Time is running out to claim your children’s Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) benefits.
P-EBT benefits for Summer 2022 have been sent to eligible families. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) was approved to issue $391 in food benefits for all children who qualify for free or reduced-priced meals at school to replace the value of meals missed when schools close for the summer. Children under six years old who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits also qualify.
The benefits were issued in November and December 2022 and can be used to buy food at any store that accepts SNAP. But over 500,000 families in Texas still need to claim their benefits.
Who is Eligible for Summer P-EBT?
Families with school age (K-12) children who:
- Qualified for free or reduced lunch during the 2021-2022 school year, or who filled out a meal application over the summer; and
- Attended a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school in Texas last year.
Families who are receiving SNAP benefits and have children under six years of age will also receive P-EBT benefits.
How to Get Your Benefits
For Texas families who currently receive SNAP benefits, your child’s P-EBT benefits were automatically loaded onto your Lone Star Card. For non-SNAP households that have received P-EBT in the past, your P-EBT benefits were loaded on your current P-EBT Card.
If your child attended a CEP school, but your household has never received benefits through SNAP or P-EBT, you should have received a letter in the mail with a six-character claim code. You can redeem your P-EBT benefits by creating an account on YourTexasBenefits.com or by calling the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255.
There is no additional application. You have 90 days from the date the letter was received to claim your code. Act now — some claim codes will expire as soon as March 7th.
Currently, there are still more than 500,000 unclaimed codes. With the Public Health Emergency set to end in May and emergency allotments ending in February, eligible families should take advantage of all available resources. Let’s work together to make sure no Texas child has to worry about their next meal.
