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Verification of Income Eligibility – Reauthorization 2004 Implementation

EO Guidance Document #
FNS-GD-2004-0031
FNS Document #
SP5-2004
Resource type
Policy Memos
Resource Materials
PDF Icon Policy Memo (69.92 KB)
DATE: August 25, 2004
MEMO CODE: SP 5-2004
SUBJECT: Verification of Income Eligibility – Reauthorization 2004 Implementation Memo
TO: Special Nutrition Programs
All Regions
State Agencies
Child Nutrition Programs
All States

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. Although not addressed in the statute, this provision is in response to guidance by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to the Secretary during deliberations on the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.

The “Eligibility Guidance for School Meals Manual” currently specifies that households selected for verification must document their income information for the most recent month available. That provision in the guidance is now superseded.

This provision is intended to support the concurrent statutory change that provides for full school year eligibility once an initial determination is made. We will update the “Eligibility Guidance for School Meals Manual” to reflect this change.

STANLEY C. GARNETT
Director
Child Nutrition Division

Page updated: December 16, 2021

The contents of this guidance document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. This document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.