P-EBT Summer 2022-23

P-EBT Summer 2023

Louisiana received federal approval to issue Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits (P-EBT) for the Summer of 2023 to families of children who:

Qualified for free or reduced-price school meals under the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program in May 2023, OR
Attended a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school, where all children receive free meals regardless of family income, in May 2023.

Eligible students will receive $120 to cover both June and July 2023. Benefits will be issued in a single payment in late summer.

Due to federal guidelines, children in childcare, homeschool, and non-NSLP virtual schools will not qualify for Summer 2023 benefits.

Schools will provide DCFS with a list of eligible students, and DCFS will then issue the benefits.

Summer P-EBT Benefits Issuance

Summer P-EBT benefits will be issued on Louisiana Purchase EBT cards in each eligible student's name.

New P-EBT Recipients

Students who have not previously received P-EBT will be mailed a card with Summer P-EBT benefits already loaded into it.
Parents should allow up to 30 days from receiving the 2023 Summer P-EBT flyer to receive their child's card in the mail.
For security purposes, the card will arrive in a plain white envelope.

Returning P-EBT Recipients

Benefits will be issued on your existing P-EBT card.
Balances can be checked in the P-EBT Parent Portal.

Activating P-EBT Cards

Local Student ID Number Needed

You will need your child's local Student ID number to enter in place of their Social Security Number when activating their P-EBT card.

If you do not know your child's local student ID number, some places where it is commonly found include:

Student Report Card
Grades Portal
Student ID Card
School Computer Login
School Library Card
School Medical Records Portal
IEP Record

If you cannot find your child's local student ID number, please contact your child's school district for assistance.

PINs Must Meet Requirements

When selecting a PIN for your child's P-EBT card, please note that the following patterns are not allowed.

Identical digits (111, 2222, 33233, etc.)
Consecutive digits (1234, 2345, 3456, etc.)
Numbers that start with one or more zeros (0657, 0051, 0001, etc.)
Last four digits of the child's Student ID number
Cardholder's birthdate

Activation Troubleshooting Tips Available

Additional troubleshooting tips for P-EBT card activation can be found at http://www.pebt-la.org.

Using EBT Cards

What Can I Buy With My P-EBT Card?

P-EBT cards can be used to purchase most food items at any store that accepts SNAP EBT cards. The cards cannot be used to purchase:

"Hot foods" (those prepared to eat at the store).
Alcohol.
Tobacco.
Non-food items such as:

Vitamins.
Medicines.
Soap and other hygiene items.
Paper goods.
Household supplies.
Pet food.

How Long Can I Use My Benefits?

Under new federal rules, federal food assistance benefits will be expunged, or removed, from a client’s EBT card nine months after the benefits were issued, unless the card has been used to make a purchase within the last nine months. If the card has been used, the benefits will remain on the card for nine months from the date of last purchase. Benefits are removed only if:

It has been nine months since the benefits were issued; AND
It has been nine months since you last used your EBT card.

Once benefits have been removed, they cannot be added back to your card.

Benefit Expungement

It has been nine months since the benefits were issued; AND
It has been nine months since you last used your EBT card.

Once benefits have been expunged, they cannot be added back to your card.