A final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision-Increasing Options for Schools (88 FR 65778), was published on Sept. 26, 2023, with an effective date of Oct. 26, 2023, that established the 25 percent minimum ISP threshold. As a result, more students, households, and schools have the opportunity to experience CEP’s benefits, such as increasing access to school meals at no cost, eliminating unpaid meal charges, minimizing stigma, and streamlining meal service operations.
This letter provides information to WIC state agencies and WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program state agencies on available American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 waivers and a new state agency request process.
Based on USDA’s re-evaluation, the Thrifty Food Plan is increasing by 21% and total national FY 2022 TEFAP entitlement food funding will increase by an estimated $57.75 million. We will be sharing additional details and final numbers after the budget is finalized.
The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 required USDA to re-evaluate the Thrifty Food Plan by 2022 and every 5 years thereafter based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns and dietary guidance. By law, the June TFP is the basis for SNAP maximum allotments for the following fiscal year.
This memorandum provides the FY 2022 Cost-of-Living Adjustments to SNAP, income eligibility standards, and deductions for the 48 contiguous states and D.C., Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. COLAs are effective as of Oct. 1, 2021.
Households with a child approved to receive free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year are eligible for the Federal Communication Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit. EBB is a federal program to help eligible families pay for internet service during the pandemic.
This memorandum provides clarification on questions related to child nutrition program oversight, monitoring, and administration.
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This legislation provides support for American families, state governments, and communities to rebuild and respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
This memorandum implements Section 1101(b) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which provides SNAP state agencies with administrative funding to support program administration.
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.