For Texas families with children who temporarily lost access to federally funded summer meal programs as a result of COVID-19, Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) had received approval from the US Department of Agriculture for the fifth round of Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) food benefits.
HHSC gained federal authority to offer more than $1.4 billion in benefits to roughly 3.5 million qualified children in Texas during this fifth round of pandemic food assistance. Till now, HHSC has distributed to Texas families over $6.32 billion in P-EBT food subsidies.
Who’s Eligible for Texas Food Benefits?
P-EBT is a collaborative project between HHSC, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA). P-EBT offers a one-time payment of $391 for each eligible kid during this round, which runs from June through August. This benefit can be used to purchase groceries in the same way as SNAP food benefits.
A student must have been certified for free or reduced-cost meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) at their Texas school during the 2021–2022 academic year or at any time during the summer (June–August 2022) and must have been enrolled at an NSLP campus after the 2021–2022 academic year to be eligible.
Starting in November, eligible Texans who have never received P-EBT payments or SNAP benefits will get a letter in the mail with a claim code.
By visiting YourTexasBenefits.com or calling the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255, this code can be used to claim P-EBT benefits. Households
Children who are old enough to be in daycare and who got SNAP food benefits at any time between June and August 2022 will begin receiving P-EBT benefits automatically on their Lone Star Cards in December if they were born on or after August 1, 2015.
How to Contact Texas P-EBT?
They won’t need to do anything; a note including details about their student’s benefit amount will be mailed to them instead. For additional information, go to hhs.texas.gov/pebt or contact the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255.
The Governor’s office states that to qualify, a student must have been certified for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program at their Texas school during the 2021–2022 school year or at any time during the summer period (June–August 2022) and have been enrolled at an NSLP campus at the end of the 2021–2022 school year. Once again, this is fantastic news for families and kids who need it. Click here if you want to learn more about the program.