Missouri Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) for School Year 2021-22

What is P-EBT?

• Like last summer, Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) is a retrospective grocery benefit for students in low-income families who receive free or reduced-price meals during the previous 2021-22 school year but were unable to access the school meal program due to COVID-related absences or virtual learning.

How much is P-EBT for the 2021-2022 School Year?

• Benefits are issued on debit-like cards, and amounts are based on the cost of missed school meals for the number of COVID-related absences or virtual learning days.
• The daily benefit amount is now $7.10 per day – the cost of a school breakfast, lunch and snack.
• Missouri will use the following three-tiered benefit level to determine benefit amounts for the student:

Who is eligible for SY 21-22 P-EBT in Missouri?

• Students may be eligible for P-EBT if they meet all of these conditions:
  • The student’s school participates in the federal National School Lunch Program (including the Seamless Summer Option), and
  • The student’s school was operating at reduced attendance or hours for five consecutive days. Schools are considered to meet these eligibility criteria if at least one student or group of students have been absent or received virtual instruction for at least five consecutive days for COVID-related reasons, and
  • The student missed consuming free or reduced-price school meals at school because
    • The student was quarantined or learning virtually through the school district, or
    • The student missed school due to COVID-related circumstances
    • The student participated in virtual learning through the school district instead of in-school learning for the entire school year.
      • Note: this includes all students attending schools that serve free meals to all students using the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Provision 2.
    • Young children may be eligible for P-EBT if they meet all of these conditions:
      • The child is under age 6, and
      • The child’s household is enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and
      • The child’s home address is in the area of a school or child care facility, or child care facility, or the child is enrolled at a child care facility that is closed or operating with reduced hours or attendance due to the pandemic.

How do I get Pandemic EBT in Missouri?

• Missouri will rely on data for eligible students provided directly from the eligible schools. Therefore, families will not need to complete an application for this phase of P-EBT benefits.
  • Note: For schools that are tracking COVID-related absences, the school will be instructed to provide the actual count of those days once the five-day threshold is met. For schools that cannot track COVID-related absences, any excused absence of five consecutive days or more will be a presumed COVID-related absence.
• P-EBT benefits for school year 2021-22 are tentatively planned to be issued in August and September 2022.