Atlanta Georgia Ebt Snap Violation Attorney
11 Alive news had the following story on Snap benefits:
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s office confirms the Peach State will not participate in a new federal program aimed at reducing child hunger during the summer months.
The state’s decision to opt out means rejecting tens of millions in federal funding intended to support low-income families.
The decision by state leaders comes as the USDA launches the new Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) program for the summer of 2024. According to the USDA, benefits would supplement existing Summer Nutrition Programs, SNAP and WIC and will come in the form of funds pre-loaded onto cards which families can use to buy groceries. Eligible children, the majority of which are those who qualify for free or reduced lunch, will receive $120 in food benefits over the summer ($40 per month).
While more than 30 states indicated to the USDA they will participate in the federal program this year, Georgia will not.
The decision comes as nearly 64% of Georgia public school students currently qualify for free and reduced lunch, indicating more than 1 million children in the state could have qualified for the benefits the USDA offered. The nonprofit Food Research & Action Center estimates that would have resulted in more than $138 million in benefits for Georgia families this summer, a time advocates say can be detrimental for students dependent on school meals.
“Ensuring Georgia children have access to a healthy and nutritious meal throughout the year remains vitally important to this administration, particularly when students are out of school for the summer,” Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for the governor, said via email. “Unlike the many successful programs Georgia already has in place, the most notable being GaDOE’s Seamless Summer Option, which alone provided millions of breakfast and lunch meals to students statewide last year, this federal Covid-era EBT program not only lacks basic nutritional requirements and sustainability but fails to address the mission of improving the health and wellness of our children. Therefore, along with our neighboring states, Georgia opted not to participate in the proposed EBT program and instead remains focused on well-established and effective programs that are tailored to address our state’s specific needs by providing necessary nutrition and engagement to families and kids.”
“Each year Georgia’s schools serve about a million students through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and when schools let out for summer, those children still need to eat,” Kelcie Silvio, Senior Policy Analyst with Voices for Georgia’s Children, said in an email to 11Alive. “Historically, many of those children have been unable to participate in summer meal programs. Summer EBT would be one efficient way to help families put food on the table for their children. Unfortunately, while it may be too late for this year, we are hopeful the state considers Summer EBT for 2025.”
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service has been testing the Summer EBT program in various forms since 2011, before Congress made the program permanent in December 2022 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
Atlanta Georgia Ebt Snap Violation Attorney
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