Will there be another round of Florida P-EBT benefits in 2022? When can parents apply for the new round of P-EBT benefits? How much will each child receive in the 2021-2022 school year? These are some of the questions we have received from our readers regarding the Florida P-EBT program. As a result, we have created this Florida P-EBT for 2021-2022 Guide to help you through the process and answer questions about the program.

First, we will explain what the P-EBT program is about.

Furthermore, we will provide an update on the P-EBT extension for the 2021-2022 school year and what to expect.

Also, we will answer the most frequently asked questions about the Florida P-EBT program.

For extra SNAP benefits approved by Congress, see our post on Extra Food Stamps for Florida.

See the update on Florida P-EBT for the 2021/2022 School Year.

"Florida P-EBT For 2021"

This post will cover:

  • What is P-EBT?
  • Florida P-EBT 2021 School Year
  • Florida P-EBT FAQs

What is P-EBT?

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 authorized the payment of Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) food benefits to households with children who would have received free or reduced-price school lunches if not for school closure.

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) runs the program.

The DCF worked with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to issue P-EBT to eligible households.

The first round of Florida P-EBT benefits were issued for pandemic-related school closures from March through June 2020.

So far, the state of Florida has issued P-EBT benefits to more than 2.2 million children in the amount of $687,738,431.

"Florida P-EBT Card"

Who is eligible for Florida P-EBT?

Families who are eligible for the free and reduced-price school meals program under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) are eligible to receive Florida P-EBT.

To be eligible for the free and reduced-price school meals program, your household must meet one of the following requirements:

  • You are currently receiving SNAP (food assistance), TANF (cash assistance), or Medicaid, and a child is enrolled in a school participating in the National School Lunch Program;
  • Your child attends a Community Eligibility Provision school or is enrolled in Provision school; and
  • You the parent applied and was approved with the school district for your child to receive free and reduced-price school meals.

Florida P-EBT for 2021-2022 School Year

Florida P-EBT for 2021-2022 School Year

 

The P-EBT program in Florida has been approved to extend into the 2021-2022 school year with the amended American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

In addition, the United States Department of Education has started accepting applications from states that would like to offer P-EBT for the Summer 2022.

The P-EBT Application Portal for school year 2021-2022 is available through July 31, 2022. Verified applications must be submitted to the portal before September 1, 2022.

Recipients should anticipate a staggered disbursement through September 2022. If you have questions about your student’s P-EBT benefit, you may call 1-833-311-0321.

If your child is eligible, contact your child’s school for more information or call your local DCF office.

Click here to Apply for Florida P-EBT benefits for 2021-2022.

How do I check my Florida P-EBT Balance?

To check the balance on your Florida P-EBT Card, you should call the customer service number at the back of your card.

The number to call is 1-888-356-3281.

In addition, you can check your last purchase receipt. The balance on your card should appear at the bottom of your last transaction receipt.

"Check Florida P-EBT Card balance"

Florida P-EBT FAQs

Here are the most frequently asked Florida P-EBT questions.

Who Should Apply for Florida P-EBT Benefits?

If your family is currently receiving Florida Food Stamps, you may not need to apply for P-EBT.

The Florida DCF will work with the Florida Department of Education to get the names of eligible children.

If they can match your child’s name exactly, your child’s P-EBT benefits will automatically be added to your existing SNAP card.

P-EBT benefits are being issued by the Florida Department of Children and Families for School Year 2021-2022.

The deadline for the department to issue these benefits was September 30, 2022.

However, if you think your child was eligible and did not receive benefits, please contact the Florida Department of Children and Families at 1-833-311-0321.

For the 2022/2023 school year, the DCF has not yet indicated if P-EBT benefits will be issued.

What Should I Do if my Eligible Child Did Not Receive P-EBT Benefits?

If you believe that your child is eligible for P-EBT but either did not receive any benefits or received benefits in an amount that they think is incorrect, here’s what you can do:

First, call DCF’s special P-EBT number at 1-833-311-0321 to discuss the problem.

However, if you call the number and the issue is not resolved, DCF has an appeal process that should be available to P-EBT claimants.

For more information about DCF’s appeal process, click here.

How much will I get in Florida P-EBT benefits?

The Florida P-EBT benefit amount for school year 2021-2022 is $7.10 per student.

That amount is then multiplied by the number of COVID-related absences where the student did not have access to free or reduced-priced meals.

That number will be the amount of P-EBT Florida benefits you can expect to receive.

This is the daily federal reimbursement rate for a breakfast, lunch, and snack for school year 2021-2022 determined by USDA.

