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Resource | Policy Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA); Interpretation of “Federal Public Benefit”

This notice sets forth the interpretation that the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses for the term “Federal public benefit” as used in Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. In doing so, this notice supersedes any prior interpretation in any notice or other document issued by any USDA agency. This notice also describes and preliminarily identifies the USDA programs that provide “Federal public benefits” within the scope of PRWORA.

07/10/2025
Resource | Policy Summer EBT for Children Program - 2025 Benefit Levels

This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to the levels of monthly benefits in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) Program. These adjustments reflect changes in the Thrifty Food Plan, as required under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

03/10/2025
Resource | Policy Summer EBT FERPA Resource

This memorandum shares a letter from the United States Department of Education to Chief State School Officers regarding the applicability of FERPA to the disclosure of personally identifiable information for students' education records to facilitate the automatic enrollment of eligible children in the Summer EBT Program.

01/17/2025
Resource | Policy Information Collection: Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer

This is a revision of a currently approved information collection for Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer for the reporting burden associated with administering P-EBT.

05/11/2021
Resource | Guidance Documents Pandemic EBT – Summer 2021

In an effort to make the distribution of P-EBT benefits to eligible children as efficient as possible, USDA has developed a simple P-EBT summer plan template. The template allows states to elect a USDA-determined standard benefit that relieves states of the burden of determining their own benefit levels based on state-specific school district calendars.

04/26/2021
Resource | Policy Memos COVID-19 Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children

Pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and based on the exceptional circumstances of this public health emergency, FNS is establishing a nationwide waiver to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to the novel coronavirus (COVID– 19).

04/23/2020
Resource | Policy Memos SNAP – Denial of Certain Requests to Adjust SNAP Regulations

This letter transmits the FNS denial of certain requests to adjust SNAP regulations that do not meet the requirements for approval provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

04/10/2020
Resource | Policy Memos 2018 Direct Certification Improvement Grant RFA

The fiscal year 2018 Direct Certification Improvement Grant Request for Applications are available to state agencies that administer the National School Lunch and the School Breakfast programs to fund the costs of improving your direct certification rates with SNAP, and other needs-based assistance programs.

08/15/2017
Resource | Policy Memos Extending Categorical Eligibility to Additional Children in a Household

This memorandum modifies the policy related to categorical eligibility for free meals or free milk for children who are members of a household receiving assistance under SNAP, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations or the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program.

08/27/2009
Resource | Policy Memos Agreement Checklist for Direct Certification and Direct Verification of Children in Food Stamp Households – Reauthorization 2004: Implementation Memo – SP- 14

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004  requires school districts to directly certify for free school meals any child who is a member of a household receiving assistance under the Food Stamp Program.

04/19/2005
Page updated: October 14, 2021