Cherokee Nation
Good News! SUN Bucks is Available in Your Location
- Website: Summer EBT Program
- Hotline: 539-234-3265 or 800-256-0671 ext. 5275
- Email: wicsebtc@cherokee.org
Main Takeaway: On Nov. 4, 2020, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published the SNAP: Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) Integrity Final Rule, which is codified at 7 CFR 284.1. This rule requires FNS to treat P-EBT benefits the same as SNAP benefits for the purposes of identifying and sanctioning program violators.
P-EBT is part of the U.S. government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was established by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). P-EBT provides benefits – very similar to SNAP benefits -- to children that would have received free or reduced price school meals, if not for COVID-related school closures and/or COVID-related reductions in school hours or attendance. For most households, P-EBT benefits were loaded onto SNAP cards, so retailers will not notice any difference between P-EBT and SNAP benefits. For some households, P-EBT benefits were loaded onto new cards that do not look like SNAP cards, but work the same. Retailers must treat P-EBT benefits and households the same as SNAP benefits and households.
P-EBT households can use their benefits at SNAP-authorized retailers, to purchase eligible foods (i.e., the same foods that can be purchased with SNAP benefits).
What are the penalties for these violations? Per Section 284.1 of the SNAP regulations, P-EBT violations, and penalties for committing such violations, are the same as SNAP violations and penalties. You can review the SNAP retailer training materials here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer/training. Briefly, P-EBT violations include, but are not limited to: