Delaware announces return of P-EBT program for 2021-22 school year
DELAWARE – Delaware households with children affected by school closures or reduced in-person hours cause by COVID-19 will receive emergency food assistance benefits under the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program.
Eligible households will receive P-EBT benefits for each school day that their child did not receive meals at school during the current school year because of a COVID-related reason. The State will begin issuing benefits on Thursday, March 3rd, and benefits will be available on recipients’ cards starting Friday. The dates that benefits will be issued to individual households will depend on when the Division of Social Services receives eligibility and attendance data from each school. We’re told some households may experience a delay in receiving benefits, and benefits may become available within two or more weeks from the monthly issuance date.
Delaware will issue P-EBT benefits for August 2021 through June 2022 on the following schedule:
- P-EBT benefit months of August & September 2021: March 4, 2022
- P-EBT benefit months of October & November 2021: April 8, 2022
- P-EBT benefit months of December 2021 & January 2022: May 6, 2022
- P-EBT benefit months of February & March 2022: June 3, 2022
- P-EBT benefit months of April & May 2022: July 1, 2022
- P-EBT benefit month of June 2022: July 15, 2022
Children enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten through 12 grade at a Delaware school are eligible for P-EBT benefits for the 2021-22 school year if two conditions are met:
- The child is certified either directly, through categorical eligibility, or through an application to receive free or reduced-price meals or attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school where all students receive free meals through the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program; and
- The child is not able to receive free or reduced-price meals at school because the school was closed or the child had an excused absence or attended school virtually due to a COVID-related reason
Households will receive $7.10 for each school day that their child did not receive meals at school because the school was closed or the child had an excused absence or attended school virtually due to a COVID-related reason.
More on the P-EBT program can be found here.