Ohio children from Medicaid-eligible families will automatically qualify for free or reduced-price school meals in the coming school year after approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The policy complements existing practices for qualifying children for meals if they're in households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF).
The Ohio Department of Education announced this week it is one of 14 states recently selected by USDA for the "Direct Certification with Medicaid Demonstration Project" starting in the 2023-2024 academic year. The program uses Medicaid data to certify children as eligible for free or reduced-price meals without an additional application, and ODE says it will ensure more children receive meals.
As of October, an estimated 677,000 plus Ohio children qualified for free or reduced-price meals.
According to ODE, direct certification began in 2012 with seven states. In the coming school year, 39 states will use Medicaid data to qualify children for meals.
"There's a critical connection between meeting a student's basic needs and their success in the classroom," said Interim Superintendent Stephanie Siddens in a statement. "The Ohio Department of Education is thrilled to offer direct certification through the Medicaid application. This program will remove barriers for families and allow more of our most vulnerable students to eat healthy meals at school so they can focus on learning."
"Nutritious meals are an integral part of each instructional day for students. Direct certification works to ensure children in need aren't mistakenly left behind," said USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Midwest Regional Administrator Vista Suarez Fletcher. "It means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify."
Click here for more information about direct certification.
This article is from Hannah News Service.