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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
Basic page SUN Bucks/Summer EBT Sample Letter to Families Who Need to Apply

Sample letter for states, Tribes, and territories to share with NSLP-participating schools for distributing to households with children who are not automatically eligible and need to apply.

02/12/2025
Basic page SUN Bucks/Summer EBT Sample Letter to Families Who Are Automatically Eligible

Sample letter for states, Tribes, and territories to share with schools for distributing to households with children who are automatically eligible and do not need to apply.

02/11/2025
Basic page Area Eligibility Mapper for CACFP and Summer Meals

This map displays census data and can be used for tiering of participating CACFP day care homes and eligibility of SFSP summer sites.

10/03/2024
Basic page About Area Eligibility

The Richard B Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) allows the use of school data to establish area eligibility in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program. The NSLA also allows the use of census data to establish tier I eligibility for CACFP day care homes and area eligibility for SFSP sites.

09/30/2021
Page updated: October 14, 2021