By: Rachel Cahill, Visiting Fellow, Public Benefits Sofia Charlot, Co-author Since the launch of the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program in the spring of 2020, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), and thousands of Ohio schools have worked tirelessly to ensure that federal funds help...
Low-income families with children across Ohio are receiving a much-needed boost in food assistance this summer, thanks to the continuation of the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program. In June 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved two plans by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to...
The flexibility and expansions that kept many households afloat during the pandemic will end when the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires, perhaps as soon as July, causing a COVID Cliff. Families still fighting to gain stability will face the end of enhanced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the redetermination of the full Medicaid...
From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent Public Health Emergency (PHE) it was clear that in order to mitigate the virus’ harm on our public health infrastructure, our economy and life as we knew it, governments, from Congress to City Hall, needed to prioritize strengthening the health and human service safety net. Across...
On November 16, 2021, Ohio became one of the first three states in the country to receive federal approval to implement a Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program during the 2021-2022 school year. Thanks to strong planning and coordination between the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), and school...
Ensuring that children received proper nutrition was one of the many challenges that COVID brought. In the 2019-2020 school year, over 710,000 K-12 Ohio students were eligible to receive a free or reduced lunch and breakfast. Meals were provided directly to students when they were physically in school. Once schools closed during the pandemic, many...
By: Rachel Cahill, Consultant Hope Lane, Public Policy & External Affairs Associate Overview Additional federal resources will be available to Ohio families this summer to cover the rising cost of groceries while school is out. The Center for Community Solutions (Community Solutions) estimates that the Summer Pandemic-EBT program (Summer P-EBT) will provide approximately $400 million...
