Automatic Free School Meals for Children on Medicaid and SSI.
This Act aims to eliminate school hunger by automatically qualifying children whose families already participate in Medicaid or receive SSI for free or reduced-price school meals. Starting in the 2025 school year, states must implement data-sharing procedures, meaning parents will no longer need to fill out separate applications for school breakfast and lunch. This significantly simplifies access to meals for low-income families.
Key points
Children enrolled in Medicaid (with incomes up to 133% of the poverty line) will be automatically certified for free or reduced-price school meals.
The introduction of "Direct Certification" means parents no longer need to submit separate meal applications if their child is already receiving Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
The Commissioner of Social Security must provide necessary data for the automatic certification of children receiving SSI.
Expired
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