State officials implemented the summer EBT program for this season in the state of Illinois, which provides money to low-income families with school-age children. These funds are used to buy food during the summer months, when children do not attend school and, therefore, do not receive food in the school canteens.
The Summer Benefits Electronic Transfer Program, also known as SUN Bucks, provides low-income families with $120 in a one-time payment to buy food during summer months. The state of Illinois is one of the first to initiate this initiative, as officials said it is a significant need for the state program. It is estimated that more than one million children will receive assistance with these meals this summer in the state of Illinois.
The SUN Bucks Program in Illinois
SUN Bucks will come in the form of pre-loaded EBT cards and will reach the families most in need. Most of the children who need the help of this summer EBT program are already identified and will not even need to complete an application: they are automatically chosen to receive the $120. However, there are a number of conditions that make a family need to complete an application for SUN Bucks and they are as follows:
- Attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
- Not be eligible for Direct Certification for free or reduced-price meals, meaning they did not receive SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid for any month during the school year. (*Medicaid income must be at or below 185% of the federal poverty level to be eligible for Direct Certification.)
- Not yet have an approved application on file at your NSLP school for the current school year for free/reduced-price meals or alternative low-income verification.
Other States That Will Participate in the Summer EBT — SUN Bucks Program
Most states, territories, and tribes in the United States have signed up for the EBT 2024 summer program. The list is as follows:
- American Samoa
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Cherokee Nation
- Chickasaw Nation
- Colorado
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Osage Nation
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
A few states decided not to participate in this program for various reasons. Each state provided its own reasons for withdrawing from the program at least for this year. These are:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Oklahoma
- Mississippi
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Utah
Wyoming
The Summer EBTs are similar to the P-EBT program, i.e. pandemic EBTs, which were issued as an extraordinary emergency measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many children who automatically received P-EBT will not need to submit an application to receive Summer EBT.
Who is eligible for Summer EBT/SUN Bucks?
Children are automatically considered eligible if their household receives SNAP (food stamps). Children are also automatically eligible in most states if your household receives:
- TANF
- FDPIR (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations)
- Medicaid (about 39 states)
For children who are not automatically eligible (those who must submit an application) their household must be below 185% of the federal poverty line.