West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has a call center that is available to assist those needing more information or support:
1-866-545-6502 Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Final P-EBT Issuance
The West Virginia Department of Education and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources are pleased to announce the final P-EBT issuance under the federally-declared public health emergency.
Summer 2023 P-EBT Benefits
The State of West Virginia will issue a final, one-time benefit to eligible students for the Summer 2023 period. Eligibility criteria is as follows:
- The student must have attended a West Virginia school that participates in the National School Lunch Program;
- The Student must be enrolled in that school as of May 15, 2023 for the 2022-2023 school year.
- The student must qualify for free or reduced-price school meals through one of the following:
- Direct certification through an eligible public benefit (such as SNAP); or
- Approved household income application; or
- Attends a school that participates in the Community Eligibility Provision
Federal Changes For Summer 2023:
Based upon the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023
- Households with children under the age of 6 that are not yet enrolled in school and reside in a household that receives SNAP are not eligible for the Summer 2023 benefit. This is in line with revised federal law and cannot be disputed.
- The Summer PEBT benefit amount is $120/eligible child. This is a reduction from previous summer benefits. This amount is outlined in revised federal law and cannot be disputed.
Note:
Letters from DHHR should start to reach households ahead of benefits being made available on PEBT cards. These letters will begin to reach households the week of June 5, 2023.
Benefits will be available to use on Monday, June 12, 2023.
Before June 12 – Customers may see a “pending” notification in their EBT Edge account and/or app prior to the benefits being available to use. This is a normal notice and there is no action needed when you get this notice.
Benefits issued do have expungement dates – according to when they were issued. This means that any unused benefits on cards will be removed 274-days after issuance and released back to the US Treasury in accordance with federal rules. Summer 2023 benefits will expunge on March 12, 2024.
More Information
- If you have a student that previously received PEBT and you still have their card, there are no further actions for you to take at this time. If your student is still enrolled in an eligible school as of May 15, 2023 and meets the criteria for free or reduced-price meals as outlined above, you should expect to receive the benefit when it becomes available.
- If your student previously received a PEBT card but they are no longer eligible (either based on enrollment or free/reduced-price status) they will not receive the benefit when it becomes available.
- If you believe your student is eligible but you no longer have their PEBT card, please call 1-866-545-6502 for assistance. Please note: They will only be able to speak to the primary guardian on file with the child’s school.
- If your child is newly eligible for PEBT this year, you can expect to receive correspondence to the address on file with the student’s school. Please retain this letter. It will have important activation information you will need when your student’s card arrives in the mail later.
- Most students will have a card previously issued to them from past issuances of PEBT. If your student is eligible for the Summer 2023 PEBT, and you have updated any changes in address and/or guardianship with your child’s school system, a new card will be issued to you by DHHR. Please keep your letter you will receive as it contains important card activation instructions.