Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Tennessee Department of Human Services has announced that the department, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education, has launched the Summer EBT Program for the 2023-24 academic school year.

Summer EBT is a new supplemental nutrition benefit program that provides families $120 for each eligible school-aged child to buy groceries when school is out. Most families will get these benefits automatically if their child is enrolled in the National School Lunch Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Families First (TANF), and/or TennCare, but some parents will need to apply. The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) will distribute Summer EBT benefits based on records provided by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), school districts, and through funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service.

Students K-12 are eligible to receive benefits for Summer 2024 if they attended school for the 2023-24 academic school year in person and:

– The family is enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Families First (TANF), or TennCare (Medicaid) programs during the 2023-24 academic year. These families are automatically eligible to receive Summer EBT for the 2023-24 school year and will not need to apply for Summer EBT.

– Children who applied and qualified to receive free or reduced-price lunch at a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participant school during the 2023-24 academic year are also automatically eligible to receive Summer EBT and will not need to apply.

Summer EBT application is required for families who are not automatically enrolled but attended a NSLP-participating school during the 2023-24 school year. The application can be completed using the Summer EBT Parent Portal at https://onedhs.tn.gov/parent. Benefit approval will be based on income guidelines.

Families will receive a one-time lump sum of $120 per eligible child in Summer EBT benefits.

Summer EBT benefits will be provided on an EBT card and can be used to buy groceries after the card has been activated. The new Summer EBT card will be mailed to the eligible child’s home based on current school records.