Eligibility

Are your Children Eligible?

P-EBT eligibility is based on:

1. The child’s enrollment in a school that participates in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) in School Year (SY) 2021 – 2022,
2. The school was closed or operating with reduced hours for at least 5 consecutive days during SY 2021 – 2022 due to COVID-19, and
3. The child was learning remotely for part or all of SY 2021 – 2022 school year due to a COVID-19 related absence. 
4. Students are eligible to receive free or reduced-priced school meals. 

Most CT schools offered meals at no cost to all students for SY 2021-22, due to the public health emergency. However, P-EBT eligibility is determined using: A school meals application approved for free or reduced-priced meals on file with the student's school prior to September 1, 2022; Direct certification for free or reduced-priced school meals through receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Family Assistance (TFA), or HUSKY A (< 185% FPL) with DSS; Direct certification for free school meals through determination as foster, homeless, runaway, and some Head Start; or, Enrollment in a school participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).

Helpful Hints:

• There are other federal nutrition programs that a student may have received breakfast and lunch through in SY 2021-22 the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or privately funded breakfast and lunch meals served at school; however, the P-EBT eligibility is strictly tied to the loss of access to the USDA’s NSLP and SBP.
• Many Pre-K, Head Start, and childcare programs provide breakfast and lunch through CACFP – even those programs that may be located within a school building that is providing NSLP and SBP to full day and/or older children. The loss of access to meals through CACFP does not confer eligibility for P-EBT. 

If your child was not eligible for remote learning due to a COVID-19 related absence, as reported by the school to the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), they will not receive P-EBT benefits for the SY 2021–22.

Will everyone who received P-EBT benefits in previous years also receive benefits for the 2021 – 2022 school year?

No. The following groups are no longer eligible for P-EBT benefits: 

• Students who were no longer eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals in SY 2021 – 2022.
• Students who received P-EBT benefits in the summer of 2021 but have since graduated from High School.
• Students who received P-EBT benefits in the summer of 2021 but have since moved out of the state and are not attending a school in Connecticut.
• Students who are learning in person at their school for the entire school year.
• Students who were absent from school for reasons not related to COVID-19.

How Much Will My Child Receive?

The amount of benefits a student is eligible to receive depends on the learning model the student was in each month and can differ from student to student.

Monthly Benefits are broken into 3 categories based on COVID-19 related attendance data as reported from schools to the CSDE:

Fully Remote: $127.80

• Students who were eligible for remote learning for the entire month due to COVID-19 

Mostly Remote: $71.00

• Students who were eligible for remote learning for greater than five (5) school days due to COVID-19, but not for the entire month.

Hybrid: $21.30

• Students who were eligible for remote learning for less than or equal to five (5) school days due to COVID-19 

Follow this link for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.