SUMMER Pandemic Electronic Benefits, or P-EBT, for the summer of school year 2020-2021 will be distributed beginning Saturday, Nov. 13 and end on Saturday, Nov. 20.
These benefits are an extension of the P-EBT program that provides Nutrition Assistance Program, or NAP, benefits to school-age children who lost access to school meals because their school was either closed or operating with reduced in-person attendance due to Covid-19.
The American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, which amended the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, authorizes the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to permit a state or territory to extend the P-EBT plan during the summer.
NAP Administrator Walter Macaranas on Friday said the CNMI plan to operate the program for 55 days of the summer was approved on Oct. 8.
The criteria for eligibility for summer benefits include the active enrollment of the student or child in a covered school during the last month of the school year.
High school students who were enrolled during the last month of the school year and have graduated would still be eligible for summer benefits.
A covered school is a school that receives School Breakfast Meals and National School Lunch Meals, either free or at a reduced price, from the PSS Child Nutrition Program, or CNP.
For most CNMI schools, the last month of the school year was May or June 2021. However, those who graduated earlier and those who dropped out of school will not be eligible for summer benefits, Macaranas said.
Summer benefits are also extended to NAP children under the age of 6. The child must be an active recipient during any of the summer months, such as June, July, and/or August 2021.
Applications for summer P-EBT will not be required for households that already receive regular P-EBT benefits. Summer benefits will be automatically processed for eligible children.
However, households that missed the submittal of an application for the regular P-EBT program will be required to submit an application for the Summer P-EBT program.
If a household inadvertently did not include a child/ren during the regular P-EBT application period and did not receive regular P-EBT benefits for their child/ren, the household will be required to submit an application for the unlisted children in order for the latter to receive summer benefits.
Applications can only be picked up at the NAP office located at the JTV Commercial Building in As Lito, Saipan; the Public Gymnasium in San Jose, Tinian; or at the NAP Office in Songsong, Rota.
Applications will be available for pickup from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from today, Oct. 18 through Tuesday, Nov. 30.
Applications must be submitted in person with a copy of the applicant’s valid photo ID at the designated locations by Tuesday, Nov. 30 no later than 4:30 p.m. There will be no extensions.
The reimbursement amount for summer benefits will be the same for each eligible child regardless of whether they were enrolled in public or private school.
Each eligible child will receive $438 for the summer.
The summer benefits will be provided in the form of NAP coupons and will be valid through Thursday, March 31, 2022.
The NAP office will distribute summer benefits from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. to families on Saipan via drive-thru at the As Lito office vicinity.
Distribution schedule for Tinian and Rota will be announced at a later date.
The distribution on Saipan will be issued based on the “last name” of the head of household who was designated as the parent or legal guardian on their children’s school record.
For more information about the Summer P-EBT program, call the P-EBT contact center at 287-3063/4/5.
