National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program Demonstration Projects to Evaluate Direct Certification with Medicaid

Direct Certification with Medicaid - Request for Applications

USDA is committed to expanding direct certification to automatically enroll more students for school meals via additional demonstration projects to expand the evaluation of direct certification with Medicaid (DC-M). USDA has released another Request for Applications to Participate in Demonstration Projects to Evaluate the Direct Certification with Medicaid.  

Authority

Under the pilot project authority in Section 18(c) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA), 42 USC 1769(c), the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will conduct additional demonstration projects to expand the evaluation of direct certification with Medicaid (DC-M) for both free and reduced price (f/rp) meal eligibility in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). DC-M is the use of Medicaid data files to identify children eligible to receive meals through the NSLP and SBP at free or reduced price without need of application.

Scope of Demonstration Projects

State agencies that administer the NSLP and SBP may apply to participate in the demonstration project to conduct direct certification with Medicaid for both free and reduced price school meals for local education agencies (LEAs) statewide. States that are participating in the free only meal demonstration projects but are interested in conducting direct certification for both free and reduced price meal eligibility in all LEAs may also apply.

In these demonstration projects, direct certification using Medicaid data is limited to children who are members of households with income that does not exceed the following NSLP income standards:

• Free school meal eligibility, 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for the family size used by Medicaid; and
• Reduced price school meal eligibility, 185 percent of the FPL for the family size used by Medicaid.

Due Dates

State agencies that administer the NSLP and SBP are invited to apply to participate in these demonstration projects to evaluate DC-M. FNS recognizes the challenges and time needed to establish data-sharing agreements and implement system changes so that data matching can begin. This Request for Applications (RFA) provides state agencies time to accomplish those requirements:

• Applications for demonstration projects beginning on July 1, 2024 for SY 2024-25 are due as soon as possible, but will not be accepted after Jan. 15, 2024.
• Applications for demonstration projects beginning SY 2025-26 may also be submitted at this time for early selection.

Application Package

• Direct Certification Medicaid Demonstration Project Request For Applications
• Appendix A - Application Template
• Appendix B - Letters of Commitment Templates

CMCS Informational Bulletin

• USDA Demonstration Project to Evaluate Using Medicaid Eligibility Data to Directly Certify Children for Free and Reduced Price School Meals

Fourth Round of Direct Certification with Medicaid States Selected

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service announced 12 new states approved to participate in the Direct Certification with Medicaid Demonstration Projects for school year (SY) 2023-24: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming. In addition, Pennsylvania has been approved for SY 2023-24 to expand their demonstration project to include reduced price meals. The addition of these states increases access for low-income children while reducing administrative burden for schools and parents/guardians, as well as improving program integrity. The total number of states participating in the demonstration projects will now be 38 as indicated in the table below.

Direct Certification with Medicaid Reports

• USDA Direct Certification With Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals Demonstration, SY 2019-20
• Evaluation of the Direct Certification with Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals Demonstrations, Year 2, SY 2017-18
• Evaluation of the Direct Certification with Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals Demonstration - Year 1, SY 2016-17
• Evaluation of Demonstrations of Direct Certification of Children Receiving Medicaid Benefits for Free School Meals: Year 1 SY 2012-13