Latest news with #SummerElectronicBenefitsTransfer
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MO, KS helping families in need pay for groceries this summer for kids
SHAWNEE, Kan. — Parents who are struggling to pay the bills and have school-age children could be eligible for SUN Bucks this summer. SUN Bucks stands for Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer. It's a federal program for low-income parents to receive a one-time payment of $120 per child to help pay for groceries during the summer months. Kansas City's Country Club Plaza struggles with closures and empty shops Most metro schools are already offering free breakfast and lunch during the summer, so SUN Bucks can be used to help pay for dinners. There are no income requirements for the free lunch program at area schools. All kids are welcome to get a free meal. Parents are encouraged to reach out to their school district to find out where kids can go to eat breakfast and lunch for free. As for SUN Bucks, this is the second year of the federal program. More than 125,000 kids in Kansas received the $120 subsidy last summer. More than 490,000 kids in Missouri are expected to get SUN Bucks this summer. Last year, Missouri didn't get the SUN Bucks out until September due to technical and staffing issues. But they are ready this summer and started sending out these benefits last week. This program is for families that are struggling financially. If you receive SNAP benefits for groceries, or if your child gets a free or reduced-price meal at school, the $120 per child will automatically be sent to you or added to your SNAP card. However, you must spend that money by the end of September, or you will lose it. For those who didn't get the money added to their SNAP card, or for those who think they are eligible and want to apply, that information can be found online for Missouri residents and Kan. All but 12 states participate in the SUN Bucks program. As for the free lunch program during the summer, school districts are only serving food at certain schools through the end of July. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Missouri begins issuing summer food aid for kids
Most eligible kids will receive the benefits automatically and won't need to apply, but those who do need to apply must do so by Aug. 31 (USDA photo). Missouri has begun issuing federal food benefits that could reach 475,000 kids this summer. The first batch of Missouri's summer food benefits for children were issued on Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services told The Independent Friday. Each eligible child will receive a one-time benefit of $120, loaded onto a card that can be used like a debit card to buy groceries. The program is designed to help low-income families pay for food during summer months. States pay 50% of the administrative costs and the federal government pays 100% of the benefits. It's part of a permanent federal program in its second year of existence called Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer, or SUN Bucks. The program aims to help kids who receive subsidized school meals avoid a summer drop-off in nutrition. The state in years past has struggled to get the benefits out to cover the summer months. Last year they didn't begin going out until September, due to technical issues, the state said at the time. Food security advocates in the state were relieved when Missouri opted into the program after weighing factors like technology issues and staffing. There were 11 Republican-led states that opted not to offer the program this year, and a 12th, Oklahoma, will offer it only to tribal nations. Most eligible families in Missouri will receive the benefits automatically. The following groups of kids are automatically eligible, and their families will not need to apply for benefits: Students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year, Households already enrolled in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or temporary assistance, And children between ages 7 and 17 in foster care, who are experiencing homelessness or are migrants. Those benefits will be issued on an existing card if the family is enrolled in SNAP benefits or temporary assistance, or on a new mailed card if they are not. Families who need a new EBT card can request one by phone or the ebtEDGE mobile app. Families who are not automatically eligible must submit an application online by Aug. 31. The state's eligibility navigator will tell families whether they must apply. Benefits will expire 122 days after they are issued, regardless of usage, so families must act quickly once the benefits are distributed. They should also keep the cards for next summer's program, the state's website advises. An estimated 475,000 Missouri kids could receive the benefits, according to a letter to the state from the federal Food and Nutrition Service earlier this year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas will begin a summer lunch program in 2027, but only if feds don't raise costs
A new food program that would give low income families $120 per child to help feed them during the summer months could be coming to Texas in 2027. Texas has never participated in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program, created in 2023, an offshoot of a similar pandemic program. But tucked inside the state's $338 billion budget is a $60 million budget addition for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to administer such a program. States have to pay 50% of the administrative cost to participate in the Summer EBT program, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that also goes by the name of Sun Bucks. That large investment could bring another $400 million in federal dollars to Texas. However, ongoing talks at the federal level about slashing food benefits could endanger Texas' participation in the Biden-era summer program. A provision built into the rider could cancel the appropriation if the current state-federal funding formula changes. 'If federal matching rates for the program or administration of the program are changed in a manner that result in a higher cost to Texas from the match rates in place on May 30, 2025, this appropriation is void,' the rider language states. Families would qualify for the summer meal benefits if their children, even if they are home-schooled or attend private schools, qualify for free or reduced priced lunches during the school year. In 2024, a family of four with an annual income of $40,560 or less would be eligible for free school lunch. To qualify for a reduced school meal, that same family would have to make $57,720 or less. For state Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, bringing the Summer EBT program to Texas was personal. Today, he lives not far from where he grew up in northeast Houston. 