SUN Bucks/Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) Support Guidance

Summer EBT Discontinued
The Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) program will be discontinued in 2025. As part of National School Lunch Program (NSLP) requirements, schools are required to advertise the availability of meals through the SUN Nutrition meals programs. Sponsors that serve meals at open sites on the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or Seamless Summer Option (SSO) should advertise their meal locations. Sponsors that do not participate in summer meal service must notify families that meals may be available in the community. Sponsors can provide the following site finder resource information to households:

• MSD of Decatur Township Summer Meals Program Information
• USDA Site Finder Map
• Hunger Hotline - families seeking food assistance for their children can contact the USDA National Hunger Hotline, operated by Hunger Free America. 
  • By phone: Call 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) (for English) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) (for Spanish). The line is available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET.
  • By text: To receive an automated response to resources located near an address or zipcode, text keywords such as “food,” “summer,” “meals,” to the automated service at 914-342-7744.    

Please note these site finder options will be updated to include Indiana locations the last week of May.
 

Address Change Requests Due by 4 p.m. on Friday, August 16

IDOE is working through address change requests as quickly as possible. Please communicate to households the need to be patient as IDOE’s small team works through a large volume of requests and provides customer service responses. Additional submissions to the help form or calls to the helpline requesting information about address changes will slow the process time for everyone. To ensure we are able to process all submitted requests, the Change of Address request form will be shut off on Friday, August 16, at 4 p.m. ET. After that, no new address change requests will be accepted or processed. 

Online Application Closes on Friday, August 16

The deadline to use the online application to apply for 2024 SUN Bucks is Friday, August 16. The application is for those who were not automatically enrolled. Only children enrolled in an NSLP school last school year (2023-2024) or those who can be directly certified between the ages of seven through 18 at non-NSLP schools can qualify. See the communications plan for schools for suggestions on how to communicate this deadline with households including translations to Spanish, Burmese, and Haitian Creole.

Automatic Eligibility 

• Students who were individually approved for free or reduced meals during the 2023-2024 school year should have received their SUN Bucks cards by now. 
• Cards were shipped to “auto-enrolled” students beginning Wednesday, May 15.
• Households expecting to receive a card that did not might have had an issue with the data or address on file. 

Address Updates

• Address change submissions are being processed in the order they were received.
• IDOE’s School Nutrition team is currently processing submissions from early June. 
• Households can expect their card to arrive three to four weeks after their address has been updated. 
• IDOE is working to automate this process to increase efficiency. 

Applications

• IDOE’s School Nutrition team is processing applications. Households can expect their card(s) to arrive three to four weeks after their application has been approved.

Guidance to resolve basic PIN reset issues:

• To protect the card benefits from fraud, the selected PIN cannot be a sequence of numbers (1234 or 9876) or repeated numbers (1111 or 8888). Additionally, the number cannot have two or more repeating numbers (i.e. 1288) or more than two sequential numbers (i.e. 1238).
• The zip code must match the zip code where the card was sent.
• The date of birth must match the child on the card and must be in the format of mm/dd/yyyy.
• The system times out quickly. If they delay putting in any of the required information, it may be a timing issue. Suggest they write out all the numbers as they will need to submit them to have ready to type in. This includes the card number, zip code, date of birth (for the child on the card), and the PIN they would like to use (see guidelines above).

If households continue to have issues after following the above guidance, they can call the SUN Bucks helpline at 317-234-4528 or submit to the online help form to escalate the issue.

SUN Bucks Card Distribution

Cards have begun to be distributed to households. Distribution is occurring in waves and the first round of cards could take up to three weeks to be distributed. If asked, please communicate the three week distribution period. If households do not receive all expected cards for their children by Friday, June 28, they can contact the SUN Bucks helpline. The SUN Bucks helpline is not able to assist households with activation of the card or creation of their PIN. Households must to contact the number on the back of the card for activation assistance.

