Meal Applications

Applications are only good for the school year in which they are submitted. If you applied prior to June 30, that application is no longer valid, and you must reapply for the next school year on or after July 1.

No, each year, students are given a 30-school-day grace period. They receive the prior year’s benefit for the first 30 school days or when a new benefit is established, whichever comes first. Households using the grace period eligibility are notified on or around the 20th day of school to remind them to reapply. If a new eligibility is not established, on the 31st day of school, those students change to full pay status.

The state agency (Indiana Department of Education) provides the Child Nutrition Department with a list of students who receive benefits from assistance programs that qualify them for meal benefits. Students listed on case numbers for SNAP, TANF, Medicaid (some, income-based only), and ward of state foster children are included in the automatic eligibility. Direct certification eligibility must be established annually. The matching system relies on accurate and updated enrollment data, so even if you participate in these programs, if you do not receive a notification letter stating your child is automatically eligible for the current/upcoming school year, please complete a meal benefit application. 

No, if you received a letter stating that you were found to be directly certified for the current/upcoming school year, you do not need to complete an income application.

Sometimes, not all household children are identified as directly certified. Children who are directly certified by SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid participation can have their eligibility extended to all children who live in the household. Please contact the Child Nutrition office to add the other children. 

Not all who receive Medicaid will be automatically approved for meal benefits. Direct certification by Medicaid uses the income listed on the Medicaid application to determine eligibility for the USDA child nutrition meal programs. This is why there are both Medicaid Free and Medicaid Reduced direct certification statuses.

Students who receive Medicaid for disability or those who receive Medicaid as part of post-adoption benefits from foster care will not be eligible to be directly certified for meal benefits because their Medicaid benefit is not tied to household income. Households with these students can apply based on household income.

All people who live in the household, related or not, should be included. Students away at school who come home when school is not in session can be included along with income received as household adults. If you have a unique living situation and aren’t sure who to include, please contact the Child Nutrition office.

No, federal requirements limit the case number section to only include SNAP or TANF case numbers. Medicaid case numbers cannot be used to automatically approve a household for meal benefits. 

Every income received by those living in the household must be included on the application. Lump-sum income or payments must be reported, including those that are not traditionally taxed, such as disability and veteran’s disability income. If you are unemployed but receiving assistance in the form of cash income or are using savings as income, that amount must be reported as income. If you have questions about what income to include, please contact the Child Nutrition office. 

Maybe. If the child in your care is a ward of the state foster child, they are eligible to automatically receive free meal benefits. If the child in your care is homeless or runaway, please mark them as such on a household application, and we will confirm with the district homeless liaison to establish eligibility for free meals. If the child in your care is not a ward of the state nor homeless or runaway, they are not automatically eligible for free meals, but may be included on your household application. 

Because the USDA child nutrition programs are federally funded, state courts cannot approve the child for meal benefits as part of educational expenses. You will need to qualify for meal benefits using a household income application. Adoption subsidy payments must be included as income on the application. 

No, foreign exchange students should come to the US with enough money to pay for living expenses. While they do not automatically receive meal benefits, they can be included on household income applications along with other household members and receive the same benefit as other students in the household.

Meal benefits cannot be applied retroactively. Students may charge complete meals to their account without limit. If your child ate meals prior to being approved for free or reduced meals or purchased a meal after the grace period ended and before you reapplied, they will have a negative account balance. Households are responsible for negative balances. If you have questions about negative balances, please contact the Child Nutrition office.

Students who attend one of MCCSC’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools receive breakfast and lunch free of charge. When they transfer to a non-CEP school, households have a 30-day free eligibility grace period (or until a new eligibility is established, whichever comes first) before they change to full pay status. To continue to receive free meal benefits, please help us determine eligibility using the meal benefit application or confirm Direct Certification status. If you have questions, please contact the Child Nutrition office.