Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Resource | Webinars/Videos Unpaid Meals: Best Practices to Ensure Student Access to Meals

A webinar for state agencies and local program operators sharing proactive strategies to prevent and manage unpaid meal charges as schools return to standard counting and claiming in SY 2022-23.

08/31/2022
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2017-0026 2017 Edition: Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge - Proven Strategies from Our Nation’s Schools

This is the 2017 Edition of Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge: Proven Strategies from Our Nation’s Schools. This best practice guide is designed to support state agencies and local program operators in their efforts to find workable solutions to the challenge of unpaid meal charges.

SP29-2017
05/10/2017
Resource | Webinars/Videos Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Charge Policy Requirement

No later than July 1, 2017, all school food authorities (SFAs) operating National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Program must have a written policy in place to address situations where children participating at the reduced price or paid rate do not have money to cover the cost of a meal at the time of the meal service. SFAs have discretion in developing the specifics of their policies, and FNS expects charge policies will vary based on local circumstances and available resources. This webinar provides an overview of the local charge policy requirement and shares best practices for successful policy development.

04/04/2017
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2016-0046 Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments

There has been confusion about how unpaid meal charges must be handled when all collection efforts have been exhausted. To help address these situations, this memorandum clarifies the processes of designating delinquent debt that has been determined to be uncollectable as bad debt and obtaining assistance to offset bad debt losses.

SP47-2016
07/13/2016
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2006-0042 U.S. Armed Forces Family Supplemental Subsistence Allowance – Permanently Excluded from Income Consideration for the Child Nutrition Programs

PL 109-163 made the Department of Defense’s Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance  permanently available.

SP30 CACFP14 SFSP07-2006
08/25/2006
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2005-0047 Treatment of Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance and National Flood Insurance Program payments in Income Eligibility Determinations for FNS Programs

This memorandum provides guidance to state administrators in making household eligibility determinations in all nutrition assistance programs administered by FNS.

SP02 CACFP02 SFSP01-2006
10/29/2005
Resource | Policy Memos Exclusion of the Housing Allowance for Military Households in Privatized Housing - Reauthorization 2004: Implementation Memo CN 1

In accordance with the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, the housing allowance for military personnel living in privatized housing will be permanently excluded from income when determining household eligibility for free and reduced price meals or free milk in all of the child nutrition programs.

Reauthorization 2004: Implementation Memo CN 1
07/01/2004
Page updated: October 14, 2021