Local Assistance

[Here is] information and resources regarding the basics of SUN Bucks... Schools are responsible for providing individual eligibility assistance, as well as answering local questions [such as current eligibility and current address on file] from households and staff. [All other] Questions that cannot be answered locally, and address change requests, should be submitted on the online help form. 

Household Notification of Eligibility for SUN Bucks

[Households who qualify for Free & Reduced Meals are automatically] eligible for a new program called SUN Bucks, which helps families buy food during the summer when school is out.

[Households] will receive $120 for each eligible child on a card that you can use to buy food during the summer at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other authorized retailers. If you receive more than $120 per eligible child in your household, do not use the benefits, and contact https://idoe.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/11 as soon as possible to confirm or correct the error.

SUN Bucks will be mailed to [households] at the most recent address we have on file for your household. SUN Bucks benefits will be available for use by June 1, 2024, and must be used no later than 122 days after card issuance, after which the benefits will no longer be available. Receiving SUN Bucks will not affect children or families’ immigration status.

SUN Bucks Application Now Available

The online SUN Bucks application is now open. IDOE will accept and process these applications at the state level. Please keep in mind the following when directing households to the online application.

• Only those who are not qualified for free or reduced price meal benefits need to submit the online SUN Bucks application. Please ensure those that you have as qualified for free or reduced status know they should not complete the online application. [IDOE is] seeing many applications for households who appear to already be automatically enrolled. 
• This qualification is based on current year information. For Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) students, either a current year direct certification (DC) status or an approved alternate income application will qualify them to be automatically eligible for SUN Bucks. 
• For more information visit the SUN Bucks help form here.

Indiana Department of Education announced details pertaining to Summer EBT SUN Bucks. Read more here on the IDOE website!

The SUN Bucks online application will not open on Monday, April 15 as planned due to pending program approval from USDA. We will send out notification to schools as soon as it becomes available.

Summer 2024 will be the first year for Indiana SUN Bucks, a new benefits program that provides families $120 for each eligible school-aged child to buy groceries when school is out. Summer is a time when many children lose the free and reduced-price meals they get at school, and when households might need a little extra help putting meals on the table. Most eligible families will get these benefits automatically, but some parents will need to apply. This new program is available in addition to free meals that kids of all ages can get at summer meal sites in their communities.

Benefits of SUN Bucks

• Helps parents and caregivers buy healthy foods for their children.
• Gives families the flexibility to select foods that fit their culture and lifestyle.
• Improves food security and diet quality for participating children.

Eligibility

Children are eligible for the program if:

• the household already participates in SNAP, TANF, some income based Medicaid,
• the school-aged child is a foster child defined as being a ward of the state, OR
• the child attends a school that offers the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program and the household income meets the requirements for free or reduced-price school meals.

Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to End Pandemic EBT (PEBT) Card Replacement Requests

PEBT funding ended May 11, 2023 in conjunction with the end of the Federal Public Health Emergency. Indiana FSSA Division of Family Resources considers all issuances complete as of September 22, 2023. Benefits are not usable without a physical card. PEBT card replacement requests will no longer be accepted as of Thursday, September 28. Any pending requests for replacement cards will be completed as of Friday, September 29. No additional replacement card requests will be processed after these dates. 

School Year Second Issuance: Pandemic EBT (PEBT) distributions for reported COVID-19 absences for school-age students covering the second half of the school year (January through May) will be issued in the coming weeks. Due to the expiration of the Federal Public Health Emergency, which ended on Thursday, May 11, school days starting on and after Friday, May 12, are not eligible for PEBT benefits. Any updates or corrections to dates covered by the earlier distribution (July through December) will be included in the second distribution if additional data has been submitted in Data Exchange.

This distribution is only for reported COVID-19 related absences. Unlike the summer 2022 issuance for all students eligible for free or reduced price meals, the school year issuance only covers specific COVID-19 related absences for eligible students, with a benefit amount of $8.18 per day absent.

