KANSAS — Through a pandemic program, hundreds of thousands of Kansas children can benefit from food assistance in the Sunflower State.
The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Program (P-EBT) totals $56 million and allows Kansas parents the ability to enroll each of their school-aged children for a one-time benefit of $391 on a Kansas Benefits Card.
Around 189,000 children in the state are eligible for assistance through the program.
Those eligible include children who could receive free or reduced-priced meals at school during the previous (2020-2021) school year. Students under the free or reduced-price lunches for the 2021-2022 school year are also eligible, as well as those that attend a Head Start program.
“Food insecurity should be the last thing Kansas children face right now, especially during the holiday season,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Thanks to the partnership of DCF and KSDE the state will be able to expedite payments to many eligible families to help ensure they have food on the table over the winter break.”
Approximately 80% of those that qualify (~144,000) for the P-EBT benefit will be auto-issued their payment beginning December 12th. These will be completed by no later than December 21st as the state works through each child's name in the system.
If your child qualifies for P-EBT but is not automatically enrolled, parents and guardians can apply for P-EBT through this DCF portal from January 1, 2023, until the end of the month.
