P-EBT Food Benefits

What are P-EBT food benefits?

The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) provides benefits to certain children who receive free or reduced-price school lunches under the National School Lunch Act. P-EBT is a temporary food benefit program operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. P-EBT only provides benefits for days that students lack access to an in-school lunch. P-EBT provides $6.82 per each school day that children are engaged in remote learning.

Who is eligible for P-EBT benefits?

All CPS students, regardless of income or citizenship status, are eligible for P-EBT.

How are P-EBT benefits issued? Do I need to apply?

If your child is already enrolled in free or reduced-price school meals AND your address is up-to-date in the school's system of record:

• Your family will get P-EBT automatically. Families do not need to complete a P-EBT Application. Each child will receive their own card.
• Cards will be mailed to families in March.

• Cards will arrive in an unmarked envelope so please be on the lookout.
• Families should hold onto their P-EBT card(s) because future benefits will be loaded onto the same card.

If a family doesn’t have an address they want to use:

• They can use the school’s address, but they must notify the school.
• Their P-EBT card will be mailed to the school where they can receive it.

When will P-EBT benefits be issued?

Benefits will be issued for August 2020 through June 2021 for the days that schools have been closed during the 2020-2021 school year.

• In March, families will receive a distribution for the months of August 2020 through December 2020.
• In April, families will receive a distribution for January 2021 through February.
• Beginning in May, families will receive a monthly benefit for the remainder of the school year.

Benefits will be issued between the 11th and the 22nd of each month going by the first letter of the student’s last name. Students’ benefits will be issued on the same day in subsequent months so your family can plan your food budget.

I received P-EBT benefits for my child, but I do not need nor want them. What do I do?

If you do not want to use the P-EBT benefits your child is eligible for, you have two options:

• Simply do not use the benefits. Benefits will remain available to you for 1 year. If you do not use the benefits, they will be removed from your card after a year.
• You can request that the benefits be removed from your account right away. You can authorize this verbally on the phone (1-833-621-0737). Once benefits are removed, they will not be reissued if your circumstances change.

For more information, view additional FAQs, or call the Healthy CPS Hotline at 773-553-KIDS (5437).