The federal government plans to issue Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to eligible schools and students beginning in early spring, following President Joe Biden’s executive order last week boosting those benefits by 15%.

Through P-EBT, eligible students receive temporary emergency nutrition benefits loaded on EBT cards used to purchase food. For the 2020-21 school year, P-EBT benefits will be available to families whose children attend an eligible school that has reduced its in-person instruction days.

Officials at Pittsburgh nonprofit Just Harvest said they’ve received daily requests from parents since the pandemic began, seeking help in feeding children forced to go without school meals due to virtual instruction.

“We have hope that the new federal administration will provide more flexibility to states and make it easier for Pennsylvania to administer this benefit,” said Ann Sanders, a policy advocate with Just Harvest. “But, Pennsylvania will still need cooperation from schools in order to get the information needed to properly issue benefits to school-aged students, and the USDA will still have to approve the state’s distribution plan.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is asking schools to encourage families to:

• Ensure their school has their child’s current address

• Apply for free or reduced-price school meals if their child is not already enrolled. Families can apply at Compass.state.pa.us.

The program was established in March 2020 under the federal CARES Act to help families whose children were missing free or reduced-price school meals due to virtual instruction. In December, Congress extended the program through September 2021, and allowed for expansion to children under age 6.

The benefits will be retroactive to the beginning of the 2020-21 school year.

The U.S. Department of Human Services will provide a more definitive timeline for issuing the benefits once the U.S. Department of Agriculture approves Pennsylvania’s state plan. Participation in the P-EBT program will not have any effect on families who already participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

More information about the program is available at DHS.pa.gov.

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