Benefits will be loaded onto existing PEBT cards. If a student has not received benefits in the past, new cards will be mailed and should arrive within one to two weeks of the issuance date. If a replacement PEBT card is needed, it must be requested from the PEBT website, not from the EBT customer service number on the back of EBT cards.

Additional information is available on FSSA's PEBT webpage.

Summer Issuance: There will be a “summer PEBT” issuance of $120 per eligible student issued this summer. Estimated timeframes for issuance are available on FSSA's PEBT webpage. Summer benefits will be issued to all students eligible for free or reduced meals at eligible National School Lunch Program-participating schools. For Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools, all students will receive this benefit. For non-CEP schools, it is very important to begin reviewing and confirming that free and reduced price lunch programs are correctly submitted for all eligible students in Data Exchange.

Student Program Associations records can be reviewed using the Operational Data Store Review function at the top of the Submission tab in the Data Exchange Validation portal by selecting StudentProgramAssociation in the dropdown and exporting. Additional information is available on FSSA’s PEBT webpage.  

PEBT benefits that were issued on Friday, April 14, were provided to students who attended school in person AND had COVID-19-related absences during July to December 2022.

Please only request a replacement PEBT card if your child was eligible for a benefit for that time period and they no longer have their card. FSSA has already seen an increase in replacement card requests, and the volume of requests will cause the process to be slowed. Many parents may mistakenly believe this issuance was like the “summer” issuance when all students eligible for free or reduced-price meals on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) received a benefit.

Click here to view the FSSA’s PEBT webpage. There is an FAQ for parents as well as one for schools to help all understand how PEBT works.

[FSSA] anticipate[s] an issuance (for eligible homeschool and virtual students who qualify for NSLP) mid-April for school age children for first semester (July-Dec).  [They] are already receiving excessive card replacement requests (approximately 200 per day), [they] view these as “excessive” because [they] believe that most of these parents still have cards.  [They] have a very limited number of staff who replace these cards and it is a manual process.  Once [their] process is done, the card sender (cards are mailed from secure card facilities like debit and credit cards, [they] do not possess these cards for security reasons), it takes additional time to actually send.

View a helpful document addressing the two most common parent P-EBT questions schools receive.

1. Please see updated website at FSSA: DFR: Pandemic EBT (in.gov).

2. Homeschool and virtual students who qualify for NSLP will be eligible for PEBT this year. The schools play no part in the eligibility determination of this group and are not expected to answer questions. Please refer inquiries to the website for further information. FSSA: DFR: Pandemic EBT (in.gov).

3. The Federal PHE is scheduled to end May 11.  School year PEBT (based on covid related absences) ceases to be calculated after May 11. Benefit issuance may still occur, but days of eligibility will not continue to be counted.(example: Student misses school May 15-18 due to COVID, they are not eligible for PEBT for those dates).

4. Summer PEBT (like summer of 21 and 22) is a separate benefit which is not tied to COVID-related absences. It is the last PEBT benefit to be issued.

5. It is IMPERATIVE that all school year calculations are done correctly. There will not be time for late corrections.

We ask that you please encourage parents to check the card they have and not to “panic order” new cards is a good practice. 

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) Summer Corrective Issuance

The corrective issuance for summer P-EBT benefits is being distributed by the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to families this week [August 25, 2022]. The issuance includes all corrections submitted to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) between the initial issuance on Monday, July 18 and Monday, August 15. In addition to submitted corrections, Direct Certification matches from school year (SY) 2021-2022 were utilized to flag any students directly certified who were not included in the initial distribution. Eligibility for summer benefits includes K-12 students enrolled in a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) sponsoring school on Sunday, May 1, or later who were free or reduced price lunch eligible.

P-EBT Support for Families

Support resources for families are available on the P-EBT site. FSSA and IDOE request that schools please share P-EBT related information with parents and widely distribute the FSSA P-EBT website as a resource.

