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Food benefit for children in low-income families extended to Aug. 21

Austin American-Statesman - 8/3/2020

The application deadline for a one-time $285 payment for children who received free or reduced meals at schools that closed because of the coronavirus pandemic has been extended to Aug. 21.

The payment comes from the federal Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer program, which works the same way benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program do.

Families can apply for benefits online at yourtexasbenefits.com/Learn/PEBT.

Families who received SNAP benefits in March and have children between 5 and 18 years old do not need to apply for for this benefit. The payment should have been loaded onto Lone Star Cards by May 22, Health and Human Services officials said.

Other families with children up to the age of 21 who received free or reduced meals during the last school year must apply for the Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer program, officials said.

"The P-EBT program helps ensure that families continue to have access to healthy food as some schools, and subsequently school lunch programs, remain closed due to COVID-19," Gov. Greg Abbott said. "I encourage eligible Texans to apply for these benefits, so they can continue to provide food for their families during these challenging times."

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