CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Thousands of families across West Virginia are going to receive an additional benefit this summer that will allow them to purchase food for school-aged children impacted by the pandemic.
The state Department of Education and state Department of Human Resources announced Monday West Virginian’s application for the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) cards has been approved.
State School Superintendent Clayton Burch said families with school children who already quality for free or reduced-price school meals will receive approximately $313 per child in a lump sum payment to cover the summer months.
“It’s be used during the months of June, July and August and that just means so much to the over 231,000 children who are eligible for this,” Burch said during Monday’s coronavirus briefing at the state capitol.
The money, made available through the CARES Act, will automatically added to SNAP EBT cards, according to the state Department of Education. Other families who not qualify for free or reduced-price school meals can apply for the benefit at schoolcafe.com.
“This card can be used everywhere where SNAP EBT cards can be used,” state DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch said. “We’ll have a better time line on that shortly.”
The $313 lump sum payment works out to about $5.70 per day per child, Burch said.
“That’s going to pump about $72 million into West Virginia’s economy,” he said.
The P-EBT benefits will come in two waves, Monday’s announcement said. The first will involve students who receive SNAP, West Virginia WORKS (WV WORKS), or Medicaid benefits. The second wave will include students who are don’t receive other benefits but do receive free or reduced-price school meals.
Burch said county school nutrition offices will work directly with families to educate them about the use of the card. An FAQ page is posted at wvde.us/COVID19.
Burch also announced Monday the current feeding program that began in counties once schools were closed because of the pandemic will continue during the summer.
“We want to make sure all of our children are taken care of from now until the start of school and back to some normalcy,” Burch said.
The state Department of Education working with county school districts, the state Department of Agriculture, National Guard, Division of Tourism and others has delivered about 1.4 million meals a week during the pandemic.