• P-EBT Card Information
  • If a student was issued a P-EBT card in January 2021 or later, benefits were loaded on the existing card. A new card will not be automatically mailed for each new issuance of funds.
  • If a student has never previously received a P-EBT card, one will be issued. Families should wait at least three weeks before following up about a card not yet received. 
• P-EBT Replacement Cards
  • If a family has multiple cards, please use the phone number on the back of the card to check the balance on each card before submitting a request for a replacement. Families are encouraged to try to find the correct card before requesting a new one.
  • Replacements may only be requested from the P-EBT website. The EBT customer service number on the back of the P-EBT card should not be used for replacement requests.
  • Only one card per student can be active at a time. If a request to replace a card is made, the old card is deactivated and can no longer be used.
  • The process for assigning new cards requires FSSA staff to manually review each request. There will be a delay between when the request is submitted online and when the request is reviewed by a staff member.
  • Cards are mailed from a secure card facility and are not stored or mailed from FSSA offices. There is a delay between when the replacement request is reviewed by FSSA staff and when the card is mailed from the secure card facility.  
  • It is likely card replacements will take six to eight weeks to be delivered. Submitting multiple requests significantly slows the process of completing replacement requests.

Common P-EBT Troubleshooting Tips 

1. A family has requested and received a replacement card, but it has a $0 balance.
   1. [Families] may have used the number on the back of the card to request a replacement. Replacements should not be requested from the number on the back of the card. When requested via the FSSA website, our staff check to ensure only the most recent, active card is being mailed.         
   2. The family may have several cards and be looking at an old card that is no longer active.
      1. Only one card per student can be active at a time. If a request to replace a card is made, the old card is deactivated and can no longer be used.

FSSA’s Division of Family Resources issued summer 2022 P-EBT on Monday, July 18, to provide payments to families with children who receive free and reduced lunch at school. All free and reduced lunch eligible students reported as enrolled on Saturday, May 1, through the end of the school year, excluding those reported as transferring out of state, were included in the benefit transmission. At CEP schools, all students were eligible and included. Rosters were pulled utilizing Data Exchange enrollment and free/reduced lunch program submissions. If a family had a previous P-EBT card from January 2021 or later, the benefits were loaded onto an existing card. If a student has never received P-EBT benefits, a new card was mailed to the family and may arrive as late as this week.

If you or your family have not received benefits, families should verify if they have an existing card. If a family cannot locate the existing card, they should be directed to the FSSA P-EBT website to order a replacement card. If a family has not received a P-EBT card previously and did not receive a card in the mail, please wait until Monday, August 1, for the card to arrive before ordering a replacement card.

NOTE ABOUT PEBT CARD REPLACEMENT REQUESTS:

The Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) distributed summer 2022 Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits on Monday, July 18. As FSSA continues to work through the extremely high volume of requests for replacement cards, please note the following. 

• The Division of Family Resources has received tens of thousands of requests for P-EBT replacement cards.
• Benefits were applied to cards issued January 2021 or later. If you have multiple cards, please call the phone number on the back of the card to check the balance on each card before submitting a request for a replacement. 
• Only one card per student can be active at a time. If a request is entered that a card be replaced, the previously sent card is inactivated and can no longer be used.
• The process for assigning new cards requires FSSA staff to manually review each request for a replacement card. There will be a delay between when the request is submitted online and when the request is reviewed by a staff member.
• Cards are not stored in or mailed from FSSA offices. Cards are mailed from a secure card facility in the same way a replacement debit or credit card is sent. There is a delay between when the replacement request is reviewed by FSSA staff and when the card is mailed from the secure card facility.  
• It is likely that card replacements will take up to 6 weeks or longer. Submitting multiple requests significantly slows the process of completing replacement requests.

For support and questions regarding the P-EBT program and program policy, inquiries should be entered using the “Ask a Question” feature in the P-EBT portal.