CALPADS Update Flash #206

To:           Local Educational Agency (LEA) Representatives

From:      California Department of Education (CDE) –
                California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Team

Date:       May 25, 2021

Subject:  CALPADS Update FLASH #206

Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer Program Update

Attached is a communication sent from the CDE’s Nutrition Services Division to school nutrition staff and partners which provides an update on the 2019−20 and 2020−21 Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program for both young children in child care and school-age children. The P-EBT program for child care children will be based solely on children’s participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and does not involve data from CALPADS. Additional information on the P-EBT program for school-age children that may be helpful to local CALPADS staff is provided below.

2019−20 P-EBT Program Update

Under the 2019−20 P-EBT program, eligible students who were not directly certified or foster, were required to apply for P-EBT benefits through an online application process administered by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently approved an amendment to California’s P-EBT 2019−20 plan, which allows CDSS to mail benefit cards to students who were eligible for benefits in 2019−20, but who did not apply. Therefore, students who were identified as eligible in 2019−20 based on data maintained in CALPADS, but who did not apply for benefits, will begin receiving cards in the late May, early June timeframe. Benefit cards will be mailed to student addresses pulled from CALPADS in April 2021. Families who believe they were eligible for benefits but do not receive a card, may call the P-EBT Helpline to determine whether they were eligible, and if so whether they were mailed a card. If necessary, families may confirm or update their address through the Helpline. The Helpline number is (877) 328-9677 and is open Monday – Friday, 6 am to 8 pm.

2020−21 P-EBT Program Update

The CDSS and CDE continue to work with the USDA to secure approval of California’s
P-EBT plan for the current school year. The CDSS and CDE will communicate to stakeholders as soon as the state plan is approved and when data will be pulled from CALPADS to determine eligibility and student addresses. In the meantime, LEAs should continue to keep program data and student mailing addresses up-to-date in CALPADS.

Given the uncertainty of when cards will be mailed out, LEAs that planned to distribute
P-EBT cards to homeless students from school sites, may want to develop a contingency plan for the likely scenario that cards are mailed out after the end of the school year, and school sites are closed. LEAs will need to consider whether the address submitted in CALPADS for homeless students is the address of the school or district office site.

2020−21 Summer P-EBT

On April 26, 2021, the USDA announced the availability of P-EBT benefits for Summer 2021. Under this program extension, P-EBT benefits will be available to all children previously determined eligible for P-EBT in 2020−21. California will submit an amendment for this extension once the 2020−21 plan for the school year has been approved. The CDE will update LEAs as information becomes available.

Instructional Mode Surveys

There are currently two instructional mode surveys that county offices of education are supporting.

The first survey is required by Assembly Bill (AB) 86 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB86). Beginning February 2021, the California Department of Public Health began conducting this bi-weekly survey through the county offices of education on the instructional mode (fully virtual, hybrid, fully in-person) being provided by schools for the majority of their students.

A second survey is being released to collect data required to determine P-EBT monthly benefit levels in 2020−21 and will also be supported through the county offices of education working with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). This survey will collect the instructional mode information for each month during the 2020−21 school year. This survey will be sent to the same LEA staff who have been receiving the AB 86 survey. Therefore, depending on how your LEA has been gathering the data required for the existing AB 86 survey, CALPADS staff may or may not be involved with the CCEE/CDSS survey being conducted for P-EBT purposes.

Attachment

Subject: Pandemic EBT Status Update

Dear School Nutrition Partners:

On May 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the California Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) State plan for young children in child care. The State plan for SNAP-enrolled children in child care provides benefits for the months of October 2020 through May 2021.

California will confirm that each child’s home address, based on information used to determine SNAP eligibility, is in the area of a closed school or a school operating with reduced attendance or hours. For this purpose, an “area” is defined as a county. For all child care aged children in each area, California will issue a P-EBT monthly benefit amount equal to the highest monthly issuance amount for a school in that area. Additionally, the State will utilize a two-tiered benefit structure: one benefit amount for child care aged children residing in an area with at least one school providing all virtual instruction, and one benefit amount for child care aged children residing in an area with at least one school providing hybrid instruction.

The State will use the best available data to issue benefits in amounts that are tied as closely as possible to the number of days that eligible children do not receive a meal service through their covered child care facility.

For more information, please visit the USDA Food and Nutrition Service State Guidance on Coronavirus P-EBT web page at https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-guidance-coronavirus-pandemic-ebt-pebt.

School Year (SY) 2019–20 P-EBT Plan Amendment

The USDA has approved an amendment to the California state plan for P-EBT benefits issued during the 2019–20 SY. This amendment allows the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to issue P-EBT cards to children who were Free and Reduced-Price meal eligible, but who did not submit an online application for P-EBT benefits during the Spring of 2020. The CDSS and California Department of Education (CDE) have identified 514,140 children who will receive a P-EBT card for SY 2019–20 based on the approval of this plan amendment. Families with questions on 2019−20 benefits should call the P-EBT Helpline referenced below. The Helpline is open Monday through Friday, from 6 am to 8 pm.

SY 2020–21 P-EBT Status

The CDSS and CDE continue to work with the USDA to secure approval of our P-EBT plan for the current SY. The CDSS and CDE will communicate to stakeholders as soon as the state plan is approved and P-EBT cards for SY 2020–21 begin to be mailed.

The CDE and CDSS will host an informational webinar for the School and Education community to overview additional details about the rollout of SY 2020–21 P-EBT benefits on Thursday, June 10, 2021 from 2:00–3:30 PM. Registration information for this webinar will be shared in a forthcoming listserv announcement.

Summer P-EBT

On April 26, 2021, the USDA also announced the availability of P-EBT benefits for Summer 2021. Under this program extension, P-EBT benefits will be available to all children previously determined eligible for P-EBT during the 2020–21 SY. Implementation of Summer P-EBT requires that state agencies have an approved SY 2020–21 P-EBT plan. The CDSS and CDE will submit an amendment for Summer P-EBT benefits once the SY 2020–21 plan has been approved.

Contact Information

For more information about P-EBT, you may visit the CDSS P-EBT web page at https://www.cdss.ca.gov/home/pandemic-ebt.

Families that require assistance with existing P-EBT cards can call the P-EBT Customer Service Center Helpline at 877-328-9677.

For updated information about COVID-19 emergency feeding, please visit the CDE COVID-19 Guidance in the Child Nutrition Programs web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/cnpcovid19guidance.asp.

Thank you.

Nutrition Services Division
California Department of Education
NSD Customer Service Survey | www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/nsdcs.asp
Web | www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/
Twitter | @CDENutrition
Child Nutrition Programs Course Catalog| www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/ed/cnpcoursecatalog.asp