Pandemic EBT & SNAP

Visit this resource, "FAQs on Pandemic-EBT and Coronavirus Response-SNAP" to get the answers to your questions.

This resource is based on USDA’s guidance to states on implementing the new Coronavirus Response SNAP (CR-SNAP) and Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Updated based on information available as of 8/3/2020.

What is new:

• Pandemic-EBT: All the 50 states (along with the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands) are approved to implement the P-EBT program with the latest approval of Idaho on 7/31/20 and Nevada, Utah, Montana, and South Dakota a few weeks earlier. The program will help ensure that all school-age children who have lost access to free and reduced-price school meals due to the pandemic are provided with replacement meal in an EBT card.
• Online SNAP purchasing pilot: USDA approved the application of Arkansas and Hawaii to implement the online SNAP purchasing pilot today (7/23/2020), making the total approved states 46. Forty of these states are newly approved states since the onset of the pandemic such as North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, and Mississippi. The online SNAP purchasing pilot has already been in operation in six states. Only state-approved retailers are eligible to participate in the pilot, which includes Walmart and Amazon in the majority of states.

The questions answered in this resource are:

1. What is the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) (H.R 6201)?
2. Where can I find a summary of the FFCRA?
3. What is P-EBT?
4. Who is eligible for P-EBT?
5. What must states do to implement P-EBT?
6. What guidance is available from USDA on P-EBT?
7. If my state implements P-EBT, will my school or sponsoring organization still be able to serve non-congregate meals?
8. Is P-EBT available to children who are affected by child care closures?
9. Which states have been approved for P-EBT?
10. What are the CR-SNAP benefit increases authorized by FFCRA?
11. Who is eligible for CR-SNAP?
12. Are families receiving P-EBT for their children also eligible to receive CR-SNAP authorized by the FFCRA?
13. How much is the CR-SNAP allotment?
14. How will CR-SNAP be issued?
15. Which states have been approved for CR-SNAP?
16. Are states required to submit waiver requests on work requirements for Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) in SNAP?
17. What additional SNAP operational and administrative flexibilities are provided to states under FFCRA?
18. What other waivers and flexibilities are states requesting from USDA to improve program operation and reach of SNAP in the Pandemic declaration?
19. Where can I find a full list of nationwide waivers issued by USDA on SNAP and Child Nutrition Programs?