HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Pandemic assistance is still rolling into the island, this time for a specific group of children under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Children six years of age and under who are part of a SNAP household will receive the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer for nutritional assistance.
“Children in child care are eligible for benefits if they are enrolled in SNAP and their child care facility is closed or operating with reduced attendance or hours, or if they live in the area of a school that is closed or operating with reduced attendance or hours,” the Guam State Plan said.
The P-EBT is a type of food stamp card that will cover school year 2021-2022 for the months of August 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022, said the Department of Public Health and Social Services in a release on Friday.
The nutritional assistance plan approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services estimated that $3.1 million would be issued to approximately 5,800 SNAP-enrolled children in childcare for the identified period.
“Guam will calculate monthly benefits for each eligible child in the household equal to the daily reimbursement for a free breakfast, lunch, and snack multiplied by the number of benefit days calculated as described in the State’s plan,” the State Plan said.
The daily benefit rate calculated for the free reimbursement of breakfast, lunch and a snack for Guam is $8.28.
This means that a SNAP-enrolled child in daycare for a full semester will receive $364.85 for the fall and $205.40 for the spring, according to the Guam State Plan.
Public Health will distribute P-EBT cards to SNAP households eligible for the reimbursement.
“The department will be mailing out eligibility letters and calling the SNAP head of household starting … Sept. 22, 2023 … Distribution of P-EBT cards will start on Monday, Sept. 25 through Friday Sept. 29, 2023, beginning at 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” Public Health said.
Those who already have a P-EBT card and children under six years old for SY21-22 will have benefits automatically uploaded to existing cards.
Department of Public Health and Social Services Claims Specialist Annie Caseres issues Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to an applicant at the Micronesia Mall center court.