P-EBT benefits will be provided for the number of days a student had COVID-related absences.

This process will ensure families are provided the full P-EBT benefit amount for the school year.

When will I get my Florida P-EBT benefits?

Once your P-EBT Florida Application is submitted and signed by the student’s school, benefits will be issued within two weeks.

If your household currently does not have a Florida EBT or P-EBT Card, a new card will be issued.

You can expect your Florida P-EBT Card to arrive in the mail within 7-10 business days.

If your family is currently receiving Florida food stamps, you will get P-EBT benefits on your existing EBT card.

What can I purchase with P-EBT benefits?

Households can use P-EBT benefits to purchase the same list of foods allowed under the Florida food stamps program.

This includes breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, dairy, and plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat.

However, households are prohibited from using P-EBT benefits to buy nonfood items.

This includes pet foods, soaps, paper products, household supplies, grooming items, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vitamins, medicines, food to eat in the store, or hot foods.

Will my P-EBT Florida benefits expire?

Yes, Florida P-EBT Benefits will expire after 274 days or 9 months of inactivity.

If you are also receiving Florida food stamp or cash assistance and benefits are added to your current EBT card, then your P-EBT benefits will be used first.

How do I request a replacement Florida P-EBT card?

If you have a lost, stolen or damaged Florida P-EBT Card, here’s how you can request a replacement:

  1. First, call the Florida P-EBT Customer Service phone number at 1-888-356-3281.
  2. Select your language – Press ‘1’ for English or press ‘2’ for Spanish.
  3. Next, say “My Card is Missing” to report your P-EBT card as lost, stolen, damaged, or not received.
  4. If you do not know your card number, then press ‘1’
  5. Provide the identity verification information – Cardholder’s date of birth and last 4-digits of SSN
  6. Once verified, proceed by pressing ‘1’ for Florida P-EBT Card replacement.
  7. Your call will be transferred to the a state office representative and you will be able to speak with a live person.

Furthermore, you can request a replacement is through the P-EBT Mobile App.

However, this will only work if you have already scanned the QR code on the card carrier and downloaded the EBTEdge App.

What if a child/children resides in multiple residences?

If you currently receive Florida Food Stamps, TANF, or Medicaid and have a child receiving free and reduced-price school meals, here’s what to expect:

The P-EBT benefit will be mailed to the address on file with the Department of Children and Families.

However, if you are not receiving Florida Food Stamps, TANF, or Medicaid, but you have a child who is eligible for the free and reduced-price school meal program, here’s what to expect:

The P-EBT benefit will be mailed to the address on file with the school district.

Also, the P-EBT benefit will be issued to the guardian of the child at the mailing address on file in the child’s school district.

My child attends a private school. Will my child be eligible for Florida P-EBT?

Unfortunately, No. The Florida P-EBT program is only available for students attending a Florida public school (including Florida public charter schools).

Does the P-EBT Program cost anything?

No, there is no charge for participating in the program.

The P-EBT benefits are entirely federally funded.

The State of Florida does not provide any of the funds for P-EBT benefits.

However, the state does incur some modest costs to operate the program.

Does P-EBT replace free school meals from Florida’s Summer Breakspot program?

No, P-EBT is an extra program in addition to the summer feeding program.

Also, the Florida P-EBT program does not replace grab-and-go meals from the Summer BreakSpot Program.

Finally, families may use both as resources to put food on the table and help feed their kids.

Will Using P-EBT Impact Immigration Status?

Immigration status is not considered in determining P-EBT eligibility.

Also, using P-EBT is not considered in a public charge and does not affect a parent’s or child’s immigration status.

Florida P-EBT For 2021-2022 Summary

P-EBT is a benefit for children who received free or reduced-price school meals in the 2021-2022 school year, but experienced COVID related absences.

Eligible Families should have receive all their P-EBT benefits by September 2022.

Also, if you did not receive your P-EBT benefits, call your local DCF office directly.

In addition, if the amount you received is a mistake, you should contact the DCF for correction.

Furthermore, the P-EBT program has been approved for Summer 2022 by the USDA.

However, the Florida DCF has not released dates for when benefits will be paid to eligible households.

Finally, if there are new developments regarding the program, we will update you here.

Questions?

We hope this post on Florida P-EBT for 2021-2022 was helpful to you.

If you have any additional questions about your Florida P-EBT for 2022 or Florida Food Stamps, please leave those in the comments section below.

Also, be sure to check our other articles:
Amazon Prime EBT Discount
How to shop on Amazon with Florida SNAP EBT
Florida Food Stamps Income Limit
How to shop online on Walmart with EBT for Pickup

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