P-EBT, DTA & food insecurity data, MLRI/GBLS training, Memorial Day messaging
05/22/20
P-EBT update - notices/cards were mailed to kids who don't get DTA benefits
Notices and P-EBT cards for non-DTA families began going out this week to hundreds of thousands of kids across the state. The notices - addressed to the eligible child - will arrive prior to the cards. The P-EBT cards are mailed by Conduent (the MA EBT vendor) and will be mailed from their processing center in Indiana, while DTA notices are mailed locally in MA. Please tell families to save the notices because the notice has the child's case number - this P-EBT case number is necessary to PIN the P-EBT card. For a copy of the notice, see here. The notice was sent in English and Spanish with this babel notice in other languages identified by DESE.
If families a) don't have the notice when they get the card or b) have moved and do not think the school has their most up to date address (the address on file with the school district is the address the P-EBT card was mailed to) the family should call Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline 1-800-645-8333.
Feeding America food insecurity data - 1 in 7 MA residents food insecure
Particular data to note in MA:
- MA food insecurity has increased by 53%, 1 in 7 for the total population and 1 in 5 children
- For MA children, food insecurity is projected to increase 81% this year - the 2nd highest rate nationally after North Dakota
- GBFB distributed 8.1 million pounds of food in March and 9.5 in April - the previous high in its 40-year history was 5.7 million
- U.S. grocery prices rose 2.6% in April 2020, the biggest one month increase since 1974. MA already had the highest ‘cost per meal’ in the country
This data is stunning, but it is not surprising. DTA has shared about 80,000 households have come onto SNAP since the crisis began - but we know many are not yet connected to SNAP or important DTA cash assistance programs. Connecting all low-income families who are eligible with DTA benefits is a key way to fight food insecurity and boost the MA economy.
MLRI and GBLS training: DTA Benefits & COVID-19
Please join MLRI's Vicky Negus and GLBS welfare law unit senior attorney Lizbeth Ginsburg for a training on how to access DTA benefits and learn about special policies and programs during COVID-19.
Date and time: Monday, June 1 from 10:30 - Noon. Please register by completing this google form. After registering, you will get the Zoom information.
This training is geared at community advocates, legal services, the emergency food delivery system, social workers, health care providers, and others who work with low-income households and communities. Recipients and low-income households are welcome as well. We plan to cover the following topics and have time for a robust Q&A:
Date and time: Monday, June 1 from 10:30 - Noon. Please register by completing this google form. After registering, you will get the Zoom information.
This training is geared at community advocates, legal services, the emergency food delivery system, social workers, health care providers, and others who work with low-income households and communities. Recipients and low-income households are welcome as well. We plan to cover the following topics and have time for a robust Q&A:
- How to apply and basics of eligibility for SNAP, TAFDC, and EAEDC - with focus on process during COVID-19
- Policies for those currently on benefits, including what to do if unemployment benefits begins
- EBT cards - how to get, how to use, and household rights
- Access for special populations - disability, Domestic Violence, Limited English Proficient
- SNAP & immigrant families: basics of eligibility rules & public charge
- Emergency supplemental SNAP during COVID-19
- P-EBT for children eligible for free/reduced price school meals
- Resources
Updated DTA data & DTA Connect resources
DTA posted its May Scorecard here. Of particular note:
- 63%, on average, of callers to the Assistance Line who were trying to reach a worker were disconnected due to high call volume.
- DTA got 198,508 more calls during the day in April 2020 than it did in April 2019 (a 156% increase)
- DTA got 50,353 more applications in April than it did in February.
Also, DTA has posted a DTA Connect Q&A on DTA Connect services, troubleshooting problems, and what to do if households cannot access DTA Connect services during times of high volume.
Messaging & action on HEROES Act over the Memorial Day weekend
Please see the below from FRAC, including action steps while Senators are home for the Memorial Day recess next week. We also encourage you to read this Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' new blog post –SNAP is Responding to Increased Need, Early Evidence Shows - on how SNAP is responding to increased need during the current public health and economic crisis, and to tweet / social media these 4 CBPP videos on why we need a 15% boost to SNAP.
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