New Guidance Extends Pandemic Food Benefits To Families With Young Children Adding Flexibility To How States Administer Assistance
The Biden administration announced Friday it will expand pandemic EBT benefits to infants and young children as part of a package to get more food aid to young families who have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus-induced recession.
The measure follows President Bidens executive order last week to expand food assistance programs. This new initiative aimed at the 12 million families receivingpandemic EBT will also give states added flexibility to swiftly distribute the benefits.
Within one week, the USDA is executing on the presidents directive and getting more money into the hands of kids and families who need it, Stacy Dean, who last week was named deputy undersecretary for the Agriculture Departments food, nutrition and consumer services,told The Washington Post.We are committed to acting quickly so states can set up and deploy these programs right away.
The initiative increases pandemic food assistance benefits, intended for those children who would have qualified for subsidized school meals were schools in session, by 16 percent. Children 0-6 will now also be eligible.
New guidance allows states to be more flexible. For example, Dean says, a state could rely broadly on local school-closure ordinances without having to verify that a particular child-care facilityor school is closed.
If You Still Need Unemployment Benefits
- Continue filing weekly claims if you have an active unemployment claim You might have weeks available on a regular unemployment claim.
- If you use eServices, youll know you have available weeks if you see a link that says You have a weekly claim to file.
- If you file weekly claims by phone, you will hear an option to file a weekly claim.
Other Administrative Options And Waivers
In addition to extending approvals for states to use flexibility under existing SNAP regulations, USDA has approved and extended other waivers under Families First that temporarily suspended administrative requirements for states, not shown in the tables below. USDA has continued to let states request these options through the month after the month in which the federal public health emergency ends. USDA also had introduced some limited options in the fall of 2020 meant to transition states to regular operations, but because the October 2020 government funding law restored many flexibilities that had been previously offered, states stopped using those narrower options.
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Policy Changes In Response To Covid
COVID-19 Response Overview
In response to the ongoing outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in Washington state, the DSHS Community Services Division has been rapidly identifying and implementing waivers from federal and state requirements and making policy and service delivery changes to help meet the needs of our clients and staff.
PANDEMIC EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND:IMPORTANT PEAF UPDATE: PEAF benefit ends May 31, 2022.
The Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund was created to provide additional assistance during the COVID-19 crisis to low-income families who have eligible children under the age of 18. PEAF is a temporary, one-time cash payment for certain families with minor children.
Prior to PEAF’s ending, in order to qualify for PEAF, families would have had to meet all of the following:
- Have a minor child living in the home.
- The minor child received cash or Basic Food benefits for the month of May 2022.
- Have income at or under 75% of the Federal Poverty Level.
As of May 31, 2022, no additional PEAF payments will be made. You can learn more about eligibility here.
BASIC FOOD:
Changes to Basic Food Eligibility for Students of Higher Education
- Are determined eligible for work-study or
- Have an Expected Family Contribution of $0 in the current academic year.
- These new temporary Basic Food rules will continue until 30 days after the COVID-19 Public Health emergency is lifted.
DISASTER CASH ASSISTANCE PROGRAM:
TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES/WORKFIRST:
Pandemic Ebt Guidance Released For The 20222023 School Year
The Pandemic EBT program was created to replace the free and reduced-price school meals that children lost access to due to school closures in the spring of 2020. Over time, the program has expanded to respond to the changing circumstances of the pandemic, children attending school under a hybrid model or COVID-19-related absences to provide benefits to children under the age of 6 participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to replace missed meals at child care and to provide summer benefits. During the last two and a half years, this program has reached millions of children and provided billions of dollars in benefits to keep hungry children fed during a tumultuous time.
On September 8, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released guidance for school year 20222023 Pandemic EBT plans for both school-age students and children under 6 on SNAP. The guidance is similar to the guidance for school year 20212022, with a few key differences:
FRAC looks forward to working with states and partners to implement Pandemic EBT for school year 20222023 for both children in child care and school-age students, and to once again ensure children have access to much needed nutrition benefits to replace missed meals at school or child care.
As was the case last year, USDA will consider one student who is absent for at least five consecutive days due to COVID-19 as reduced attendance for the school and will deem students who qualify after that as eligible.
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Expansion Of Grocery Delivery And Access For Washington Snap Participants During The Covid
GIS SNAPSHOTS â Volume 19 â June 30, 2022
Shawna Beese, MBA, BSN, RN1,2 Ofer Amram, PhD, MSc3 Acacia Corylus, MPH, RD2 Janessa M. Graves, PhD, MPH1 Julie Postma, PhD, RN1 Pablo Monsivais, PhD, MPH3
Suggested citation for this article: Beese S, Amram O, Corylus A, Graves JM, Postma J, Monsivais P. Expansion of Grocery Delivery and Access for Washington SNAP Participants During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prev Chronic Dis 2022 19:210412. DOI: .
