FNS Documents & Resources

FNS is conducting additional demonstration projects to expand the evaluation of direct certification with Medicaid for both free and reduced price meal eligibility in NSLP and SBP.

Letter to states from the USDA Secretary to encourage you to help schools in your state keep kids fed despite ongoing challenges associated with the pandemic, ongoing supply chain issues, and labor shortages.

This webinar is for states who are currently using, or are interested in applying for, the USDA DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). We share tools and best practices to assist state agencies, SFSP sponsors, and SFSP sites in using their resources to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to SFSP participants during the summer months.  

The list contains the contact information for each state administering the unprocessed fruit and vegetable pilot, as well as the main USDA contacts.

The fiscal year 2018 Direct Certification Improvement Grant Request for Applications are available to state agencies that administer the National School Lunch and the School Breakfast programs to fund the costs of improving your direct certification rates with SNAP, and other needs-based assistance programs.

The revised policy memo requires supplemental reporting from processors and requires state verification of credits provided by the processor to the SFA. Processors wishing to continue participation in the pilot will have to sign the attached revised NPA amendment to extend their participation in the pilot.

FNS invites state agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program to apply to participate in demonstration projects that will evaluate the effectiveness of conducting direct certification with the Medicaid program.

The attached Q&As are issued in follow-up to Policy Memorandum SP 50-2013, Release of the new state agency Direct Certification Rate Data Element Report.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, as amended by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010  require that children living in households receiving assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program be directly certified for free school meals under the National School Lunch Program and/or the School Breakfast Program.

Appendix E: Direct Certification Grants Program Proposal Response Guidance. The purpose of the Direct Certification Grants Program Proposal Response Guidance is to increase the consistency and understanding of program planning prior to grant award.