Arkansas joins the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program

Governor Sanders announced this week that Arkansas has joined the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program. The new EBT program will provide assistance to families to purchase food during the summer months for children who qualify for the National School Lunch Program. This year, the Summer EBT program will provide $120 in food benefits for each eligible child over the summer.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services and the Department of Education submitted a joint notice to the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service stating Arkansas intends to participate in the Summer EBT program. The two state agencies will now collaborate on a state operation plan that will detail how benefits will be administered beginning in the summer of 2024.

The benefit will be provided on pre-loaded EBT cards similar to ones used for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. These cards can be used by eligible families to purchase groceries.

School-aged children who receive SNAP benefits are eligible and will automatically qualify for the Summer EBT benefits. If a students attends an NSLP school and has individually been determined to be eligible for free and reduced meals, the student will automatically qualify for Summer EBT benefits as well.

Benefits provided to eligible families through the Summer EBT are federally funded, and the administration of the program will be evenly split between federal and state funding.