New York State Summer EBT Food Benefits: Who Qualifies?

New York State Summer EBT Food Benefits: Who Qualifies and How to Redeem Them?

School is out for the summer, but hungry stomachs aren’t taking a vacation. Starting this month, New York State is offering eligible families food benefits through the new Electronic Summer Benefit Transfer (EBT) program to help alleviate grocery bills when schools are closed and children do not have immediate access to free school meals. Benefits can be used to purchase food at grocery stores, farmers markets and other SNAP-authorized retailers, which can be found here.

Each eligible child will receive $120 in Summer EBT food benefits for 2024. Eligibility for these benefits is based on household income. You can check to see if your household meets the income requirements hereStudents who do not automatically qualify may be able to receive Summer EBT food benefits by completing an application onlinewhich must be submitted no later than September 3, 2024.

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Most households do not need to apply for Summer EBT food benefits because the child is already eligible and will automatically receive benefits. A child may automatically qualify for Summer EBT food benefits if they receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or Temporary Assistance (cash) benefits, or are directly certified for free meals through Medicaid, in addition to being deemed eligible by the school based on family income.

The Summer EBT food benefits will be distributed from mid-July through October 2024. Automatically eligible elementary and middle school students who attend public schools will receive the benefits first, followed by students who attend private, religious, or independent schools, and lastly, students who have applied for admission online.

If your child received food benefits on a Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) card in the past year and automatically qualifies for Summer EBT benefits, the funds will be issued to that card. Otherwise, a new EBT card will be issued to each eligible child. Families who automatically qualify will receive a letter this summer further explaining how to receive these benefits. Some families may also receive a text message from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance when benefits are issued.

Families receiving benefits on existing P-EBT benefit cards should check their card balance at ebtEDGE.comRecipients of a benefit on a new or replacement card will receive it by post within 4 to 6 weeks.

Once you have secured your child’s EBT card, you should keep it in a safe place as it will not be replaced if lost or stolen. Families can use EBT food benefits for up to 122 days after the date they were issued.

Free Summer Meals in NYC

The Summer EBT program does not affect the annual Free summer meals program, which distributes free breakfast and lunch each summer at designated public locations in NYC communities such as pools, parks, and libraries to anyone 18 or younger, with no questions asked or ID required. This program runs from June 27 through August 30 (except July 4 and 5).

The full list of free breakfast and lunch spots in NYC can be found here hereAt these locations, breakfast is served from 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM and lunch from 11:00 AM to 1:15 PM.

In addition to these locations, food trucks can also be found serving free summer meals seven days a week in Manhattan at Sara D. Roosevelt Park, in Brooklyn at Prospect Park (Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue), and in the Bronx at Ferry Point Park (Schley Avenue and Hutchinson River Parkway).

What’s on the menu? Check it out here:

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