Eligibility for Free and Reduced-Meal Programs Announced
Changes to method of identifying eligible students should help serve more needy children
OLYMPIA - Sept. 16, 2003 - Schools in Washington play a vital role in serving families by providing nutritious free and reduced-price meals to needy children and youth. With the goal of reaching out to all eligible students, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is publicizing the guidelines for eligibility and the procedures that schools and families must follow.
Eligible families are encouraged to enroll in the following programs funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by OSPI: National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and Special Milk Program.
Parents can expect their children to bring an application form and a letter home during the first week of school from schools that provide the meals or milk programs. Parents whose children are eligible to participate in these programs should complete the application form and return it to their children's school in early September.
The information provided on the application is confidential and will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year by schools or other program officials.
Additionally, beginning this school year (2003-04), the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is changing its method of notifying families receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Basic Food Program (formerly Food Stamp Program) of their children's automatic eligibility.
DSHS will no longer provide letters to households. Instead, DSHS will download data into OSPI's new student database to match students participating in the Basic Food Program or TANF with individual student information provided by the school district.
Households will be notified if their children are part of this match. Households will not be required to complete applications for children identified through this matching process. Every public school has access to this database, which identifies students enrolled in school who are currently eligible for the free meal program.
An application should be completed for students who are not part of the match. The application must contain the names of the children, the TANF, Basic Food or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) case number and the signature and name of an adult household member.
Households that do not receive TANF, Basic Food or FDPIR must complete an application that shows names of household members, income by source and the social security number of the adult who completes the application. If the adult does not have a social security number, a box stating "I do not have a social security number" may be checked.
All applications will be reviewed to determine eligibility under the provisions of the free and reduced-price policy. Parents wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on a denial may make a request either orally or in writing to the hearing official the school has designated. For specific information as to the name of the determining official and/or hearing official for a specific school or the district, parents or guardians should contact the school(s) their children attend.
Households are required to report increases in the household income of over $50 per month or $600 per year and decreases in household size. Households listing a Basic Food, TANF or FDPIR case number must report when these benefits no longer are being received.
Households may apply for benefits at any time during the school year. If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the family should contact the school. Such changes may make the children of the household eligible for reduced-price meals or for additional benefits, such as free meals, if the family income falls at or below the levels indicated in the guidelines below.
The monthly income eligibility guidelines listed below are used to determine the eligibility of children to receive free or reduced-price meals or free milk.
USDA CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM
MONTHLY INCOME GUIDELINES
(Effective July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004)
| FAMILY SIZE | FREE | REDUCED-PRICE |
| 1 | $ 973 | $1,385 |
| 2 | 1,313 | 1,869 |
| 3 | 1,654 | 2,353 |
| 4 | 1,994 | 2,837 |
| 5 | 2,334 | 3,321 |
| 6 | 2,674 | 3,805 |
| 7 | 3,014 | 4,289 |
| 8 | 3,354 | 4,773 |
| Each additional member add | $+341 | $+485 |
For information concerning participating schools, contact Bette Brandis, OSPI Child Nutrition Services, at 360.725.6200.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
About OSPI
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is the primary agency charged with overseeing K-12 education in Washington state. Led by State School Superintendent Dr. Terry Bergeson, OSPI works with the state's 296 school districts and nine Educational Service Districts to administer basic education programs and implement education reform on behalf of more than one million public school students. For more information, visit the OSPI Web site.
September 15, 2003