The Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, provides families of eligible children additional funds to purchase food during this school year (August 2020-May 2021). P-EBT is for children who did not have access to receive free or reduced-price meals at school due to school closures or remote learning this school year. P-EBT is a complement to meals and snacks provided to children through school meal programs during full or part time distance learning. Meals and snacks provided by schools during full or part time distance learning do not prevent a child from receiving P-EBT.  P-EBT is administered by the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE).

Your child is eligible for P-EBT benefits if:

• your child receives free or reduced meals at school and
• your child’s school was either closed, offered full time distance learning, or offered part time distance learning (days in and days off campus).

If both criteria are met, your child is eligible to receive P-EBT for the correlating eligible months during August 2020-May 2021. DES will receive school data from ADE for student eligibility for free or reduced meals and school learning models (closed, full/part time distance learning), which will be used to qualify all children on a monthly basis for each month of the school year (August 2020-May 2021). All eligible children in the school will either receive a full or partial payment depending on the closure or amount of distance learning the school required or offered that calendar month. Students must be enrolled in a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program to be eligible for P-EBT.

• Full P-EBT payment: All eligible children in the school receive a full P-EBT benefit when the school reports that it was closed or only had a full-time distance learning model (no in-school attendance) for all or majority of operating days in the reported month.
• Partial P-EBT payment: All eligible children in the school receive a partial P-EBT benefit when the school reports learning model(s) that offer distance learning in addition to offering on-campus learning in the reported month. 
• No P-EBT payment: No children will receive P-EBT when the school reports only an in-person learning model for all operating days in the reported month.

To ensure the information being provided to DES is current, please make sure that you update your student information (such as current address, parent/guardian, phone number, etc.) at your child’s school. 

If you are unsure of your child’s school meal eligibility status, please contact MUSD Food Services, Meal Benefits Team at 520-682-4734 or maranafoodservices@maranausd.org for confirmation of eligibility status or to access a household application for free or reduced-price meal benefits. You may also visit the Titan website for access to an online household application for meal benefits.

View more information on the Arizona Department of Education website.