Based on verified COVID-19 absences, K–12 students in the 2021–2022 academic year earned Pandemic–Electronic Assistance Transfer or P-EBT benefits.
For every day of quarantine that a doctor confirmed, each student earned a reward of $7. Postal mail notification was sent to eligible pupils.
P-EBT Program
Texas was added to the list of states and territories that are allowed to run a P-EBT program in August of 2022. This implies that households later this month may receive P-EBT food assistance, even if they are not specifically affected by a COVID-19 illness.
Governor Greg Abbott revealed the specifics of this fifth round of P-EBT payments for Texas families on November 16.
The distribution of Summer P-EBT is flexible thanks to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) instructions to states, which allows for the issuance of multiple awards throughout the summer or a single benefit. Texas has not yet given out Summer PEBTs, therefore this will be a one-time reward that will show up in November or December.
Texas can offer summer P-EBT because of cooperation between the federal and state governments. This includes the enactment at the national level of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020.
After the law was passed, the USDA was given the go-ahead to collaborate with the Texas Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services to provide benefits to deserving children.
Universal free meals were made feasible during the COVID19 Pandemic courtesy of waivers from the Texas Department of Agriculture and the USDA. For the 2022–23 academic year, the waivers were not renewed, therefore full-time families in Orange County would now have to pay between $70.65 and $101.50 a month to receive breakfast and lunch in K–12 schools.
The USDA allows each participating state to provide K-12 students with the standard benefit of $391 per child regardless of the status of the COVID-19 declared health emergency at the federal and state level. The state has expressed concern for families experiencing food insecurity and looks forward to providing Summer P-EBT.
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Texas P-EBT Benefits Eligibility
Children who qualify will get a letter in the mail with information on how to use the benefits. P-EBT benefits will be loaded to the Lone Star Cards of children in child care who are already enrolled in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in December.
To qualify, a student must have been registered at an NSLP campus after the 2021–2022 academic year. Additionally, they must have received approval from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) at their Texas school for free or reduced-price meals during the 2021–2022 academic year or at any time over the summer (June to August 2022).
This applies to kids who were denied P-EBT benefits for the 2021–2022 school year as a result of absences reported under COVID-19 by their school. Beginning in November, a notice with a claim code will be mailed to eligible Texans who have never received P-EBT benefits or SNAP assistance.
When claiming P-EBT benefits, enter this code at YourTexasBenefits.com or by calling the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255. After the notice’s date, households will have 90 days to submit a benefits claim.
If a child was born on or after August 1, 2015, they will start earning P-EBT benefits automatically on their Lone Star Cards in December if they were old enough to attend daycare and received SNAP food assistance at any time between June and August 2022.
They won’t need to do anything; a note including information about the benefit amount for their student will be mailed to them instead. For additional information, go to hhs.texas.gov/pebt or dial 833-442-1255 to reach the P-EBT Call Center.
