Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program Report to Congress: State Implementation Progress, SY 2015-16 and 2016-17

This report responds to the requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Direct certification is a process conducted by the states and by local educational agencies (LEAs) to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household applications. The 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act required LEAs to establish systems to directly certify children from households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by school year (SY) 2008-09. This report presents information on the outcomes of direct certification for SY 2015-16 and SY 2016-17.