The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services and Louisiana Department of Education have received approval from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to distribute a third round of Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits to eligible students.
P-EBT benefits will start rolling out between April and May to qualifying households with children in grades K-12 (including pre-K students in public and some private schools).
Students are eligible to receive P-EBT if they would normally receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, BUT haven’t been receiving those meals during the 2021-22 school year because they are on a fully virtual schedule or missed days of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Louisiana distributed more than $811.4 million in P-EBT benefits to almost 1 million students and children during the second round of P-EBT. Those benefits covered meals missed during the 2020-21 school year due to school closures, summer closures, and closures of childcare centers.
There is no P-EBT application process for parents.
Schools will report to DCFS which students meet the criteria for eligibility. Benefits are being calculated differently this year. Students are eligible if they are on an approved fully virtual learning schedule or missed days of school due to COVID-19, according to the school or district COVID-19 protocol. DCFS will then issue P-EBT benefits on a Louisiana Purchase EBT card to each eligible student at the mailing address provided by their school.
Students who are on an approved fully virtual learning schedule would be eligible for $127.80 per eligible month. Students who missed days of school could receive between $21.30 and $127.80 per month depending on the number of approved absences due to COVID-19.
