Governor Greg Gianforte joined Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Charlie Brereton today to announce the state is issuing $12.5 million in Summer Pandemic Electronic Transfer (Summer P-EBT) benefits to 32,000 children ages 0-17 next week.
“With prices rising and inflation at a 41-year high, it’s more difficult for Montanans to put gas in their cars and trucks and put food on the table,” Gov. Gianforte said. “This timely funding will provide a boost for hardworking families as the school year kicks off.”
Beginning on September 14, eligible Montana families will receive a one-time benefit of $391 per eligible child.
“We’re excited to announce thousands of Montana families will benefit from our tailored Summer P-EBT program,” DPHHS Director Brereton said. “We committed to collaborating with our federal partners to find a P-EBT solution that works for Montana, and we did so.”
DPHHS worked closely with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to make it practical for DPHHS to offer Summer P-EBT.
“We appreciate Montana’s commitment to Summer P-EBT to ensure children have access to nutritious foods year-round, not just when school is in session,” said Mountain Plains Regional Administrator Cheryl Kennedy of USDA’s FNS. “The program has great reach, including to rural areas, improving nutrition security and helping kids to eat healthier foods at a time when families need extra support to bear increased food costs.”
Families with children under age six receiving SNAP benefits and school-aged children who received Free and Reduced Price Meals under the National School Lunch Program will automatically be eligible for Summer P-EBT. This includes school children who attended a school that qualified for reduced price meals under the Community Eligibility Provision for the 2021-2022 school year.
For children under age six receiving SNAP benefits, P-EBT payments will be made to families on their existing EBT card. Newly eligible families will receive in the mail a new EBT card with the P-EBT funds.
Newly enrolled children in the National School Lunch Program will also be eligible as long as they applied by August 29. In addition, children under age six who received SNAP benefits during the summer months are also eligible for Summer P-EBT.
DPHHS requested school districts provide data of children eligible to receive Summer P-EBT by June 30. Any school district that has yet to submit their list of students can still do so by September 22. To receive the benefit, the school that the student attends must provide DPHHS with the relevant information.
For any schools that missed the first deadline, a second Summer P-EBT issuance will be distributed in early November. Schools who have already responded can be found on the School Participation in Summer P-EBT list.
P-EBT was established in 2020 to ensure access to the equivalent of school meals for those who were eligible and lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to COVID-19 school closures. From March 2020 to August 2022, DPHHS issued more than $69 million in P-EBT benefits.
Montanans with questions are encouraged to call 1-888-706-1535 or email [email protected].
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