BATON ROUGE - Though Phase 1 of the statewide reopening allows many of Louisiana's residents to return to work, needy families whose financial hardships have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic continue to struggle.

So, the federal government has taken steps to protect the nutritional well-being of school-age children from families who fall into the aforementioned category.

By means of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, the Department of Children and Family Services is providing P-EBT benefits to children who would be recipients of free or reduced-price meals at their schools if schools hadn't been forced to close amid the health crisis.

Once the system verifies that a student had been receiving school lunches free of cost or at a reduced price, this child is automatically eligible for P-EBT benefits. 

Parents must complete an application to see if their children qualify for the benefits.

Click here to begin the application.