PEER REVIEWED
Online grocery delivery access for Washington State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries increased between May and July 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2017 food insecurity rates spotlight the counties most vulnerable to food insecurity. Sources: Walmart delivery data, https://www.walmart.com/store/directory Amazon delivery data, https://www.amazon.com SNAP benefit data, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/download-the-data Washington 2010 census tract shapefile, https://ofm.wa.gov/washington-data-research/population-demographics/gis-data/census-geographic-files.
Additional District Food Resources And Public Benefits
More information about food resources available in the District during the COVID-19 public health emergency is at coronavirus.dc.gov/food or the DHS food resources information page.
Families that may be eligible to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can find information about how to apply at .
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Washington Families Receive Another Round Of Food Benefits This Summer
Washington families with low incomes should be receiving another round of food assistance for their children during the summer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture used federal Covid-19 relief to fund Pandemic EBT , which provides food benefits to families with children. Families dont need to apply for the second round of P-EBT. To be eligible, children must enroll in the Basic Food benefits program or the free or reduced-price school meal program.
So far, the first and second rounds of P-EBT benefits have helped more than 400,000 Washington children, according to the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services .
The USDA has two programs: The P-EBT Children Under 6 program and the Summer 2022 P-EBT program. The P-EBT Children Under 6 program is for children under six years old who are eligible for Basic Food benefits. Families may receive $43 per child for each month they received Basic Food benefits from September 2021 to June 2022.
The Summer 2022 P-EBT program includes both children under six years old and school-age children. Families will receive one payment of $391 per child at the beginning of August.
P-EBT benefits can be used at grocery stores, farmers markets or food retailers that accept EBT card payments, according to the state DSHS. Families were expected to receive these benefits by late July and throughout the summer.
For more information, visit the state DSHS website.
Release & Contact Info
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2021 The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced several efforts today to expand nutrition assistance to hard-hit families across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. In support of President Bidens call to action on hunger and with authorities provided by Congress, USDA is increasing the Pandemic-EBT benefit by approximately 15%, providing more money for low-income families and millions of children missing meals due to school closures. Separately, in response to this national emergency, USDA is looking at ways to increase Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits to all participants, especially lowest-income households and those struggling to afford a healthy diet for their families.
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States Are Using Much
Since March 2020, states have been using temporary SNAP flexibility to provide emergency benefit supplements, maintain benefits to households with children missing school meals, and ease program administration during the pandemic. These options have allowed states to deliver more food assistance to struggling families, help manage intense administrative demands, and ensure that participants maintain much-needed benefits.
How to Find Out if You Can Get Help From SNAP
If you would like help from SNAP, contact your local human services office. The staff there will work with you to find out if you qualify. You may also find information and referrals by dialing 211 in most states.
Notes: SNAP is often referred to by its former name, the Food Stamp Program. Your state may use a different name.
SNAP has special rules following natural disasters.
The far-reaching health and economic effects of COVID-19 and widespread business closures to limit its spread made it even more difficult for many low-income households to afford food and other needs. Data have shown a substantial number of families have reported difficulties affording adequate food and other basic needs at some point during the pandemic. SNAP is essential to helping these families put food on the table.
Reminder: Are You Required To Operate A Summer Program
In Washington state, there are requirements for public school districts to offer a summer meal program ).
Schools districts must offer a summer meal program if educational, enrichment, or remedial services are offered during the summer months at a school in which 50% or more students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
When planning your summer meal program, its important to note that SFSP & SSO also have specific requirements for summer school sites.
- Summer school sites must operate as open sites. Meals must be offered to both summer school students and the community.
- Summer school sites cannot operate as closed enrolled sites.
If a district plans to offer meals only to students enrolled in summer school, the NSLP/SBP must be extended. Under NSLP/SBP, a by-name meal count is required and meals must be claimed according to a students approved eligibility status.
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Now’s The Time To Register For Sy2122 Annual Training
During this past year we have held bi-weekly webinars to keep program operators in the know about updates and reminders. We welcome you to join us for School Meal Programs Annual Training for SY2122!
During this webinar, we will review the updates from this past year, things to expect for next year, Food Distribution updates, and more!
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2021Time: 1:303:00 pm PT
Pandemic Food Assistance On Its Way For Washington Children
Thanks to federal COVID-19 relief funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, many families in Washington state will soon have another round of food assistance available to them to help buy groceries while children are home during the summer.
Called Pandemic EBT, or P-EBT, these food benefits are available to families with young children who are eligible for Basic Food benefits as well as school-aged children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meal programs. P-EBT benefits can be used to shop at any grocery store, farmers market or food retailer that accepts EBT card payments. The Public Charge rule does not apply to P-EBT benefits and will not impact immigration status.
The Department of Social and Health Services recently received federal approval to implement a third round of P-EBT, which includes benefits for children under age 6 and for school-aged children for summer 2022. Families will start to receive these benefits beginning late-July and through the end of the summer.