'We were on food stamps growing up,' he said. 'I lived that experience of not having food.' While HHSC would design and manage the program, it would also work in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Agriculture, which manages federal agriculture dollars that fund school lunches in Texas. 'TDA looks forward to continued collaboration with HHSC on their submission of a state plan, ' the agency said in a statement. The state's agriculture agency already works with schools, cities and community groups to offer lunches during the summer for school-age children. Those institutional partners submit expenses for the lunches they served and are reimbursed for cost by the federal government, according to Lena Wilson, assistant commissioner for food and nutrition at TDA. In 2024, there were 12 million summer meals (snacks and lunches) served to Texas children at 4,480 sites statewide at a cost of $46.1 million. This existing USDA's summer lunch program, which was piloted in 1968 and was made a full-fledged funding stream in 1975, does not require pre-registration or identification to access. The locations are selected primarily where children in need are located and is open to all children, even if they don't live in the specific neighborhood. 'It's great,' said Catherine Wright-Steele, TDA's commissioner of food and nutrition, because children can bring their younger siblings who aren't attending schools yet or say a young friend or cousin visiting from out of town. Some of the meals are prepared and served on site. At other locations, they can be more of a 'grab-and-go' sack lunch offering. 'So many children who live in poverty in Texas. These programs all supplement each other,' Walle said of adding another summer program. From an economic standpoint, bringing more federal dollars will put more customers in stores, he said. 'It's an economic benefit to the state of Texas,' Walle said. Walle, who said he has been working on Summer EBT for the past 18 months, also credited bipartisan support in the House and Senate, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott. For other food assistance groups, the inclusion of the rider has been welcome news. 'We're thrilled that state lawmakers included funding in the budget to administer Summer EBT,' said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks. 'Summer EBT fills this gap, ensuring that Texas kids stay nourished and ready to learn. The program is particularly important for a state like Texas, where 1 in 6 households are food insecure.' Right now, Congress is considering slashing the budget of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, what many people still refer to as food stamps. As the rider currently reads, the Texas participation in Summer EBT could be in danger if the federal government forced states to pay more of the administrative cost or even a portion of the subsidy. There's been no word on whether the Summer EBT program could face cuts. For now, the state is moving to come up with a plan to submit to Washington. Disclosure: Feeding Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NV families will start receiving summer EBT food benefits this month
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Last year, the S-EBT program delivered about $37 million in benefits to nearly 312,000 children, with about 80% of those benefits being fully utilized. (Photo by) Thousands of children in Nevada will start receiving federal nutrition benefits designed to cover school meals missed during summer vacation this month. About 280,000 children in Nevada will automatically receive a one-time payment of $120 starting May 17, thanks to a federal nutrition program known as the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (S-EBT). Congress passed bipartisan legislation in late 2022, making S-EBT permanent for states that opt-in, including Nevada. The federal program now permanently provides families with $40 each summer month per eligible child to buy food at grocery stores, farmers markets, or other authorized retailers. Last year, the S-EBT program delivered about $37 million in benefits to nearly 312,000 children, with about 80% of those benefits being fully utilized. In order to automatically qualify for the S-EBT program, a child must attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program and be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals due to their participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) will also automatically qualify for S-EBT, even if they do not attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program. Children on Medicaid in a household with an income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level also automatically qualify for S-EBT, regardless of which school they attend. Children participating in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) can also be automatically eligible for the S-EBT program. Families can check to see if their child was automatically enrolled into the program through an online portal at Access Nevada starting May 17. Not automatically eligible? Apply anyway. Households that are not automatically eligible are still encouraged to apply for the S-EBT program starting May 17, when applications open on the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services website. While most Nevada Summer EBT eligible families will automatically receive the Summer EBT benefit, there is a group of income eligible families that must submit an application. Last year, a total of 6,347 families not automatically eligible for S-EBT applied for the program, according to the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. Of those applicants, 2,690 were ultimately determined eligible for the summer food benefits, or about 42% of all applicants. David Rubel, a New York City-based education consultant, said even more families were likely eligible last year, but never applied. He found that only 9% of potentially eligible households in Nevada submitted applications, leaving about $8.4 million in benefits on the table. 'Only a handful of Summer EBT eligible families submitted applications last year,' Rubel said. 'Using a formula from USDA, the potential number was 70,400 families.' However, those funds are now lost. S-EBT is a one-time benefit tied to a specific school year and cannot be retroactively applied for or claimed for previous years, according to the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. 