LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Note: The attached video is from an earlier report on unemployment fraud.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services is asking families to activate their Pandemic EBT cards as soon as possible to make sure every student receives their benefits.
Over 252,000 Arkansas students have received Pandemic EBT (or SNAP) benefits.
Because COVID-19 shut down schools back in March, children who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school received this extra food benefit.
This is a new and temporary food benefit to help families buy groceries because schools were closed.
However, DHS has heard from eligible families who either never received a card or enough cards per eligible child. DHS is working to get these benefits to these families.
If you already have a card, DHS asks you to follow the following steps:
- If you have a card and it is not yet activated, activate it immediately. DHS will be deactivating all cards not activated by Sept. 4 to make sure they went to the right addresses.
- You do not need to use the benefits on the card once activated – DHS just needs to know it went to the right place.
For families who haven’t gotten their benefits/card yet, DHS mailed cards to the address on file with your school in March of 2020. If your address has changed, follow these steps:
- E-mail your new information to pebt@dhs.arkansas.gov immediately. If you’ve already sent in an email, please do not send in another email.
- If you only got benefits for some of the eligible students in your family, send an email to the address above.
For those eligible who have not yet gotten them, new cards/benefits will be issued between Sept. 5 and Sept. 30, after the deactivation date.
DHS' goal is to have them out well before the end of September.
These Pandemic EBT benefits are only for students who were eligible for free or reduced-priced meals back in March when schools shut down.
The benefits are not available for students who are attending school virtually because schools are technically open.
DHS says to check with your school district about to-go meal options.