Thursday, April 30, 2020
Announcement from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction School Nutrition Team
SchoolMealsNews Bulletin - Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT)
On April 23, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Wisconsin was approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), a new program authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This program provides temporary assistance (food benefits) to families of children, who attend schools participating in the USDA National School Lunch Program and who normally receive free or reduced-price school meals if school was not closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Attached are some P-EBT questions and answers from USDA.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is working with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to issue these benefits based on information on file for children receiving free and reduced-price school meals. Benefits will be issued in a phased approach, and if information is not available through existing data, parents or guardians will be able to apply for the benefits through a streamlined application process. See the Wisconsin DHS website for information about the benefit issuance schedule and notification to families whose information is on file.
The DPI School Nutrition Team is working with DHS and DCF to identify which students are approved for free or reduced-price meals in Wisconsin, who have not been identified through state systems. To ensure we have an accurate list of eligible students, we may be requesting you to submit the list of students who are currently approved for free or reduced-price meals at your School Food Authority (SFA), also known as the Benefit Issuance List (BI List). Within the next few days, you may receive an email allowing access to Kiteworks, a secure portal we are using to send and receive confidential information. This email will come from the address sft@dpi.wi.gov -- please do not delete the email. Within the email will be instructions on how to fulfill this request.
DHS needs help notifying families whose information is not on file at the state level. These families may be eligible for P-EBT and need to be notified on how they can apply for the P-EBT. DHS is working on an online application for families to apply through. Information on the application process will be available by May 8. We appreciate your assistance in ensuring students have access to these important food benefits.
If you have questions about Pandemic EBT benefits, please email the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (dhsfoodsharepolicy@dhs.wisconsin.gov). For school related P-EBT questions, please emails us at snt.pebt@dpi.wi.gov
Thank you for your patience as we work through this process.
-WI DPI School Nutrition Team
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
This is a communication from the WI Department of Public Instruction, School Nutrition Team.
You can contact the School Nutrition Team at dpifns@dpi.wi.gov. To subscribe to schoolmealsnews, please send an email to dpifns@dpi.wi.gov.
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