| Nutrition Services Division |
|
| To: County Juvenile Halls County Probation Departments |
Number: 00-114 |
| Attention: Food Services Directors |
Date: July 2000 |
| From: Nutrition Program Management Unit | |
| Subject: Assembly Bill 946, State Meal Reimbursement |
|
| Reference: California Education Code Section 49494 | |
Assembly Bill 946, signed by the Governor on May 8, 2000, added Section 49494 to the California Education Code. This section authorizes the California Department of Education (CDE) to reimburse certain agencies for meals served to children in residence. Effective retroactively to July 1, 1999, meals served to "a ward or dependent of the court who resides in a probation camp, ranch, juvenile hall, or county-operated children's emergency shelter" are now eligible for state meal reimbursement. For breakfasts and lunches served to children eligible for free and reduced price meals, this state meal reimbursement is in addition to the federal reimbursement for those same meals.
The State meal reimbursement for private, nonprofit agencies is $0.1335 per reimbursable meal for both the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 school year.
Eligible agencies that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) will automatically receive reimbursement for breakfasts and lunches served to children in residence from July 1, 1999, to the present. The amount of reimbursement will be determined by the number of meals served under the NSLP and/or SBP that were previously reported on the monthly claims for reimbursement. There is no requirement to submit adjusted claims.
Agencies that currently have claims on file with the CDE will receive one check covering the months of July 1999 through February 2000. These claims will be recalculated for payment, and agencies will receive the state meal reimbursement checks after August 1, 2000. For March 2000 and thereafter, the state meal reimbursement is calculated and paid within the CDE's traditional six-week processing timeframe after the claim has been approved for payment.
