On May 12, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue announced that Ohio was approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT). Administered by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the P-EBT program provides additional monetary assistance to households with children eligible for free or reduced-price meals, as a result of ordered school closure. Please share Ohio’s P-EBT flyer with households of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
If you have a child in kindergarten through twelfth grade in your household who was receiving free or reduced meals while in school, your child is eligible for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 9SNAP) benefits as a result of school closure.
What are the benefits the child will receive?
The amount of benefits is $5.70 per child for each school day the child was eligible for free or reduced-price meals between March 17, 2020 through May 29, 2020.
Do I have to accept the card and use it?
» No, your participation in the program is voluntary.
» If you choose not to participate, please dispose of your card by cutting through the magnetic stripe on the card and discard the card in a secure manner.
» If you do not want the card, you will not be able to redeem the food benefits, nor can you transfer the card to someone else.
How can I use these benefits?
These benefits can be used to buy food items at grocery stores/retailers that accept the Ohio Direction Card (also referred to as an EBT card).
If the child is a current SNAP recipient:
» By the end of May, the P-EBT benefits may be added to the account on which the child is active.
» If the child was unable to be matched to his or her active SNAP account, you will be sent a P-EBT card in the child’s name.
If the child is not a current SNAP recipient:
» By mid-June you should receive a preloaded P-EBT card in the mail. The card will be in the child’s name, not the parent or guardian’s name. Instructions on how to activate the card will be included.
If you have any questions, please contact 1-866-244-0071