Implemented to help address food insecurity during the pandemic, the shifting mix of school reopenings during the 2020-21 school year and the complexity of administering the P-EBT program proved to be fundamental barriers in providing timely support to families, who ultimately went without needed benefits for at least half of the school year.
States faced several challenges, some a result of decisions made at the federal level, that prohibited administrators from having sufficient time to administer benefits within the school year. These challenges included:
Researchers offer several recommendations based on feedback from state agencies tasked with administering the P-EBT program that include providing more timely and clear federal guidance to program administrators and establishing more feasible options for state implementation. Additional recommendations include examining existing state infrastructure and discussing how the P-EBT program can be integrated to shorten the time between benefit authorization and receipt.
The nonprofit Urban Institute is dedicated to elevating the debate on social and economic policy. For nearly five decades, Urban scholars have conducted research and offered evidence-based solutions that improve lives and strengthen communities across a rapidly urbanizing world. Their objective research helps expand opportunities for all, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the effectiveness of the public sector. Visit the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center for more information specific to its staff and its recent research.
CONTACT RWJF
50 College Road East
Princeton, NJ 08540-6614
US Toll Free: (877) 843-7953
International: +1 (609) 627-6000
MANAGE YOUR GRANTS
©2001-
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. All Rights Reserved.