'The Summer EBT money won't get distributed and spent this summer unless families know about it,' Rubel said. Nevada wasn't the only state to lose out on benefits. Rubel looked at 14 states' potential number of applications vs. applications submitted and found that the percentage of applications submitted in every state was less than 20% of potential applicants. How benefits will be distributed Eligible households that participate in SNAP or TANF will automatically receive their S-EBT benefits starting May 17 on existing EBT cards if the guardian listed by the Nevada Department of Education in the Summer 2024 program file remains the same. Families that qualified last year can also receive benefits on their existing S-EBT cards issued last year, the program's inaugural year. Families that need a replacement card can request a replacement S-EBT card from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. Replacement S-EBT cards may take 2-3 weeks to receive. Children receiving benefits for the first time will be mailed a S-EBT card to the address of the guardian listed in the school's registration system for the 2024-2025 school year. Mailed S-EBT cards may take 2-3 weeks to receive. S-EBT benefits expire 122 days after they become available. If the benefits are not used within 122 days, they will be removed from the card and cannot be replaced, per federal regulations. For additional details on eligibility, benefit usage timelines, or how to apply, families are encouraged to visit the DWSS Summer EBT webpage and review the program FAQs.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
187,000 Kansas children miss out on free summer meals despite eligibility
Kansas Department for Children and Families data shows only 3% of eligible Kansas children received summer food assistance through the federal Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program. (Sam Bailey/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — An estimated 187,000 Kansas school-age children could have received free summer meals last year — their families just didn't submit the application. Of the 193,000 potential applications estimated by the United States Department of Agriculture for the SUN Bucks program, according to the Kansas Department for Children and Families, there were 5,645 submitted — only 3%. The program, also known as the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, gives families a $120 summer grocery card per eligible school-age child. How to apply for SUN Bucks Application is open now through Aug. 29, 2025. Families who did not receive a letter from the Kansas Department for Children and Families in January can check their eligibility. Families should apply through the DCF Self-service portal. While most eligible children did not receive the SUN Bucks, 59,265 families automatically received them, according to DCF. The number of families who automatically received benefits were not counted into the 193,000 potential applications. Children in a household that had already submitted paperwork to receive free or reduced-price school lunches or applied for monthly food assistance programs, for example, were auto-enrolled. Families auto-enrolled for this summer received a letter in January. The majority of states that offer SUN Bucks auto-enroll children in Medicaid. Kansas does not. Haley Kottler, campaign director for food access at Kansas Appleseed, says DCF can't auto-enroll children on Medicaid because of capacity issues with its internal system. 'If systems were integrated and updated, approximately 60,000 more eligible children could be auto-enrolled in SUN Bucks,' Kottler said. After federal funding was approved, families had from Aug. 12, 2024, to Oct. 15, 2024, to apply. This year, families have from Jan. 27 to Aug. 29 to apply — enlarging the window from two to seven months. Kottler identified the small timespan as a reason for the low number of applications. The original application deadline was Sept. 11, 2024, and Kottler fought to change it. But she said that even with the extended window, applications didn't increase. 'It made it really challenging, because a lot of families just didn't know they were able to utilize this benefit,' Kottler said. Erin LaRow, a spokeswoman for DCF, said her department spread the word via social media campaigns, messaging within the DCF phone system and self-service portal, a dedicated webpage and a statewide news release. The department also shared a fact sheet, both in English and Spanish, with the Kansas State Department of Education. David Rubel, a New York City-based education consultant, looked at 12 states' potential number of applications vs applications submitted. He found the percentage of applications submitted in every state was less than 20%. North Carolina had the highest results, with 19.3% of applications submitted, followed by Missouri, with 18.3%. He said the comparatively robust numbers are because of communication about the SUN Bucks program from school districts. 'It's all about the school districts getting the word out to their families. And why I emphasize the school districts is because they're the only ones who have the current contact information for the families,' Rubel said. Amber Wheeler, the superintendent of Humboldt School District — which has 33% of students approved for free and reduced-price lunches — said it has posted a DCF infographic on their social media accounts. Robin Button, the food and service director for Fort Scott School District — with 56.7% of students approved for free and reduced-price lunches — said it plans on posting the infographic and mentioning the program at its town hall. In the wake of President Donald Trump's promise to deport more people — and the use of federal documents to identify them — immigrant families are wary of submitting more documentation. While the Kansas DCF website states that receiving SUN Bucks would not affect a family's immigration status, fear remains. 'There's a chilling effect when it comes to programs like this,' Kottler said. 'It's absolutely causing them fear and to not apply.' Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk have been pushing spending cuts — a crusade that has trickled down to state-level officials. At the Kansas State Board of Education meeting on April 8, the board nearly cut the Public Education Partnership, which informs parents of the summer meals offered to them. The partnership was saved by one vote. In the 2025-2026 Kansas legislative session, Republicans attempted to insert a provision in the budget that would ban the use of SUN Bucks on candy or soda. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the provision — and while the Senate overturned her veto, the House did not — ultimately upholding her veto. LaRow with DCF said the department has received 1,294 SUN Bucks applications as of April 11.
