FNS Documents & Resources

USDA is committed to providing nutrition assistance to hard-hit families across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. In support of President Biden’s call to action on hunger, USDA announced that it is increasing the Pandemic EBT benefit by approximately 15 percent, providing more money for low-income families and millions of children missing meals due to school and child care closures.

In response to the President’s Executive Order on Economic Relief Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic issued on Jan. 22, 2021, which directed all federal agencies to consider administrative actions to better address the current economic crisis resulting from the pandemic, USDA reviewed and updated the SNAP EA guidance.

In an effort to make the distribution of P-EBT benefits to eligible children as efficient as possible, USDA has developed a simple P-EBT summer plan template. The template allows states to elect a USDA-determined standard benefit that relieves states of the burden of determining their own benefit levels based on state-specific school district calendars.

The Q&A describes the temporary increase to the maximum monthly allotments and exclusion of pandemic unemployment compensation payments from SNAP income. 

The attached set of questions and answers addresses inquiries received regarding the SNAP LDP, authorized by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill.

The Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) is a demonstration project that seeks to increase participation among the elderly low-income population by streamlining the application and certification process.

FNS is issuing the attached set of questions and answers to address inquiries received about the implementation of QC related provisions in the continuing resolution (PL 116-159) signed into law on Oct. 1, 2020.

The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (PL 116-159) extends Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) through the end of September 2021. That means that P-EBT is now available for all of school year 2020-2021.

FNS published the SNAP: P-EBT Integrity Final Rule which requires FNS to treat P-EBT benefits the same as SNAP benefits for the purposes of identifying and sanctioning program violators.