Eligible Children to Receive Pandemic EBT Benefits Beginning March 4th

Eligible children who did not receive assistance through the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program for the 2020-2021 school year will receive a retroactive benefit payment beginning March 4, according to a press release by the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS). This single retroactive payment will be sent to children who experienced a change in P-EBT eligibility status during the 2020-2021 school year, or were not accounted for initially.

P-EBT cards are used as a debit card to purchase food at participating grocers and online stores.

“The COVID-19 pandemic caused much uncertainty and changes to daily routines for families, especially those that rely on school meals,” TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter said in a statement. “In partnership with TDOE, we’ve taken steps to ensure that all children eligible for P-EBT receive the benefit, despite fluctuations and changes that occurred during the last school year.”

Eligibility for P-EBT is based on National School Lunch Program qualification and school attendance related to COVID-19, according to the press release. P-EBT is administered by TDHS in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE).

Retroactive P-EBT is available to children who did not receive P-EBT that they qualified for in the 2020-2021 school year (also known as P-EBT Round 2 and 3) but would have based on their National School Lunch Program (NSLP) eligibility and attendance related to COVID-19, the press release notes. Some children were determined as eligible for P-EBT benefits after P-EBT Round 2 and 3 benefits were issued, resulting in the need to issue Retroactive P-EBT benefits.

In general, Retroactive P-EBT is “based on the child qualifying for free or reduced-price school meals later in the school year, and the child missed school meals because the school was closed or operated at reduced attendance for at least 5 consecutive days in the 2020-2021 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the press release.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “children shopping” by U.S. Department of Agriculture CC BY 2.0.