The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced which states, territories and native tribes are participating in the new SUN Bucks program, an initiative aimed at families with school-age children who depend on food provided in school canteens to supplement their nutrition.
The FNS is the same federal agency that coordinates, from Washington and for all US states and territories, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP benefits.
In fact, households of school-age children who are enrolled in the SNAP program, as well as in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) initiative, are already automatically enrolled in the list of approved beneficiaries to receive the $120 on their SUN Bucks EBT card.
Each participating state administers as they best understand the administration and distribution dates of the EBT cards to the families who qualified for SUN Bucks. However, if your family does not automatically qualify, they can submit an application to receive the funds if they feel they are eligible and need that financial assistance during the summer months.
Final list of states distributing Summer SNAP Benefits — SUN Bucks
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Illinois (SNAP/TANF)
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Montana
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- New York (P-EBT)
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (P-EBT)
Apart from the states, which are formally part of the conformation of the United States, there are also the tribal territories that have their own special jurisdictions:
- American Samoa (food coupons)
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (food coupons)
- Washington, District of Columbia
- Guam (P-EBT)
- Puerto RIco (NAP Benefits)
Who Qualifies to Receive SUN Bucks S-EBT?
Eligible families are those who have school-age minors must meet the following requirements, in case they want to apply for SUN Bucks benefits:
- Are between the ages of 5 and 18 and receive SNAP or TANF anytime between July 1, 2023 and March 22, 2024.
- Attend a public or private school that participates in the National School Lunch Program.
- Be enrolled in preschool, elementary, middle or high school, or are adult learners.
- Household income must be at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. For example, for a family of 4 people, that equates to $55,500 a year, at most.
- Both U.S. citizens and resident aliens with certain accepted immigration statuses can qualify.
If you are within the category of those who qualified automatically, they should not submit any application, and the EBT card will be sent without any necessary procedure to the registered residence address for the household.
Users must use the entire $120 before the deadline of 120 days after the issuance expires. After that, the unused money will disappear, and will not be possible to claim it back.
If you want to know more about the SUN Bucks program and how to qualify, find all the information on the official website of the initiative here.
Some States Opted Out of the SUN Bucks Program:
Not every state in the US is participating in the SUN Bucks program. In fact, some opted out and here is the list of those states:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Mississippi
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Utah
- Wyoming