Authority for Sponsors to Combine Claims for Reimbursement

This memorandum is intended to extend section 225.9(d)(3) of the regulations which requires sponsors that operate the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) for less than 10 days in their final month of operations to consolidate those days with the immediate prior months’ claim for reimbursement.

In an effort to streamline program operations and reduce paperwork for state agencies, and to provide sponsors with additional flexibility, sponsors will be permitted to consolidate the claim for reimbursement in the following ways. Sponsors will be permitted to combine claims:

• for 10 operating days or less in their initial month of operations with the claim for the subsequent month;
• for 10 operating days or less in their final month of operations with the claim for the preceding month; or
• for 3 consecutive months, as long as this combined claim only includes 10 operating days or less from each of the first and last months’ of program operations.

However, the consolidation policy discussed above does not permit a sponsor to claim meal reimbursements on one claim that crosses fiscal years, (a single claim for each fiscal year must be submitted). In addition, states must ensure that the correct reimbursement rates are applied for meals claimed for months when different reimbursement rates are in effect.

Finally, we must emphasize that this memorandum simply allows the state agency the authority to offer sponsors that meet the above criteria to submit a single claim for reimbursement, if they choose.

STANLEY C. GARNETT
Director
Child Nutrition Division