ATLANTA — Georgia families may soon receive P-EBT benefits in the mail.
The Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services has received approval to issue it to K-12 students. The benefit is for students who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals at a National School Lunch Program school during the 2022-23 academic year.
A lump-sum issuance of $120 per student will be rolled out to eligible families, including high school seniors who graduated, over the next few months. According to DHS, the timing of when a family receives the benefit depends on when the student's school submitted its data to the state.
These benefits will be issued on the same P-EBT card previously used or on the household's current EBT card if the student's family utilizes SNAP.
Newly eligible students who are not part of a SNAP household will receive a P-EBT card within four weeks of their benefit release date, according to DHS.
What is the P-EBT program?
It's similar to the federal EBT program except this one was made specifically for the pandemic and has continued to be utilized.
The program is made possible by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. It helped create a temporary benefit called the Pandemic-EBT. It's meant for children who didn't have access to free or reduced-price school meals during the school year, and for SNAP-eligible children enrolled in childcare and K-12 schools due to the pandemic.
How do I activate the card?
Those who receive a P-EBT card will need to create a PIN before using it. People can set that up using this website or call 888-421-3281. Families will need to enter 0000 when asked to enter the last four digits of their Social Security Number and then the caller will be asked to select a PIN.
For more information on the P-EBT program, including a list of frequently asked questions, please visit the Division of Family & Children Services website.
