General Updates
Education Identity and Access Management (EDIAM) Security Update Notice
On May 6, a new version of the Minnesota Department of Education's (MDE) EDIAM Security System was deployed to production. Any user who created a web browser favorite (called bookmarks in some browsers) that links to the EDIAM login page instead of the P-EBT portal itself will have a broken favorite link. This is due to a problem with the web browser favorite, not with the EDIAM Security System.
A document has been added to the MDE Data Submissions webpage with step-by-step instructions on how to correctly create a web browser favorite linked to an EDIAM-secured web application.
Department of Human Services (DHS) Call Center Update/Translation Services
The DHS call center is continuing to work through high call volumes while training and recruiting additional call center staff. In communicating with parents, please direct them to the DHS P-EBT Help Form if they would like to receive a call back from DHS versus waiting on hold when calling the hotline. In order to avoid further delay, individuals should complete one web form request and provide specific questions/details in the request. DHS staff are working diligently to respond to all help form requests.
For households that need call center translation services, the best option is to have the household complete or assist the household in completing a help form that requests the language translation that is needed.
Household Address Changes
Once an individual student status in the P-EBT portal indicates Sent to DHS for Processing, DHS has already captured address information from the P-EBT portal into a separate system used to generate the P-EBT cards. If you receive calls from households needing to update their address or wanting to change the distribution end point from parent to school, you can:
- Check to see if the student status in the P-EBT portal indicates Sent to DHS for Processing. If so, the household must contact DHS to update their address and re-issue the card. Updating the address in the P-EBT portal will not get communicated to DHS at that point in the process.
- If the student status indicates Data has not been sent to DHS, you can update the address in the P-EBT and it will be sent over to DHS when a benefit is generated for the student. You will also want to investigate why the student's information has not been sent to DHS for processing:
- The student is not marked as eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS)
- The student's information in MARSS (first name, last name, birthdate, gender and/or state student ID) does not match the information in the P-EBT portal
- The student does not attend a school that participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) prior to the pandemic
- The student is in early learning, but does not attend one of the four approved early learning programs/methods that are eligible for P-EBT
- The student has been entered into the P-EBT portal after the last data deadline and before the next data deadline. See the Benefit Issuance Timeline.
School Learning Model Changes
Remember to keep the learning model portal data up to date for the schools in your school/district using the District and School Site Verification System so that students receive the correct benefit level. Note that as more schools transition from distance learning to hybrid or in-person, the benefit levels for students following the school learning model will be reduced from previous months. Refer households to the frequently updated DHS P-EBT FAQ for additional information about benefits.
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P-EBT May 2021 Update for Schools Webinar – Rescheduled
In order to provide the most timely updates based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recent release of summer P-EBT guidance and early learning questions received, the P-EBT program updates webinar originally scheduled for Thursday, May 13, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, May 25, from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.
If you already registered for the original session, you do not need to register a second time. Register for the P-EBT program updates webinar on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, 8:30-9:45 a.m. Note that the registration form will not reflect the updated webinar date, but the calendar invite that is sent after registration is correct. Program updates will be provided, followed by a question and answer session. If we are unable to answer your specific questions during the webinar, please email us after the session.
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P-EBT Benefit Disbursement during Summer Months
In preparation for summer benefits, please complete the following three tasks to ensure that P-EBT benefit disbursement continues for students in your school. Additional information about summer benefits will be made available at the webinar on May 25, 2021.
- Upload all K-12 students were eligible for free and reduced-price meals in school year (SY) 2020-21 into the P-EBT portal, regardless of the school learning model. Also upload all free and reduced-price meal eligible students that are registered in the early learning programs approved for P-EBT. School year benefits will still be based on learning model, but the link between learning model and benefits may be adjusted for the summer.
- Ensure you receive P-EBT bulletins at an email address you can access over the summer. Consider having a backup individual at your district sign up for P-EBT bulletins to cover vacation/break periods. Sign up to receive the P-EBT bulletin.
- Plan for some P-EBT tasks to take place over the summer. Since USDA released summer P-EBT guidance, MDE and DHS have been busy determining how summer benefits will be disbursed. We do know that some work will need to be done at the school district level. School districts will need to make plans for having a staff person available on a limited basis for P-EBT activities including:
- processing any SY 2020-21 applications for educational benefits received through June 30
- entering new students and editing existing students in the P-EBT portal when necessary
- distributing and receiving SY 2021-22 applications for educational benefits according to the school's normal timelines and date stamping applications with the date they were received by the school for the possibility of retroactive benefits for newly eligible students after July 1
Consider planning for summer P-EBT tasks now, especially if current P-EBT coordinators have contracts that end in May or June.
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P-EBT Reimbursement for Staff Time
USDA recently made additional funding available for reimbursement of local level staffing costs associated with P-EBT. Streamlined funding reimbursement for P-EBT activities will be communicated with school business managers (public schools) and Cyber-Linked Interactive Child Nutrition System (CLiCS) sponsor contacts (nonpublic schools) later this month.
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New and Updated Documents
The P-EBT Data Portal launch webpage is updated frequently with new resources and information. Below is a list of new and updated information on that webpage:
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