P-EBT Funding Applications Extended Through Aug. 31

By Benjamin Cox on August 13, 2020 at 9:03am

The Pritzker Administration and the Illinois Department of Human Services announced today an extension to the deadline for Illinois residents to apply for nutrition benefits to August 31st. Eligible Illinois residents can receive food benefits totaling $342 per eligible student. Approximately 390,000 eligible students across the State of Illinois have not yet applied for Illinois Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits for the upcoming school year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized and will fund the P-EBT program, which will bring food benefits to all school-aged children who are eligible for free or reduced meals at schools through the National School Lunch Program. The benefit is issued to all SNAP households with school-aged children.

The P-EBT program has already provided more than 730,000 children in Illinois with more than $246 million in additional nutrition benefits. Benefits are calculated using a $5.70 per day and per student calculation.

These benefits apply to households with school-aged children who were eligible for free or reduced meals from March 2020 through June 2020 when Illinois schools were operating remotely due to COVID-19. Those who did not receive SNAP benefits last spring are able to submit a simplified application for P-EBT benefits using the ABE.Illinois.gov online portal or by completing a paper application which is available at the IDHS website at dhs.state.il.us.