The Texas Education Agency announced on Facebook that its Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer application is open on Wednesday.
The P-EBT is a one-time benefit for families who lost access to free or reduced-price meals due to COVID-19 related school closures.
Families are eligible for up to $285 per child as long as they have a child at or below age 21 who received free or reduced meals at school in Texas during the 2019-20 school year. Families are also eligible for the benefit if their child attends a school where free meals are offered to all students or if they are ages 5-18 and received SNAP food benefits in March of 2020.
The online application must be completed if a family is not enrolled in SNAP or if a family has children under age 5 or between the ages of 19-21 that received SNAP benefits in March of 2020.
Eligible families that already receive SNAP will have their P-EBT benefits loaded onto their current loan star card. A P-EBT card will be mailed to families who do not receive SNAP benefits.
Receiving P-EBT benefits will not stop families from receiving additional benefits. The P-EBT may be used on fruit, meat, dairy, and bread products wherever SNAP food benefits are accepted.