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.
This communication is intended to provide states with information about a change in the FNS accounting process for obligating SNAP funds.
This is a new collection for the contract Assessment of Mobile Technologies for Using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits (Mobile Payment Pilot evaluation). The purpose of the Mobile Payment Pilot evaluation is to assess the effects of five pilot projects that will allow SNAP participants to use mobile payments to purchase food as an alternate option to a physical electronic benefit transfer card.
On Jan. 30, 2023, the administration announced the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on May 11, 2023. This action has significant implications for the administration of P-EBT activities for fiscal year 2023 and 2024. This letter is intended to outline those impacts and identify ways in which FNS intends to assist state partners with the issuance of final P-EBT benefits and the orderly conclusion of the P-EBT activities.
Electronic Benefits Transfer is an electronic system that allows a SNAP participant to pay for food using SNAP benefits. When a participant shops at a SNAP authorized retail store, their SNAP EBT account is debited to reimburse the store for food that was purchased. EBT is in use in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.
The Agricultural Act of 2018 authorizes the use of mobile technologies for the purpose of accessing SNAP benefits for payment at the point-of-sale. This will allow SNAP participants to input their Electronic Benefit Transfer card into a mobile device and make SNAP purchases at the point-of-sale without the presence of the EBT card.
The FNS State Systems team has produced a series of training presentations designed to help state agencies understand and comply with the FNS approval process. These eight on-line presentations correspond to FNS Handbook 901, with information on the key documents or phases in the process.
This memorandum provides a reminder to state agencies that under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, all eligible households must have the opportunity to participate in SNAP within 30 days of application or seven days if they are entitled to expedited service.
FNS is updating its guidance to states on P-EBT eligibility for children who enrolled in non-NSLP-participating fully virtual institutions or began homeschooling since the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency.