Temporary Food Assistance
GOOD NEWS!!! Families with children attending our KKP complex schools will be receiving $286/student in P-EBT benefits for August and September. Read the excerpt from our DOE memo:
“The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) and the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) have secured $34 million to provide temporary food purchasing assistance to families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals due to the impact of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This temporary food assistance program will provide Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) School Meal Replacement Benefits to more than 93,000 students receiving free or reduced-price school meals in Hawaiʻi, including nearly 48,000 students already receiving SNAP benefits.
During the 2019-20 school year, eligible families were provided up to $360 per child due to school closures in March, April and May. This school year, families are eligible to receive up to $225 per child for the months of August and September.
Families do not need to apply for P-EBT. The HIDOE will be responsible for qualifying families for P-EBT through its free or reduced-price school meals program for the 2020-2021 school year. The DHS will then distribute P-EBT cards to families based on the eligibility data provided by the HIDOE. Children who attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school and direct-certification students will automatically be qualified for this program.”
FAQs
What is P-EBT? The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program is part of a food assistance plan approved by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, and authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, for eligible students who attend kindergarten through grade 12. Students who are enrolled in a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program school are automatically eligible to receive this benefit. No action is needed.
This program is administered by the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services. All inquiries for the Hawaiʻi P-EBT Program should be emailed to: hi.pebt@dhs.hawaii.gov
How Does this Work? There are three ways the P-EBT will be distributed.
1. KOKUA EBT CARD - For families that received P-EBT benefits last school year (2019-20) and are Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households, P-EBT benefits will automatically be deposited to their existing Kokua EBT card beginning September 29, 2020. The P-EBT benefits can be used the same way as their Kokua EBT card.
2. HAWAIʻI P-EBT CARD - Families that had received P-EBT benefits for the school year 2019-20 and are eligible for P-EBT benefits for this school year 2020-21 will have their benefits loaded to their previously issued card (white card with black lettering) beginning Sept. 29th.
3. FAMILIES NEW TO THE HAWAIʻI P-EBT PROGRAM AND ELIGIBLE - Families that are from new CEP schools and did not receive P-EBT for the 2019-20 school year will be mailed a Hawaiʻi P-EBT card (white card with black lettering).
How Much Will Families Receive? Eligible families can receive up to the following amount for each child enrolled in school: August 2020: $136, September 2020: $150
Maximum for the 2-month period of School Year 2020-21: $286 per child.
Correct Mailing Address? Please ensure that your child’s school has the correct mailing address NO LATER THAN September 22, 2020. For Hawaiʻi P-EBT Program Inquiries, email: hi.pebt@dhs.hawaii.gov
This program is administered by the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services. All inquiries for the Hawaiʻi P-EBT Program should be emailed to: hi.pebt@dhs.hawaii.gov
How Does this Work? There are three ways the P-EBT will be distributed.
1. KOKUA EBT CARD - For families that received P-EBT benefits last school year (2019-20) and are Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households, P-EBT benefits will automatically be deposited to their existing Kokua EBT card beginning September 29, 2020. The P-EBT benefits can be used the same way as their Kokua EBT card.
2. HAWAIʻI P-EBT CARD - Families that had received P-EBT benefits for the school year 2019-20 and are eligible for P-EBT benefits for this school year 2020-21 will have their benefits loaded to their previously issued card (white card with black lettering) beginning Sept. 29th.
- What if we misplaced our card? If your Kokua EBT or Hawaiʻi P-EBT card has been lost or disposed of and a replacement card is needed, call the Fidelity Information Service (FIS) customer service at 1-888-328-4292. If you received a notification of eligibility letter during SY19-20 but did not receive a card, you will need to get a replacement card.
- What if we never got a notification letter or card? If your child received free or reduced price meals or was in a CEP school in SY19-20 and you did NOT receive a notification letter or a Hawaiʻi P-EBT Card, please provide a current address to your child’s school by Tuesday, Sept. 22 AND email: hi.pebt@dhs.hawaii.gov with your name, your current address, student name(s), student school(s), and date(s) of birth.
3. FAMILIES NEW TO THE HAWAIʻI P-EBT PROGRAM AND ELIGIBLE - Families that are from new CEP schools and did not receive P-EBT for the 2019-20 school year will be mailed a Hawaiʻi P-EBT card (white card with black lettering).
- Important Note: Families new to the program that are mailed a Hawaiʻi P-EBT card will receive a card in the name of EACH eligible student. New Hawaiʻi P-EBT accounts will have their cards mailed beginning September 29, 2020. This is different from the previous benefit issuance in which the card was issued in the name of the eldest child in the same household.
How Much Will Families Receive? Eligible families can receive up to the following amount for each child enrolled in school: August 2020: $136, September 2020: $150
Maximum for the 2-month period of School Year 2020-21: $286 per child.
Correct Mailing Address? Please ensure that your child’s school has the correct mailing address NO LATER THAN September 22, 2020. For Hawaiʻi P-EBT Program Inquiries, email: hi.pebt@dhs.hawaii.gov