Program Updates
Early Learning Programs
If you haven't already done so, please review the April 12, 2021, P-EBT Bulletin on adding students from Early Learning Programs to the P-EBT portal.
Summer P-EBT
The American Rescue Plan Act extends P-EBT through the summer. We will share more information as soon as we receive guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
P-EBT Follow Up Training
If you were unable to attend the P-EBT Follow Up Training on Tuesday, April 20, you can view the training recording or the training slides. The training included program updates, answers to common questions or issues and a demonstration of helpful features in the P-EBT portal.
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Reminder: Update School Learning Model
Please remember to keep your school learning model information updated. Your site verification coordinator can update this information in the District and School Site Verification System. P-EBT benefit amounts are based on the school learning model, so it is very important to update it when there are changes.
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District/School vs. P-EBT Hotline Responsibilities
We know you are receiving many phone calls and emails from families asking about their P-EBT benefits. District/school staff are responsible for five main tasks related to P-EBT.
- Questions about free/reduced-price meal status and applications
- Opting out of P-EBT benefits (view the Instructions for Manual Entry and Bulk Upload)
- Changing parent/guardian name, phone number or email address (mailing address must be changed by the call center if the card has already been mailed)
- Making changes to student-elected distance learner dates
- Adding eligible students
The P-EBT Hotline staff are responsible for answering any questions about the benefit amount, eligibility, address changes (if the card has already been mailed), new card requests and most other P-EBT questions. Families can call 651-431-4608 or 1-833-454-0153 or submit questions through the P-EBT Help Form.
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How to Limit P-EBT Questions from Families
The P-EBT Hotline directs families to the district's P-EBT coordinator when the student is not listed in the P-EBT portal or when the family disagrees with the student-elected distance learning dates. Unfortunately, the Hotline staff are not equipped to identify the reasons for these situations and cannot make changes to the information. We recommend four actions to limit the number of calls you receive.
- Update Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS) frequently
- Update the P-EBT portal with newly eligible students
- Make sure all eligible students are included in the portal
- Make corrections to student errors in the portal (a red X signifies an error)
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Data Changes in the P-EBT Portal
If you make manual updates to student information in the P-EBT portal, remember that future file uploads will replace changes with any information in the file. This applies to any data in the Student Details tab. Information in the Student Associations tab will be retained and added onto (e.g., school enrollment, student-elected distance learner dates).
Address Changes
Schools may update address information if P-EBT benefit data has not yet been sent to the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) for processing. If P-EBT benefit data has been sent to DHS, address changes must be made by calling the P-EBT Hotline. You can check the status of the benefit data in one of two ways:
- Under the Students tab in the portal, click on the student's name. In the right hand columns, see the message under Benefit Transfer Status.
- Under the Summary and Export of Students tab in the portal, scroll down and export a list of all students. The second to last column lists the benefit transfer status.
Parent/Guardian Name Changes
The P-EBT Hotline staff can only speak to the parent/guardian listed in the portal. If the wrong person is listed, schools must update this information. Once the Hotline staff sees the update, the new parent/guardian listed can call the P-EBT Hotline to change their address and/or request a new card to be mailed. At that time, the original card is de-activated and any remaining funds will be available on the new card.
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School Distribution of Cards
If you requested some or all of your school's P-EBT cards to be mailed to the school's address, please read the School Distribution of P-EBT Cards document for guidance. Please remind families that they will need to use the school's ZIP code to activate their card if the card was mailed to the school.
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