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Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program Demonstration Projects to Evaluate Direct Certification with Medicaid

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.

11/09/2023
Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance USDA Secretary Vilsack Letter to States for SY 2022-23

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.

09/02/2022
Resource | Research | Assessing/Improving Operations USDA Direct Certification With Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals Demonstration, SY 2019-20

This report examines the impact of using Medicaid data to directly certify students for free and reduced-price school meals in the NSLP and SBP in fifteen states in school year 2019-20. It assesses outcomes related to certification, participation, federal reimbursement, and state administrative costs in SY 2019-20 and over the course of the demonstration.

03/16/2022
Resource | Research | Assessing/Improving Operations Evaluation of the Direct Certification with Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals Demonstration - Year 1

FNS conducted a study of the first two years of this demonstration to describe the implementation process and explore the effects on certification, participation, federal reimbursements, and state administrative costs. This report presents the findings from the first year of the demonstration evaluation, school year 2016–17.

08/30/2019
Resource | Research | Food Security Evaluation of Demonstration Projects to End Childhood Hunger (EDECH): Final Interim Evaluation Report

This study—authorized by the 2010 Child Nutrition Act—tests innovative strategies to end childhood hunger and food insecurity. 

02/08/2018
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2017-0049 2018 Direct Certification Improvement Grant RFA

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.

SP41-2017
08/15/2017
Resource | Research | Assessing/Improving Operations Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program Report to Congress: State Implementation Progress, SY 2014-15

This report responds to the requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Direct certification is a process conducted by the states and by local educational agencies to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household applications. 

12/02/2016
Resource | Research | Demonstrations Year 2 Demonstration Impacts of Using Medicaid Data to Directly Certify Students for Free School Meals

The Food and Nutrition Service conducted the Direct Certification with Medicaid (DC-M) demonstration that enables selected States and districts to use household income data from Medicaid files to directly certify students for free school meals. This report focuses on the experiences of States and districts conducting DC-M during School Year (SY) 2013-2014, the second year of the demonstration. It examines whether DC-M leads to changes in the percentage of students certified, the number of meals served, Federal reimbursements, and certification costs incurred by districts. It also assesses State-level administrative costs and identifies the challenges that States and districts face when implementing DC-M.

06/06/2016
Resource | Grants Direct Certification Improvement Grant Summaries

Grant Summaries

11/23/2015
Basic page 2015-16 Direct Certification Improvement Grant Summaries

Direct Certification Improvement Grant summaries for SBP projects awarded in 2015-16. 

10/09/2015
Page updated: October 14, 2021