Second Round of Federal Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Food Benefits Announced

Posted Date: 06/04/2021

June 4, 2021 – Some Amarillo ISD families may be eligible for additional benefits from the state to help provide food for their family.

Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) was authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The purpose of P-EBT is to provide food assistance to families with students who would have received free or reduced-price lunch while attending school but are not attending school in person because of COVID-19 restrictions. This benefit is available only to families with students enrolled in a Texas school who were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or the school is a Community Eligibility Provision participant.

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) provides food benefits to families with enrolled students (up to 21 years of age) who temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals for the 2020–2021 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To apply, go to yourtexasbenefits.com/Learn/PEBT (application link is case-sensitive and opens in new window).

The deadline to apply is August 13, 2021.

Who is Eligible?

• Students who are certified for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

• Students who attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Provision 2 (P2) school that offers free meals to all students.

• Children born after August 1, 2014, in families who received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for at least one month between October 2020 and June 2021.

Who Needs to Apply?

• A parent/guardian must apply if the eligible student is:

  • Enrolled in K-12 and NOT part of a family who received SNAP benefits for at least one month between August 2020 and June 2021.

  • Born on or before August 1, 2014, and is part of a family who received SNAP benefits for the first time during the 2020–2021 school year in May or June 2021.

• A parent/guardian does not have to apply if eligible student or child is:

  • Born on or before August 1, 2014, and is part of a family who received SNAP benefits for at least one month between August 2020 and April 2021.

  • Born after August 1, 2014, and is part of a family who received SNAP benefits for at least one month between October 2020 and June 2021.

For more information, please use the following resources:

• Texas Health and Human Services: Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) Due to COVID-19 (Opens in new window)

• Servicios de salud y humanos de Texas: EBT pandémica (P-EBT) debido a COVID-19 (Se abre en una vantana nueva)

• TEA COVID-19 support page for child nutritio (Opens in new window): Here you can find guidance and resources organized by the following categories. Simply click on a category link to be taken directly to those resources on the page. For questions, please email disasterinfo@tea.texas.gov.

• Call the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Central time