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.

Washington, DC, Aug. 31, 2017 – USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is actively working with officials in Texas and Louisiana to ensure that people impacted by Hurricane Harvey have access to food now and after emergency operations are completed.

“In this time of crisis, with many grocery stores closed and other sources of food unavailable, USDA is committed to ensuring that our fellow Americans get the vital nutrition they need and is streamlining procedures to make that happen,” said Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “President Trump made it clear to his cabinet that helping people is the first priority, and that process and paperwork can wait until later. USDA is already doing the work to help people in need today.”

FNS is working with officials in the affected region to help feed displaced and affected residents. The agency has granted several waivers in Texas allowing schools in the National School Lunch Program to provide free meals. It has also provided more flexibility to schools in what they can feed kids, given the challenges of preparing specific foods during this period.

“FNS works every day to ensure Americans have access to food, but it is during events like this that we have to be nimble,” said FNS Administrator Brandon Lipps. “Our job is to make it as easy as possible for our programs to be administered in a way that ensures no one affected by this disaster goes hungry.”

Steps already taken by USDA in Texas include:

• Approving a request by Texas officials to waive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program regulations to allow program participants to buy hot foods and hot ready-to-eat foods with their benefits. FNS has notified authorized SNAP retailers in Texas of this waiver, which will be in effect through September 30.
• Supporting the state in its plans to shift the full SNAP issuance schedule for September to the first of the month so that families have access to their monthly benefits sooner during this time of immediate crisis.
• Allowing all schools in declared disaster counties to waive the National School Lunch Program meal pattern and meal service time requirements. This will allow schools to serve meals that do not meet the menu planning or meal pattern requirements for schools and child care institutions and facilities in the affected areas through September 30.
• Allowing all disaster affected schools to provide meals to all students at no charge and be reimbursed at the free reimbursement rate through September 30.
• Providing the state the flexibility needed to allow seniors who participate in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program in the service areas impacted by the hurricane to receive two food packages in September to make up for the loss of their August food benefit.
• Approving Texas to designate schools not directly impacted by the Hurricane to serve as disaster organizations and shelters so that USDA foods can be used for congregate feeding, providing critical food assistance to those in need. USDA Foods include a variety of canned, fresh, frozen and dry products which include fruits, vegetables, meats, and whole grains.

Details of waivers can be found here. FNS is concurrently providing technical assistance to Louisiana and offering support as needed.

The FNS response efforts go beyond these programs. The FNS WIC program has policies in place to allow the state flexibility in program design and administration to support continuation of benefits to participants during times of natural disasters. With a number of WIC clinics damaged or closed during the hurricane, FNS held a conference call with Texas WIC State agency to provide this information and offer any other technical assistance needed to ensure WIC participants received help in obtaining food.

Although USDA food has not been requested as yet, FNS has coordinated with the Texas State Department of Agriculture to provide food deliveries to voluntary organizations as needed. FNS has determined the available USDA food supplies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas in anticipation of requests by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide food deliveries.

FNS is also ready to support the state for other SNAP waivers that may be needed to support recipients who have lost food due to the disaster and to simplify the application process for affected households, as well as waivers covering Child and Adult Care Food Program sites and schools used as shelters.

In addition, FNS will provide infant formula and food to infants and children housed in disaster congregate shelters if requested. FNS can typically fulfill a request for these items 24-48 hours after receiving a request from the state or the FEMA.

In the coming weeks, at the state‘s request, FNS also stands at the ready to offer continuing food assistance through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) – after commercial channels of food distribution have been restored and families are able to prepare food at home, Perdue emphasized.

To simplify program administration in disaster conditions, the D-SNAP application and eligibility process is shortened and streamlined. In times when D-SNAP becomes necessary, low-income households not normally eligible under regular program rules may qualify for D-SNAP if they meet the disaster income limits, which are slightly higher, and have qualifying disaster-related expenses such as loss of income, damage to property, and relocation expenses. Additionally, ongoing SNAP clients may also receive disaster assistance in the form of a supplement, when their benefits are less than the monthly maximum, to help replace food destroyed in the disaster.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which together comprise America's nutrition safety net. For more information on FNS assistance during times of disaster, visit www.fns.usda.gov.