Section 9(b)(12)(A)(i) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act restricts categorical eligibility for free school meals based on SNAP participation to children who are members of a household receiving assistance under SNAP. Therefore, a child who is a member of a household that is receiving “zero benefits” from SNAP is not categorically eligible for free meals, unless the child is categorically eligible for another reason.
This is a reminder of the statutory and regulatory requirements for categorical eligibility for the Child Nutrition Programs based on receipt of benefits from each state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act restricts categorical eligibility to those TANF programs with standards that are comparable to or more restrictive than those in effect on June 1, 1995.
This memorandum modifies the policy related to categorical eligibility for free meals or free milk for children who are members of a household receiving assistance under SNAP, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations or the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program.
The purpose of this memorandum is to highlight some of the results of that study, and to re-issue guidance concerning what constitutes acceptable documentation of tier I eligibility for family day care homes.
The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify state agency procedures for direct verification, especially concerning the use of Medicaid data.
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance on the impact of these modifications on the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Effective July 1, 2004, school officials verifying income eligibility for free and reduced price meals must allow households to provide documentation of income for any point in time between the month prior to application and the time the household is required to provide income documentation.
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 specifies that households’ eligibility for free and reduced price meals shall remain in effect beginning on the date of eligibility for the current school year and ending on a date during the subsequent school year, as determined by the Secretary.
The memorandum explains the circumstances under which a state agency may use the automatic eligibility provisions for free school meals and milk for children from households who are receiving assistance under the state’s TANF Program. It also discusses TANF as it affects reimbursement and eligibility under the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program.