Dear Explore! Families,
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) has launched the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to provide extra resources for families to buy food. This program is about to launch Round 3 to provide benefits backdated to October 2020 and continuing through the 2021 school year to eligible students.
You do not need to fill out any application or gather any documents. You simply need to make certain we have the right address and child on file for you and look for your card in the mail in the coming weeks. Hold onto this card as benefits will be reloaded each month your child qualifies for.
How To Check Your Address And Child Information:
• Please help us make sure we have the right address and child on file for you by visiting this convenient website
https://tdhs.service-now.com/relief and creating an account if you don’t have one.
• Once you are on the P-EBT Parent Portal, please check to make sure we have every child listed that should be receiving benefits and make sure the address is correct.
• If we are missing a child or the address is no longer correct, please make those changes on the Parent Portal.
• If you do not wish to participate in the P-EBT program, you can decline to participate on the P-EBT Parent Portal.
• If you do not see your child in the P-EBT Parent Portal, your child either doesn’t meet the eligibility requirements below to qualify for P-EBT or DHS is still waiting for your school to provide the necessary information to add your family to the portal. Please check with your school about your child’s eligibility, then check the P-EBT Parent Portal again once your school lets you know it has submitted your information.
Who Qualifies For P-EBT:
• The child must qualify for free or reduced-price school meals under the National School Lunch Program. This includes any student in a school that provided free meals to all students (under a special rule called "Community Eligibility Provision"). Explore! is a Community Eligibility Provision Schools.
• And, the child did not receive free or reduced-priced meals at the school because the school is closed to in-person learning; or has been operating with reduced attendance or hours for at least 5 consecutive days in the current school year.
How Much Will I Get:
• Students who are learning 100% virtually will receive $122.76 in P-EBT a month.
• Students who are on a hybrid learning schedule will receive an amount based on the statewide average number of days students spent that month on hybrid schedules. For October 2020 that amount is $51.15.
• These benefits will continue to be loaded on the card in an ongoing basis and can be used at any location that accepts EBT.
