The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) provides eligible families with a onetime payment for each child who previously received free or reduced-price meals. P-EBT works the same way Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits do and will help families get the food they need during the current pandemic. P-EBT will be administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas Education Agency.
P-EBT is a one-time benefit for families that have lost access to free or reduced-price meals because of closures related to COVID-19.
How will I get the P-EBT funds? Current SNAP recipients will have the funds loaded on to their current Lone Star Cards. Non- SNAP recipients will be mailed a Texas P-EBT card with the funds loaded on it.
The Texas P-EBT card is nontransferable. When will I get the P-EBT funds? Families who received SNAP benefits for the month of March 2020 and have children 5-18 years old as of May 17, 2020, will get funds by May 22. Other families will get P-EBT funds beginning in June.
Your application will be processed after HHSC receives the list of children getting free or reduced-price meals.
Who is eligible for P-EBT? PEBT is for children 5-18 years old who received SNAP food benefits for the month of March 2020 and children up to 21 years old who are certified for free or reducedprice meals at school in Texas during the 2019-20 school year.
Do I need to apply? Families who received SNAP benefits for the month of March 2020 and have children 5-18 years old as of May 17, 2020, do not need to apply for those children.
These families will receive P-EBT benefits on their current Lone Star Card by May 22.
Families with children up to 21 years old who are certified to receive free or reduced-price meals during the 2019-20 school year need to apply for P-EBT. (This includes families who received SNAP benefits for the month of March 2020 and have children under 5 and between 19 and 21.)
Your school district will send you a link to an online application by the first week of June.
Once HHSC receives the application and verifies your eligibility with the school list, you will receive a Texas P-EBT card in the mail that includes P-EBT funds.
For other information regarding the one time P-EBT funding disbursement you can check https://hhs.texas.gov/services/heal th/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus- covid-19-information-texans/ pandemic-ebt-p-ebt-duecovid- 19.