Families 2.8.21 (Russian)
P-EBT Questions and Answers for Families 2.8.21 (Somali)
P-EBT Questions and Answers for Families 2.8.21 (Spanish)
EBT Card Buck Slip
EBT Card Buck Slip (Arabic)
EBT Card Buck Slip (Chinese)
EBT Card Buck Slip (French)
EBT Card Buck Slip (Russian)
EBT Card Buck Slip (Somali)
EBT Card Buck Slip (Spanish)