The West Virginia Department of Human Services, in conjunction with the West Virginia Department of Education, began mailing West Virginia Summer EBT benefits to eligible students on June 16.
The WV-SEBT program will provide short-term grocery benefit assistance to income-eligible households with school-age children during the summer months. The application period opened on April 22. Applications will be accepted until Aug. 20.
“Ensuring every child has access to nutritious meals is a cornerstone of building strong, healthy communities,” said Janie Cole, DoHS Bureau for Family Assistance commissioner. “The launch of West Virginia’s Summer EBT program represents a crucial step forward in supporting residents by providing essential grocery assistance during the summer months, as we maintain our commitment to fostering a brighter future for West Virginia children.”
Each eligible student will receive a one-time benefit of $120 on a new Summer EBT card in the name of the student. Benefits will not be loaded onto previous Pandemic EBT cards or existing Mountain State EBT cards. Summer EBT cards will be mailed to the address on file with the child’s school or their public benefit case. Households should allow up to two weeks to receive the Summer EBT card(s). All eligible students will receive their Summer EBT cards by July 12. DoHS will not replace any WV-SEBT cards prior to July 12.
As a reminder, unlike PEBT, which ended when federal emergency orders expired, not all children that attend a school where all students eat for free will automatically receive the benefit. Children will be deemed eligible based upon their household’s low-income status. Eligible children include those attending a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program and residing in a low-income household that qualifies for free or reduced-price school meals.
Additionally, if a West Virginia household is already receiving certain public benefits, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or West Virginia WORKS, and has school-aged children between the ages of six and 17, those children will automatically be enrolled in Summer EBT, regardless of their method of schooling.
Households of students who do not receive public benefits will need to apply and be income eligible to receive Summer EBT. Income limits for WV-SEBT can be found at wvde.us/wv-sebt/. The online application can be found at schoolcafe.com. Households can access a paper application at all DoHS county offices. For more information, call 1-866-545-6502.