The first and second rounds of P-EBT benefits helped provide food security for more than 400,000 Washington children in the past two years. According to June census data, nearly one in 10 Washington households reported not having enough food for their household in the last seven days. With inflation rapidly increasing the cost of food, gas and other basic needs, eligible families will receive valuable assistance that can go a long way to help relieve hunger this summer.
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Reminder: Browser Change Recommended For Best Wins Experience
From time to time, users have noticed the Washington Integrated Nutrition System is slow to advance to a new page or certain functions dont work well when using Internet Explorer. To stay up to date and continuously improve user experience, Internet Explorer is no longer the recommended browser for accessing WINS.
For the best experience with WINS, we recommend to use Google Chrome, Firefox, or other updated browsers.
Want To Learn More Watch Our Recent Webinar Series And Explore Our Resources
- Want an overview of CEP and how it works? Check out Gear Up for CEP Webinar recording
- Ready to apply but want some help with the WINS CEP Module? Check out our Applying for CEP in WINS training from last year – Applying for CEP Using WINS | Presentation Slides. Also check out the WINS CEP User Manual.
- Unsure if your schools are eligible for CEP? The 2021-22 CEP Eligibility List will be posted shortly on our CEP webpage
Questions? Please contact your Program Specialist.
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Data Sources And Map Logistics
We mapped the online grocery purchase and delivery coverage for SNAP recipients for Washington State in May 2021 and July 2021. Data sources included the GIS census tract shapefile from the Washington Office of Financial Management . Census tractlevel SNAP household data were obtained from the 2015 American Community Survey , accessed from the US Department of Agriculture Food Environment Atlas website .
The approved SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer delivery vendors were confirmed on the Food and Nutrition Service website in May 2021 and July 2021 . In July 2021, the 2 approved SNAP EBT online vendors were Amazon and Walmart delivery centers. One other retailer with a single location was also approved for online purchases, but this retailer did not have widespread delivery services, so its 1,530-person catchment was not included. The final analysis and reporting of the evaluation are at the county level.
We mapped the 2017 food insecurity rates by using a choropleth by county . Equal interval data breaks were used to categorize the food insecurity rates, expressed in percentages . The data sources for the 2017 food insecurity rates were from the Hunger in Washington website . The overall prevalence of food insecurity in Washington State was 11.5% and ranged from 7.1% to 18.3% .
Snap Emergency Allotments To States
Separately, USDA will begin working with the Department of Justice to review its authority to allow states to provide extra SNAP benefits through Emergency Allotments to the lowest-income households. Last spring, Congress passed emergency increases to SNAP benefits to help address food insecurity during the pandemic. But those benefit increases have not been made available to the lowest-income households who make up 37% of SNAP households. Increasing SNAP benefits will not only help families most in need, but it is also a critical and effective form of economic stimulus. A recent USDA study found that in a slow economy, $1 billion in new SNAP benefits would lead to an increase of $1.54 billion in Gross Domestic Product 54% above and beyond the new benefits. Moreover, SNAP benefits reduced the poverty rate by nearly 8% in 2009 and had a significant effect on reducing child poverty.
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Revising The Thrifty Food Plan Per 2018 Farm Bill
Finally, some 43 million Americans count on SNAP to help put food on the table. Currently, however, USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, the basis for determining SNAP benefits, is out of date with the economic realities most struggling households face when trying to buy and prepare healthy food. As a result, the benefits may fall short of what a healthy, adequate diet costs for many households today, especially in high cost of living areas. Therefore, as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill, USDA will begin the process of revising the Thrifty Food Plan to better reflect the cost of a healthy basic diet today. USDA believes federal nutrition programs and benefits should support a basic healthy diet.
Card Mailing And Benefits
P-EBT benefits will be loaded to eligible childrens cards on April 20, 2021 and benefit amounts are dependent on the majority learning model of each childs school.
Some families are still waiting to receive their P-EBT cards in the mail and we appreciate your continued patience while DSHS works to mail letters and cards to eligible children.
The P-EBT card vendor will mail the last batch of P-EBT cards on April 27, 2021, and cards take seven to 10 days to arrive in the mail.
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Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer Program
P-EBT Card Issues Form: English Spanish Amharic.
Payments for School Year 2021-2022 and Summer 2022 have been issued for children who were under age 6 as of September 30, 2021. Payment amounts vary based on the number of months a child was eligible. ONLY children who were under age 6 on September 30, 2021, and were part of a household that received SNAP during the school year were eligible for this payment. Summer 2022 benefits for all other eligible children are scheduled to be issued by the end of September 2022.
The Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program provides food benefits on an Electronic Benefits Transfer card. The benefits are provided to District families with eligible children who would normally receive free or reduced-price meals at school or child care without restrictions limiting in-person learning due to the public health emergency. Families cannot apply to receive P-EBT. Benefits are paid automatically to those who meet eligibility criteria.
P-EBT benefits may be used to purchase food at stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or online at or Aldi. Families can visit ebtEDGE.com or download the ebtEDGE mobile app from the Apple or Google Play stores to see their transition history, and account balances, or find retailers that accept the EBT card.
