Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) is part of the U.S. government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 (PL 116–127), as amended by the Continuing Appropriations Act 2021 and Other Extensions Act (PL 116-159), the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 (PL 116-260), and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (PL 117-2) provides the Secretary of Agriculture authority to approve state agency plans to administer P-EBT.
Through P-EBT, eligible school children receive temporary emergency nutrition benefits loaded on EBT cards that are used to purchase food. Children who would have received free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Act if their schools were not closed, operating with reduced hours, or absent for at least 5 consecutive days are potentially eligible to receive P-EBT benefits. P-EBT also provides benefits to younger children in households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) whose covered child care facility is closed or operating with reduced hours or attendance, or who live in the area of schools that are closed or operating with reduced hours or attendance.
Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) received State Plan approval from Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) on July 20, 2022, to issue P-EBT benefits to eligible children during the 2021 – 2022 School Year. DFS will work with Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to gather needed data to determine eligible children.
School Year P-EBT Questions & Answers:
Q: What is P-EBT?
A: P-EBT benefits are a food benefit that can be used to purchase any groceries that are not hot and prepared. P-EBT benefits equal the amount of the national daily reimbursement for free breakfast and lunch ($7.10), multiplied by the average number of days the student attended an eligible school of which was closed or operated with reduced hours due to COVID-19.
The benefit can be used at stores nationwide that accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Cards.
Q: How will I receive my P-EBT benefits?
A: A P-EBT card will be mailed and addressed to your child(ren) separately with instructions on how to activate and use the card. A postcard will also be sent with information to eligible child(ren) when that time comes.
For households currently on SNAP that have an active Wyoming EBT card, or have received P-EBT benefits in the past, P-EBT benefits will be loaded to your current EBT card. If you no longer have access to your EBT card, please contact the EBT vendor, FIS, customer service at 1-877-290-9401, www.ebtedge.com, or on your mobile device using the ebtEDGE app, to request a card replacement.
If your household has never received a SNAP or P-EBT card in Wyoming, an EBT card will be mailed to you separately with instructions on how to activate and use the card. It can take about seven (7) business days to arrive at your mailing address.
Q: How long do P-EBT benefits remain available on the EBT card?
A: Once the EBT card is activated, the household has 274 days to use the benefit. The clock restarts after each purchase. If an EBT card is inactive for 274 days, the benefit will be expunged, or removed.
2021 – 2022 School Year Benefits
Q: Who is eligible for P-EBT 2020 – 2021 School Year Benefits?
A: Wyoming children who:
- Were enrolled in an eligible school who closed or operated at reduced hours for at least five (5) consecutive days during the 2021 – 2022 school year; or
- Children who were out due to COVID related quarantine; and
- Applied for and was eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLP) if not for school closures, reduced schedules, or COVID absences.
Q: How is eligibility for P-EBT determined for the school year benefit?
A: The Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) will complete a direct issuance to all eligible children based on data received from the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) and DFS. This benefit is available without an application. An issuance date has not yet been determined.
Q: What is the amount of P-EBT benefits for the school year?
A: The full daily benefit level for each eligible child is equal to the free reimbursement for a breakfast, a lunch, and a snack for school year 2021-2022 which is $7.10 per day. The benefit is multiplied by the number of days that the eligible child’s status makes them eligible for P-EBT benefits.
Q: What do you do if you want to decline the P-EBT benefit sent to you?
A: The guardian can simply destroy the card. If the guardian has additional questions or concerns (i.e. how student information was obtained), please contact the Wyoming EBT Help Desk.
P-EBT FAQ:
- P-EBT benefits can be used at any SNAP-authorized retailer, to purchase eligible foods. The SNAP Retailer Locator allows anyone to locate nearby SNAP-authorized retailers by entering a street address, city, and state, or zip code.
- P-EBT benefits can be used to purchase food, such as:
- Fruits and vegetables;
- Meat, poultry, and fish;
- Dairy products;
- Breads and cereals;
- Other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages; and
- Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat.
Households CANNOT use P-EBT benefits to buy:
- Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
- Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase.
- Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store).
- Foods that are hot at the point of sale
- Any nonfood items such as:
– Pet foods
– Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies.
– Hygiene items, cosmetics
- P-EBT violations and penalties include, but are not limited to:
- Trafficking: Buying or selling P-EBT benefits for cash. The penalties for trafficking include permanent disqualification, forfeiture of property, and/or a monetary penalty for each violation.
- Selling ineligible items: Selling cigarettes, tobacco, alcohol, or expensive nonfood items for P-EBT benefits may result in a 3- to 5-year disqualification or equivalent civil money penalty.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please see the USDA Food and Nutrition Website at https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/recipient/eligibility or https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-guidance-coronavirus-pandemic-ebt-pebt for additional information.
Contact the EBT Help Desk, Wyoming Department of Family Services, Economic Security Division, 2300 Capitol Avenue, 3rd Floor Hathaway Building, Cheyenne, WY 82002.
Toll Free: 1 (800) 457-3659
Direct Line: (307) 777-6082
ann.bowen@wyo.gov