Alabama families with children enrolled in the National School Lunch Program should expect to receive Pandemic EBT funds later this summer.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources announced plans in March to issue Summer Pandemic EBT benefits to an estimated 530,000 children who receive free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program.
Officials originally said the 2023 program was expected to roll out in mid-to late summer. A DHR spokesman said Thursday that the department has tentative plans to issue the benefits in late summer.
Last year, Summer EBT payments were issued at the end of August.
Qualifying households will get $120 for each participating student. To receive payments, families must have applied to the National School Lunch program by May 16.
The P-EBT program was started by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the beginning of the pandemic to provide payments for eligible children who didn’t receive school lunches because of virtual or hybrid learning.
Students who receive free and reduced-price meals or whose schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision are eligible for P-EBT, as well as children under the age of 6 who are enrolled in SNAP.
Alabama families with SNAP-enrolled children under 6 years old should have already received monthly payments for the following periods:
- September through November 2022: $19 per month, per child
- December 2022 through January 2023: $28.87 per month, per child
- February through April 2023: $28 per month, per child
The department expects to issue benefits for May 1-11 soon. Those payments will be $13 per month per child.
A pandemic boost to food stamp benefits ended this spring. It is unclear when the P-EBT program will end.
