Annual SNP Verification Requirements

This message reminds school food authorities (SFA) to complete their School Year 2025–26 school nutrition program (SNP) verification process by November 17, 2025.

SNP Verification Process

Verification is the annual, mandatory process that confirms the eligibility of a sample of approved household meal applications in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Each year, SFAs must select and verify a sample of applications approved for free and reduced-price (F/RP) meal benefits. The required sample size of applications that SFAs must verify is based on the number of approved applications the SFAs have on file as of October 1. Each SFA must complete the verification process of the required sample size of meal applications by November 17. The requirements and resources outlined in this listserv are specific to NSLP and SBP verification requirements, and do not apply to Universal Benefits Application verification requirements under the SUN Bucks Program. SUN Bucks verification requirements are outlined on the California Department of Education (CDE) SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) web page.

Please note that SFAs operating the Universal Meals Program (UMP) must still complete the verification process if operating under standard meal counting and claiming procedures at any sites.

The verification process must confirm:

• The eligibility status of a student household’s monthly income, or
  
  
• If any member of the household is participating in CalFresh, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or
  
  
• That the applying student is Other Source Categorically Eligible.

For further information on the verification process, please read the chapter on verification in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Eligibility Manual for School Meals web page .

Exceptions to the Verification Requirement

Verification efforts are not required:

• For students who have been directly certified for F/RP meals, including students who are documented as migrant, runaway, homeless, foster, or participating in Head Start.
  
  
• For students in residential child care institutions (RCCI); however, SFAs must verify applications for any nonresidential students attending the RCCI’s school
  
  
• In schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision
  
  
• In schools participating in Provision 2, except in base years, when SFAs collect applications for all students in attendance

SNP Verification Resources

For helpful resources on completing the verification process, please visit the CDE SNP Verification Materials web page.

Additionally, the Nutrition Services Division (NSD) has created two new training videos to assist SFAs in completing both the mandatory verification process and reporting. The Verification Process and the Verification Reporting training videos are accessible through the NSD Learning Site. SFAs must complete a self-registration process before taking the training course. After registering, enter Verification in the search field to be directed to the Verification training. For help completing the self-registration process, please download the LMS Reg 001 - LMS Account Self-Registration Access for Child Nutrition Program Operators Job Aid located in the California Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) Download Forms section. If you need assistance or have questions regarding registration, please email NSDLearning@cde.ca.gov.

For SFAs operating the UMP, verification letter templates are located in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS, Form IDs Verification – 01, 02, and 03. These templates notify households that, regardless of the result of the verification process, all students will still have access to free meals at their school.

Verification Sample Size and other Reminders

• For assistance in determining your verification sample size, visit the CDE verification Worksheet to Determine Verification Sample Size available on the CDE SNP Verification Materials web page or the CDE Sample Size for Annual Verification management bulletin (MB) web page.
  
  
• With the exception of verification for cause (the process in which SFAs verify questionable applications), SFAs must not verify more or less than the standard sample size or the alternate sample size (when eligible) and must not verify all applications. SFAs can only use verification for cause in addition to verifying the required sample. Learn more about verification for cause on the CDE Verification for Cause in the School Meals Program MB web page .

Verification Report

All SFAs must submit their annual verification report to the CDE in the CNIPS by January 15, 2026. The CDE will notify SFAs by email when the report is available in the CNIPS.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact your SNP County Specialist. A current list of SNP Specialists is available on the SNP Specialist Directory web page. You can also email snpinfo@cde.ca.gov.