Food for Thought Summer 2023

QUARTERLY UPDATES

Effective Date Waiver Schools that have been approved for the effective date waiver can apply the waiver to both application processing and students found to be directly certified. If you are unsure whether you have the effective date waiver, please contact your assigned field specialist. Verification for Cause Sponsors can verify applications for cause at any point in the school year. Households that did not respond to verification efforts the previous year and applied and were approved for meal benefits must be verified for cause after the application has been processed and approved. All other applications can be voluntarily verified for cause according to the local policy on verification for cause. Disclosure Only those considered “need to know” of student eligibility determinations can have access to free and reduced information. While some information sharing requests will not require parental permission, many do. Please review the IDOE Disclosure Chart prior to sharing information with employees outside of those in need to know.

Direct Certification Reminders • DC lists must be pulled within CNPweb in the current program year. For the school year 2023-2024, DC lists will be pulled in Program Year 2024. • DC lists are provided based on data from the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Department of Child Services (DCS), and through the enrollment reported in Data Exchange. Because the Data Exchange is not updated in July, the July and August matches are likely to include graduated seniors and not include new and first year students. • Ensure each student receives the benefit for which they are approved. When reviewing the sheets, the “Source” column will list the program code for the student. Review the codes and eligibility for each on page 5 of the DC Guide. • DC reduced students can only receive the reduced benefit unless the household submits an income application and is approved for free benefits. • Issues or questions related to DC can be submitted in the DC Help Form. This form is reviewed daily for new submissions. 30 Day Carry-over Households can receive the meal benefit from the previous school year for up to 30 operating days of the next school year. Once a new application has been processed or DC status has been determined, the new status takes effect. Schools should contact households that have not established a current year eligibility determination by the 20th school day to notify them of the expiration of the 30 day carry-over.

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