Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Human Services:
The Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi Department of Human Services have begun releasing P-EBT benefits to over 92,000 children who were under age six (6) and received SNAP benefits during the 2021-22 school year or summer 2022.
P-EBT cards for SNAP under age six recipients will be mailed between October 13, 2022 – October 22, 2022. Children who were under age six (6) and were members of an active SNAP case between August 2021 and July 2022 in Mississippi will receive one-time P-EBT benefits based on the number of months they received SNAP benefits.
To view a table of benefit amounts, please visit the MDHS P-EBT webpage (https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/pandemic-ebt-p-ebt/). Federal rules set these benefit amounts.
Distribution of P-EBT benefits to approximately 290,000 PreK-12 students who were eligible for the National School Lunch Program during the 2021-22 school year will begin later in October.
All eligible children will be issued a new P-EBT card. Families should check their mail closely for new cards arriving in the next few days.
For SNAP Under 6 children, the P-EBT card will be mailed to the family’s most updated address on file with the SNAP program.
For PreK-12 students, the P-EBT card will be mailed to the address provided by the child's 2021-22 school district. Student addresses were collected from school districts and the SNAP program during July and August. Cards cannot be forwarded.
The P-EBT Customer Service Center is ready to help families with questions about P-EBT. Parents can reach the call center through live chat on the MDHS P-EBT website or contact the call center at 1-833-316-2423, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am-5:30 pm.
P-EBT call center staff can review the address on file for eligible children and accept address update requests and eligibility review requests.
- For SNAP Under 6 children, we can only accept review requests from the individual listed as the Head of Household on the child’s most recent SNAP case.
- For PreK-12 students, we can only accept review requests from the parent/guardian listed for the child in school records at the end of the 2021-22 school year.
Once the review is submitted, the parent will receive email updates throughout the review process, letting them know the status of their review.
If the review is approved, the parent will receive a Verification Form by email that they will need to sign digitally. Once that form is signed, a new card will be provided to the family.
For step-by-step instructions on how to complete the Verification Form signature process, parents can visit the MDHS P-EBT website: https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/pandemic-ebt-p-ebt/.
P-EBT benefits can be used to purchase SNAP-eligible food items at stores that accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.
Children who were in PreK-12 at the end of the 2021-22 school year will receive a $391 one-time benefit. Eligibility for students enrolled in a Mississippi school is determined solely by their eligibility for Free or Reduced Priced Lunch under the National School Lunch Program at their school during the 2021-22 school year. Virtual or in-person learning modes are not considered in determining eligibility or benefit amount.
Eligibility for P-EBT is limited to those students who would have been eligible for free or reduced-price meals under normal school meal operations as part of the National School Lunch Program during the 2021-22 school year.
Completing an application for free or reduced-price lunch for the current 2022-23 school year after July 31, 2022, does not make a child eligible for the current round of P-EBT benefits.
For more information, visit our P-EBT website with updated P-EBT FAQ’S:
https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/pandemic-ebt-p-ebt/.
