The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 provides the Secretary of Agriculture authority to approve a State agency plan for temporary emergency standards of eligibility and levels of benefits under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Children who would receive free/reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, if not for the school closure are eligible under this provision.
Children ages 3 to 17 and ages 18 to 22 (if in high school), who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced price school meals due to the COVID-19 pandemic related school closures are eligible for Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) SNAP allotments equal to the daily reimbursement for free lunch and breakfast multiplied by the average number of school closure days in the month for each eligible child in the household. $3.50 Lunch + $2.20 breakfast = $5.70 daily cost per child.
All children that would receive a free or reduced price meal if school was in session, even if a district wide eligibility school, are eligible for P-EBT regardless of income or citizenship. To find out more information, click here.