Contact: 
Kim Betton
(470) 370-2395
Kim.Betton@usda.gov
 

ATLANTA, GA, Jan. 12, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service Southeast Region announced today Georgia and Tennessee are two of 14 states that have been selected to participate in the expansion of a demonstration project to evaluate the impact of using Medicaid eligibility data to directly certify students from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals.

Historically, most students who receive these meals have been certified based on information they submit in an application. Adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can ‘directly certify’ a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify.

“Direct certification decreases errors in school meal program administration and helps ensure children in need receive healthy meals at school,” said USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, Southeast Region Administrator Mr. Willie C. Taylor. “With direct certification, the administrative burden on schools is reduced and the application process for families is simplified – additionally, it is key to also note that we are dedicated to improved program integrity.”

The remaining 12 states selected to participate in this round of the project are: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. The newest round of this demonstration creates an important opportunity to further test the impact of Medicaid Direct Certification, which was first initiated through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

The Biden Administration is committed to expanding direct certification opportunities and certifying more eligible children for free and reduced-price meals without an application. For more information, visit the FNS webpage on Direct Certification.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) leverages its 15 nutrition assistance programs to ensure that children, low-income individuals, and families have opportunities for a better future through equitable access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food, while building a more resilient food system. Under the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack, FNS is fighting to end food and nutrition insecurity for all through programs such as SNAP, school meals, and WIC. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Contact:
Western Region Public Affairs
(415) 705-1311
fns-wro-pao@usda.gov

San Francisco, CA Jan.12, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service Western Regional Office (WRO) announced today Oregon is one of fourteen states that have been selected to participate in the expansion of a demonstration project to evaluate the impact of using Medicaid eligibility data to directly certify students from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals.

Historically, most students who receive these meals have been certified based on information they submit in an application. Adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can ‘directly certify’ a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify.

“Direct certification decreases errors in school meal program administration and helps ensure children in need receive healthy meals at school,” said USDA FNS WRO Regional Administrator Mr. Jesus Mendoza, Jr. “With direct certification, the administrative burden on schools is reduced and the application process for families is simplified – additionally, it is key to also note that we are dedicated to improved program integrity.”

The remaining 13 states selected to participate in this round of the project are: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming. The newest round of this demonstration creates an important opportunity to further test the impact of Medicaid Direct Certification, which was first initiated through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

The Biden Administration is committed to expanding direct certification opportunities and certifying more eligible children for free and reduced-price meals without an application. For more information, visit the FNS webpage on Direct Certification.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) leverages its 15 nutrition assistance programs to ensure that children, low-income individuals, and families have opportunities for a better future through equitable access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food, while building a more resilient food system. Under the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack, FNS is fighting to end food and nutrition insecurity for all through programs such as SNAP, school meals, and WIC. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Contact:
FNS Mid-Atlantic Region Office of Regional Communications and Partnerships
Sm.fn.ma-pa@usda.gov

HARRISBURG, PA, Jan. 12, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service Mid-Atlantic Region announced today that Pennsylvania is one of 14 states that have been selected to participate in the expansion of a demonstration project to evaluate the impact of using Medicaid eligibility data to directly certify students from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals.

Historically, most students who receive these meals have been certified based on information they submit in an application. Adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can “directly certify” a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify.

“Direct certification decreases errors in school meal program administration and helps ensure children in need receive healthy meals at school,” said FNS Mid-Atlantic Region Administrator Dr. Patty Bennett. “With direct certification, the administrative burden on schools is reduced and the application process for families is simplified, thereby improving the integrity of this important nutrition program.

The remaining 13 states selected to participate in this round of the project are: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming. The newest round of this demonstration creates an important opportunity to further test the impact of Medicaid Direct Certification, which was first initiated through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

The Biden Administration is committed to expanding direct certification opportunities and certifying more eligible children for free and reduced-price meals without an application. For more information, visit the FNS webpage on Direct Certification.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) leverages its 15 nutrition assistance programs to ensure that children, low-income individuals, and families have opportunities for a better future through equitable access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food, while building a more resilient food system. Under the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack, FNS is fighting to end food and nutrition insecurity for all through programs such as SNAP, school meals, and WIC. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Contact:
FNS Mid-Atlantic Region Office of Regional Communications and Partnerships
Sm.fn.ma-pa@usda.gov

DOVER, DE, Jan. 12, 2023 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service Mid-Atlantic Region announced today that Delaware is one of 14 states that have been selected to participate in the expansion of a demonstration project to evaluate the impact of using Medicaid eligibility data to directly certify students from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals.

Historically, most students who receive these meals have been certified based on information they submit in an application. Adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can “directly certify” a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify.

“Direct certification decreases errors in school meal program administration and helps ensure children in need receive healthy meals at school,” said FNS Mid-Atlantic Region Administrator Dr. Patty Bennett. “With direct certification, the administrative burden on schools is reduced and the application process for families is simplified, thereby improving the integrity of this important nutrition program.”

The remaining 13 states selected to participate in this round of the project are: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming. The newest round of this demonstration creates an important opportunity to further test the impact of Medicaid Direct Certification, which was first initiated through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

The Biden Administration is committed to expanding direct certification opportunities and certifying more eligible children for free and reduced-price meals without an application. For more information, visit the FNS webpage on Direct Certification.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) leverages its 15 nutrition assistance programs to ensure that children, low-income individuals, and families have opportunities for a better future through equitable access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food, while building a more resilient food system. Under the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack, FNS is fighting to end food and nutrition insecurity for all through programs such as SNAP, school meals, and WIC. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Did you know there’s a way for children in Medicaid households to be automatically eligible for free and reduced price school meals without their families completing another application? It’s called the Direct Certification with Medicaid Demonstration Project and USDA recently opened applications for more states to participate.

Currently, 38 states participate in the demonstration project, which represents 91% of the nation’s K-12 students. In school year 2019-20, these demonstration projects allowed states to directly certify more than 1.4 million students for free and reduced price meals based on Medicaid data.

New states will have the opportunity to start this project in school years 2024-25, 2025-26, or 2026-27. USDA will consider applications received through Nov. 30, 2025.

Automatic eligibility is a win-win for students, families, and school officials because it provides benefits such as:

• Lower food costs for families,
• Lower school meal debt,
• Higher student participation in school breakfast and lunch programs, and
• Less time and administrative burden for hardworking school nutrition staff.

Arizona, for example, began participating in the Direct Certification with Medicaid Demonstration Project this school year (2023-24) and is experiencing positive results from it. According to Tom Horne, the state’s superintendent of public instruction with the Department of Education, the pilot has already benefited thousands of additional Arizona students who now can receive breakfasts and lunches free of charge each school day, and their families no longer need to fill out an application.

Direct Certification with Medicaid will also give more kids access to USDA’s new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, also known as Summer EBT, which will launch in summer 2024. Households with students who are automatically eligible for free school meals will also be automatically eligible to receive $40 per summer month (per child) in grocery benefits if they live in states, territories, and Tribal Nations that participate in Summer EBT.

Children are also automatically eligible for free and reduced-price school meals – and Summer EBT benefits – if they live in households that participate in other income-based federal assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.

More information about the Direct Certification for Medicaid Demonstration Project is available on the FNS website.