DHS Administration of Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) Program

Dear District Administrators,

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is supporting the Department of Health Services (DHS) in DHS’ administration of the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program. Some of the activities related to this program will need continued support from districts and schools throughout the summer to ensure critical food benefits can continue to be issued to the students and families who need them. Please share the communication below with the appropriate colleagues in your district.

Sincerely,

If you have not already done so, the DHS and DPI is asking schools to do the following:

• Respond to the third, and final, school learning model survey for the 2020-2021 school year that includes information about the months of April – June 2021. DPI sent this survey out to schools on May 10, and it was due May 26.
• Continue to accept and process United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) free and reduced price meal applications from families throughout the summer months and submit the information about new students accepted into the program through regular mechanisms.
• Respond to the DPI or DHS staff inquiries as needed this summer relating to confirmation of various aspects of the program (e.g., confirming free or reduced price meal eligibility or student enrollment if there is a discrepancy between family-submitted information and the information currently on file).
• Submit the name and contact information of a school (or district-level) point of contact who would be able to complete the P-EBT-related tasks described in this email to SchoolPEBT@wisconsin.gov with the subject line “P-EBT Point of Contact.” Alternatively, you can enter this information via the following survey, https://forms.gle/ECdHfXuz56xU9sQFA

• Provide verification of which students enrolled in free and reduced price meals took advantage of the option to learn virtually while other students at their school chose to learn in-person. This is for schools that selected “In-Person with Virtual Option” for any grades, for any months, when filling out school learning model surveys.  Any school that did NOT select the “In-Person with Virtual Option” at all in their surveys can skip this part.

PLEASE NOTE: DHS’s system does not automatically provide benefits to students in those grades for those months in which “In-Person with Virtual Option” was selected because the USDA requires us to verify with schools that students took advantage of the virtual option before providing them with P-EBT benefits.

There are three ways to provide verification:

• Individually:  Families whose children took advantage of a virtual option may reach out to schools to obtain the required written verification that their child learned remotely. The written verification can then be submitted to the P-EBT Support Team. DHS has created a template for schools to use to ensure they have provided families with the required information. The template is available attached to this email and can be pasted onto school letterhead.
• Collectively (manual): Schools can submit a list of students who have opted to learn virtually. These lists must include, at a minimum, students’ full names and the dates they started/ended their virtual learning. (Grades and dates of birth would be appreciated.) These lists should be sent to the SchoolPEBT@wisconsin.gov inbox with the subject line: “<<SCHOOL NAME>> Virtual Roster.”
• Collectively (automated): DHS is creating an online portal to collect verification information. This portal is expected to be available by June 6^th. Each school that selected “In-Person with Virtual Option” as a learning model in at least one month, for at least one grade, on at least one of their surveys will receive their own log-in credentials to access their school-specific information. Schools will be shown a list of their students from which they will be able to identify which of them opted into an all-virtual model.

Sending student information in one of the three ways mentioned above will constitute the verification that is federally-required to issue P-EBT benefits. The authority for you to provide DHS with this student information can be found in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R.6201 Section 1101(e).

Thank you for your assistance with these requests and the information you have provided to date. Because of your actions and those of school officials across Wisconsin, benefits have been issued to over 200,000 students statewide. This can have a major impact on families who may be able to receive over $300 per issuance per student. Questions about this message should be directed to SchoolPEBT@wisconsin.gov.