FRANKFORT, Ky. — A third round of Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) funds will be distributed to thousands of Kentucky families later this month, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
P-EBT funds are available for both public and private school students in Kentucky who receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program and were unable to attend school in-person because of COVID-19.
This round of funding covers Oct. 2020 through the end of the 2020-21 academic year. Students will receive funds based on whether their schools are operating on a fully virtual or hybrid model.
Families who have already received P-EBT cards from either of the previous two distributions shouldn't need to do anything; the new money will be loaded onto the existing card starting the week of March 15.
If you need a replacement card, you can call 1-888-979-9949.
If a student receives food benefits through SNAP, the P-EBT benefits will be loaded to the head-of-household's EBT card.
Beshear said an estimated $74 million will be sent out through this new round of funding.
"The dollar figures don't mean as much to us as knowing the thousands of school children who will get access to nutritious meals through this funding," he said.
The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program is a federally-funded program that provides families with benefits equal to the value of breakfasts and lunches a student was not able to receive when schools were closed. The benefits can be used to purchase SNAP-eligible grocery items like meat, produce, and dairy products.
For more information on the P-EBT program, visit the Kentucky Cabinet of Health and Family Services website or contact the P-EBT Information Hub at pebt.info@ky.gov.
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