Additional food stamp benefit coming for West Virginia children

Eligible children in West Virginia will be able to receive a one-time additional benefit of $375 in food stamps this summer after the state got approval from the United States Department of Agriculture.

In mid-July, the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer will be added to existing P-EBT cards provided in the 2020-2021 program year. The state expects it will go to about 222,395 school children and 35,463 SNAP-enrolled children, costing the state $83.4 million and $13.3 million respectively.

“This is a great big deal,” Gov. Jim Justice said in a statement. “It could help many of our kids and our families. If you’re eligible, please make sure you take advantage of this opportunity, because it’s really good.”

A child is eligible if he or she is enrolled in a school that participated in the National School Lunch Program during the 2020-21 school year and qualified for free or reduced-cost school meals. A child is also eligible if he or she is less than 6 years old and the home receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Students will only be eligible if they were enrolled for the 2020-2021 school year.

This article was originally posted on Additional food stamp benefit coming for West Virginia children