10/03/2023
Good afternoon,
Please see the information about the P-EBT Benefits you may have received or will be receiving in the mail. Please note RSU # 38 is a Special Provision II participant and was unaware that these cards were being sent out. The information below will help you understand a bit more about the program and help you make an informed decision on how best to use them if you choose to do so.
P-EBT is a federal program administered in Maine by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). It began in May of 2020 as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 and ended in May of 2023. These cards contained the final payment to families.
This FAQ document, created by DHHS, contains additional information on the program and the multiple ways that families qualify. This includes families who have school-aged children eligible for free or reduced school lunch and children who attend a school that uses the federal Community Eligibility Provision or Special Provision II, which support schools in offering free school meals to all students through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Students at these schools are eligible for P-EBT regardless of their financial circumstances. No personal financial information was shared.
If families do not wish to use the cards, they can simply discard them. Unused benefits will be returned to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in nine months.
Families who have additional questions can call DHHS at 207-287-3707 or refer to the DHHS FAQ.