Laws/Regulations

• Laws and Regulations for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Nondiscrimination Statements: USDA and CSDE (CSDE webpage)

Determining Eligibility

• Final Rule 72 FR 10885: Disclosure of Children's Free and Reduced Price Meals and Free Milk Eligibility Information in the Child Nutrition Programs
• USDA Regulations 7 CFR 245: Determining Eligibility for Free and Reduced Price Meals and Free Milk in Schools

USDA Policy Memos

Applications  |   Direct Certification  |   Eligibility  |   Household Income
Meal Charges  |   Outreach  |   Privacy  |   Reimbursement

Applications

• USDA Memo SP 18-2025: Guidance on Fees for Electronic Payment Services in the School Meal Programs
• USDA Memo SP 44-2014 Q&As Related to the Independent Review of Applications
• USDA Memo SP 12-2007, CACFP 09-2007, and SFSP 07-2007: Electronic Record and Reporting Systems
• USDA Memo SP 04-2007: Scanned Income Applications

Direct Certification

• USDA Memo SP 30-2019 Reminder: Requirements for Students Transferring from Provision to non-Provision Schools
• USDA Memo SP 51-2014: Eligibility Effective Date for Directly Certified Students
• USDA Memo SP 25-2010, CACFP 11-2010, and SFSP 10-2010: Questions and Answers on Extending Categorical Eligibility to Additional Children in a Household
• USDA Memo SP 09-2018 Reducing School Meal Certification Error through Improved Online Application Design
• USDA Memo SP 51-2016: Ensuring Year-long Eligibility in the School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs
• USDA Memo SP 43-2016 Ensuring Access to Free and Reduced Price School Meals for Low-Income Students
• USDA Memo SP 46-2015: Review of Special Provision Options 2 and 3 Base Year
• USDA Memo Guidance on Determining Categorical Eligibility for Free Lunches and Breakfasts for Youth Served under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act September 17, 2004
• USDA Memo Categorical Eligibility for Free Lunches and Breakfasts for Migrant Children (August 16, 2004)
• USDA Memo Updated Guidance for Homeless Children in the School Nutrition Programs (April 4, 2002)

Eligibility

• USDA Memo SP 36-2017, CACFP 15-2017, and SFSP 11-2017: 2017 Edition of the Eligibility Manual for School Meals
• USDA Memo SP 11-2014, CACFP 06-2014, and SFSP 11-2014: Effective Date of Free or Reduced Price Meal Eligibility Determinations
• USDA Memo SP 34-2008, CACFP 10-2008, SFSP 09-2008: Automatic Eligibility for Early Head Start Participants
• USDA Memo SP 37-2008: 30-Day Carryover and Delayed Implementation for Provision 2

Household Income

• USDA Memo SP 06-2010, CACFP 03-2010, and SFSP 04-2010: Revised Exclusion of Military Combat Pay
• USDA Memo SP 30-2006, CACFP 14-2006, and SFSP 07-2006: U.S. Armed Forces Family Supplemental Subsistence Allowance – Permanently Excluded from Income Consideration for the Child Nutrition Programs
• USDA Memo SP 02-2006, CACFP 02-2006. and SFSP 01-2006: Treatment of Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance and National Flood Insurance Program payments in Income Eligibility Determinations for FNS Programs

Meal Charges

• USDA Memo SP 17-2014: Discretionary Elimination of Reduced Price Charges in the School Meal Programs

Outreach

• USDA Memo SP 42-2014, SFSP 17-2014, CACFP 11-2014: Sharing Aggregate Data to Expand Program Access and Services in Child Nutrition Program

Privacy

• USDA Memo SP 45-2012: Preventing Overt Identification of Children Certified for Free or Reduced Price School Meals
• USDA Memo SP 19-2011, CACFP 09-2011, and SFSP 06-2011: Privacy Protection and the Use of Social Security Numbers in Child Nutrition Progra

Reimbursement

• USDA Memo SP 30-2014: Determining Eligibility for Two Cent Differential Reimbursement in New Schools