Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program

Mar 23

While schools were closed during COVID, the USDA Food and Nutrition Program (FNS) offered the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program (EBT), a federal food program where eligible children received temporary emergency nutrition benefits loaded on an EBT card to purchase food. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 made this program permanent for the summer, beginning in 2024. The Summer EBT will provide $120 per student to families that qualify for free and reduced-price lunch in states that opt in to the program.

On December 29, 2023, the FNS published program guidance for states. The sign-up deadline for summer 2024 was January 15, 2024 and thirty-five states submitted applications. The remaining states cited several reasons for not applying, including the following:

Some (such as Georgia and Nebraska) have their own summer food program.

Iowa estimated it would cost the state $2.2 million to run. During COVID the federal government covered the full costs of benefits and running the program, but now states have to split the administrative costs.
Since program guidance was finalized just days before the application deadline, some states, such as Texas, did not have time to review the rules and request state funding to run the program.
Vermont did not have time to update internal systems to run the program for summer 2024.