Virginia is issuing P-EBT benefits for 2021-22 school year but eligibility requirements changed

Courtesy of WoodleyWonderWorks (CC2.0)

Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) began issuing retroactive Pandemic EBT benefits on May 25.

This cycle of benefits is being offered for eligible absences during the months of September - October 2021.

Then, on June 14, benefits will be offered for November 2021- January 2022. Benefits for February – May 2022 will come on June 25. And on July 25, recipients will receive benefits for June 2022, the DSS website shows.

The amount of benefits will be based on the number of days that a student was absent from school. The standard benefit is as follows:

For 1 to 5 days absent: $21.30

For 6 to 15 days absent: $71

For 16 to 30 days absent: 127.80

Eligibility changes

Eligibility requirements for P-EBT benefits for the 2021 -2022 school year have changed and “the receipt of benefits for past school years does not guarantee eligibility for this school year,” DSS said.

Benefits are only being offered for specific COVID-related absences, and DSS said fewer households will receive them because most students attended school in person and have access to school meals at no cost.

To get the P-EBT benefits for the 2021-2022 school year, both the school and the student must meet certain eligibility criteria.

A school is eligible if it was closed or operating at reduced hours for five (5) consecutive days because of a COVID-related issue and the school participates in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program, DSS explains.

A student is eligible if all three of the following are true :

1) The child’s school meets the criteria above.

2) The child qualifies for free and reduced-price school meals.

3) The student was absent from school because of a documented COVID-19-related issue.

Under the revised eligibility requirements, DSS said a student is not eligible for P-EBT if :

• The student is attending school in person (They are receiving meals at school so therefore are not eligible for P-EBT) .
• They are enrolled in Virtual Virginia or another virtual instruction program for 100% of their instruction. Virtual schools are not eligible for the National School Lunch Program, and therefore students are not eligible for P-EBT.

If you need to know whether your child’s school meets the criteria, DSS has created a searchable list that’s available here. Be aware that DSS said that some schools that are not on the list may become eligible and be added later. Families are encouraged to continue checking back through July 18.

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