Minnesota families! There is a temporary food benefit program called P-EBT that is available to Minnesota families with children who would have received free or reduced-price meals if schools were open.

P-EBT stands for Pandemic-EBT and families with eligible children will receive a per month payment of up to $130 per child on a new or existing EBT card. 

To avoid delays in receiving benefits, be sure to apply for free or reduced-price school meals before Feb. 28, 2021.

Wondering if your child is eligible?

To be eligible, K-12 students must qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and their school must also meet certain requirements. Students qualify for free or reduced-price meals in one of three ways:

• Receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) or Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF) benefits
• Enrolled in a Community Eligibility Provision school
• Approved for free or reduced-price school meals through the Application for Education Benefits at the child’s school.

Benefits are calculated based on whether the school was in a distance or hybrid status for the majority of the month. So families will receive different benefit amounts. Benefits will also be retroactive to September 2020!

Here’s how the benefits break down:

• Students who spent the majority of the month in distance learning will receive $130 in P-EBT benefits for that month.
• Students who spent the majority of the month in hybrid learning will receive $75 in P-EBT benefits for that month.
• Students who spent the majority of the month doing in-person learning will not receive P-EBT benefits for that month. 

How to apply?

If you were not already approved for free or reduced-price meals for the 2020-2021 school year, apply for free or reduced-price school meals by asking your school for an Application for Educational Benefits and apply before February 28, 2021.

For more information: https://mn.gov/dhs/p-ebt/

For more food options for your family, view my guide “How to Get Free Food in Minnesota During COVID.”