The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced Delaware is one of 14 states to participate in a demonstration project to review the use of Medicaid eligibility data to qualify students from low-income families to receive free and reduced lunches.
In the past, students were qualified based on information submitted on an application, according to a Jan. 12 USDA news release, and by adding Medicaid to the list, students can be certified as participants qualified to receive the reduced-price or fee meals. The USDA also noted families won’t have to fill out forms and schools won’t have to process the applications.
“Direct certification decreases errors in school meal program administration and helps ensure children in need receive healthy meals at school,” Food and Nutrition Service Mid-Atlantic Region Administrator Dr. Patty Bennett said in the news release.
According to the USDA news release, the other states participating in the program include Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming.
“With direct certification, the administrative burden on schools is reduced and the application process for families is simplified, thereby improving the integrity of this important nutrition program,” Bennett said in the news release.
The USDA noted the demonstration program will also offer a chance to test out the Medicaid certification process, started by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, according to the release.
