Evaluation of Demonstrations of NSLP and SBP Direct Certification of Children Receiving Medicaid Benefits: Access Evaluation Report

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (PL 111-296) required the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to conduct a demonstration that adds Medicaid to the list of programs used to directly certify students for free school meals. Although students receiving Medicaid are not categorically eligible for free meals, the DC-M demonstration authorizes selected States and districts to use income information from Medicaid files to directly certify those students found to be eligible for free meals.

The purpose of the Access Evaluation is to assess the potential impacts of DC-M on students’ access to free school meals by conducting retrospective simulations of DC-M in SY 2011–2012, the year before the demonstration began.