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Resource | Guidance Documents Eligibility Based on Census Data: 2012 Data Release

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance regarding the use of census data for area eligibility determinations in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This memorandum has been superseded by SP 10-2015, CACFP 04, SFSP 03-2015: Area Eligibility in Child Nutrition Programs.

02/13/2012
Resource | Guidance Documents Guidance on Income Eligibility Determinations and Duration

This memorandum provides guidance and clarification regarding individual income eligibility determinations and durations in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

02/10/2012
Resource | Guidance Documents Exclusion of Military Combat Pay

This supersedes the Jan. 7, 2010, version of the policy memo, Exclusion of Military Combat Pay. In addition to combat pay and other income received by deployed service members, this memorandum addresses Deployment Extension Incentive Pay.

09/15/2010
Resource | Guidance Documents Q&As on Extending Categorical Eligibility to Additional Children in a Household

This memorandum provides questions and answers relating to policy memorandum SP38 CACFP08 SFSP07-2009, Extending Categorical Eligibility to Additional Children in a Household, dated Aug. 27, 2009.

05/03/2010
Resource | Guidance Documents Categorical Eligibility: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

This is a reminder of the statutory and regulatory requirements for categorical eligibility for the Child Nutrition Programs based on receipt of benefits from each state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act restricts categorical eligibility to those TANF programs with standards that are comparable to or more restrictive than those in effect on June 1, 1995.

04/19/2010
Resource | Guidance Documents 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 | Guidance Documents Automatic Eligibility for Early Head Start Participants

This memorandum supplements the guidance issued on May 16, 2008, concerning automatic eligibility for free meals for any child who is enrolled in Head Start.

08/05/2008
Resource | Guidance Documents Automatic Eligibility for Free Meal Benefits Extended to All Children Enrolled in Head Start

This memorandum provides guidance regarding amendments to the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act  that extend automatic eligibility for free meal benefits, including free milk, to all children enrolled in Head Start and participating in child nutrition programs.

05/16/2008
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations The Pennsylvania SFSP Rural Area Eligibility Pilot Evaluation

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 authorized a pilot to operate in rural Pennsylvania during the summers of 2005 and 2006. The purpose was to test whether lowering the site eligibility threshold from 50 percent to 40 percent would increase the number of children participating in the program. 

02/28/2008
Resource | Policy Sharing Income Eligibility Information between Child Nutrition Programs

The purpose of this memo is to highlight previously issued guidance on the disclosure of eligibility information between child nutrition programs, and to offer clarification on the application of this policy.

 

02/15/2008
Page updated: June 02, 2026