Susan Tebben, Ohio Capitol Journal —
Advocacy groups have been working to make sure Ohio families in need get the benefits they need, including extra benefits that were added to electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards during the height of efforts to bring financial aid amid COVID-19’s impact on the states.
“Ohio sought out and was approved to issue P-EBT benefits in summer 2023 for all school-aged children eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals, including children directly certified based on their household’s income, as well as children participating in schools using the Community Eligibility Provision based on area eligibility,” Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, told the OCJ.
The Community Eligibility Provision allows schools with a certain percentage of students eligible for free and reduced meals to provide meals to students without collecting applications for those in need. Instead, the districts are reimbursed based on need.
Ohio’s foodbanks joined with the state’s “hunger relief network” to educate the public about P-EBT funds, according to Novotny, as the foodbanks strained under the weight of increasing visitors to their pantries
Food pantry visitors in Ohio went from 3.1 million from October to December 2022, to 3.89 million for that same period in 2023. The increase was even more stark compared to the 2.4 million Ohioans served in 2021 during the October to December period.
Families were helped more in 2021 with a child tax credit increase still existing then. That tax credit has been a hot topic ever since, with many politicians and advocates hoping to the see the credit return for good.
But the existence of leftover pandemic benefits still available even got the attention of state Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, who released a statement urging state families to “act swiftly to utilize unspent pandemic food benefits,” to the tune of $16 million.
“These funds are more than just numbers, they’re a lifeline for many during these challenging times,” Jarrells said in a Wednesday statement. “Let’s ensure no benefit goes unused and that every child has the nutrition they need to thrive.”
Those who haven’t accessed the benefits by the end of March could lose access to $120 per eligible child, but advocates say that only represents a small amount of those who have the need. Novotny said it’s certainly possible those who received the benefits are “high income households,” who didn’t use the money because they didn’t have the need.
If money doesn’t get used, it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying on the state’s part, according to Novotny. The program was implemented differently from state to state, with some requiring an application process. Ohio’s process allowed everyone to access the free meals without the need to ask for it.
For a new federal summer benefits program set to establish permanent federal funding, the risk of needy families missing out on money could be heightened because it’s not an automatic benefit like Ohio’s pandemic program.
“This program will take more administrative lift to execute because the USDA is requiring direct certification for each student – meaning students eligible through the Community Eligibility Provision will not automatically qualify,” Novotny said.
The new program, called the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program, gives $40 per month in pre-loaded funds to eligible children who apply for the program.
The new program also comes alongside $4 million in funding passed in the most recent budget bill from the Ohio General Assembly, which allowed any student qualified for free and reduced-price meals to receive them at no cost in the 2023-2024 school year.