SNP Direct Certification Process

Direct certification allows local education agencies (LEAs) to certify children as eligible for free or reduced-price meal benefits from other means-tested programs, eliminating the need for an application. Tennessee utilizes data from partnering agencies and sources to provide benefits via direct certification.

All children identified as belonging to a household that participates in the following assistance programs are directly certified to receive free meals:

·       Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

·       Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); known as Families First in Tennessee

·       Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

Some students that participate in TennCare (Medicaid) are eligible for free or reduced- price meals. All children identified as belonging to a household whose Medicaid eligibility data indicates that the household income does not exceed 130% of the Federal Poverty Level are directly certified to receive free meals. All children identified as belonging to a household whose Medicaid eligibility data indicates that the household income does not exceed 185% of the Federal Poverty Level are directly certified to receive reduced-price meals.

Children can also be directly certified to receive free meals by other source categorically eligible programs. Benefits established through this route do not apply to children in a household.

·       A homeless child is identified as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act or as residing in a homeless shelter.

·       A runaway child is identified by the local educational liaison through a program under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.

·       A migrant child is identified by the local educational liaison when he or she meets the definition found in section 6399 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, codified at 20 U.S.C. § 6399.

·       A foster child is a child whose care and placement is the responsibility of a state or local welfare agency or who is placed by a court order with a caretaker household.

·       A Head Start or Even Start child is a child who is enrolled in one of the federally funded programs of the same name.

Documentation to establish children’s eligibility for free meals using direct certification for assistance programs (SNAP, TANF, TennCare) and to substantiate claims for reimbursement must include:

  •  Name of child or any household member currently certified to receive benefits*
  • A statement certifying that each child is a member of a household where someone receives assistance program benefits*
  • At least one piece of identifying information that will match the name of the identified child by the assistance programs with the name of the child attending school. Examples include:
    • Child's birth date
    • Address
    • Parents’ names
    • Child's social security number, if available
    • Gender
  • Date
  • Name/signature of an official of the assistance program

* Receipt of TennCare does not automatically confer eligibility for free or reduced-price meals; the Medicaid eligibility data must indicate the household income qualifies for the benefits.

Documentation to establish children’s eligibility for free meals via direct certification from other categorically eligible programs is detailed below for each individual program.

Homeless and Runaway

  • Child’s name or a list of names of participating children
  • Effective date(s)
  • Signature of the local education liaison or the director of the homeless shelter

Migrant

  • Dated list with each child’s name
  • Signature of the local migrant director, coordinator or local education liaison

Foster

  • Electronic/computer match (list found on TMAC); or
  • Local or state agency document confirming the child’s status; or
  • Court document confirming the child’s status

Head Start/Even Start

  • Statement of enrollment in Head Start or Even Start; or
  • List of children participating in Head Start or Even Start; and
  • For Even Start, confirmation that the child has not yet entered kindergarten

The LEA has flexibility in determining the effective date for students who are directly certified to receive free meals or free milk in the NSLP, SBP, and SMP. The LEA may consider the effective date of eligibility to be the date the household or appropriate state or local agency submitted the list or other form of documentation to the LEA or the date the school official approves the documentation. The LEA cannot implement both determination methods.

  • For automated data matching files (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Foster, and Medicaid) the LEA may consider the effective date of eligibility to be the date listed in the downloaded file or the date the school official processes the downloaded data file.
  • For lists or other forms of documentation from the appropriate state or local agency, the LEA may consider the effective date of eligibility to be the date the information is received or the date the information is processed.

The LEA must refund any money paid by or on behalf of the student for reimbursable meals during the period from the eligibility effective date through the date the direct certification is implemented at the LEA. The LEA must forgive any accrued debt for any meals or milk adjusted to free or reduced due to the change in effective date. The LEA can only claim those meals or milk at the free or reduced-price reimbursement rate if the student is given a refund or the debt is discharged. If the LEA elects to exercise the flexibility for determining the eligibility effective date for direct certified students, the LEA must do so for all direct certification methods including automated data matching, lists, or other forms of documentation. Each method is described in detail in SP 51-2014 “Eligibility Effective Date for Directly Certified Students”.

The LEA has flexibility in determining the effective date for students who are directly certified (DC) to receive free meals or free milk in the NSLP, SBP, and SMP. The LEA may consider the effective date of eligibility to be the date the household or appropriate state or local agency submitted the list or other form of documentation to the LEA or the date the school official approves the documentation. The LEA cannot implement both determination methods.

  • For automated data matching files (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/TANF, and Foster) the LEA may consider the effective date of eligibility to be the date listed in the downloaded file or the date the school official processes the DC file.
  • For lists or other forms of documentation from the appropriate state or local agency, the LEA may consider the effective date of eligibility to be the date the information is received or the date the information is processed.

The LEA must refund any money paid by or on behalf of the student for reimbursable meals during the period from the free meal eligibility effective date through the date the direct certification is actually implemented at the LEA, including forgiving accrued debt, for any meals or milk adjusted to free due to the change in effective date. The LEA can only claim those meals or milk at the free reimbursement rate if the student is given a refund or the debt is discharged. If the LEA elects to exercise the flexibility for determining the eligibility effective date for direct certified students, the LEA must do so for all direct certification methods including automated data matching, lists, or other forms of documentation. Each method is described in detail in SP 51-2014.

All direct certification households must be notified, in writing, that their child is eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The notification must include:

  • The child is eligible for free or reduced-price meals
  • No further application is necessary
  • If applicable, an explanation of extended eligibility and how to notify the SFA of any additional children in the household
  • Directions for notifying the SFA if the benefits are not wanted

Students that attend provisional schools must also be notified that they have been directly certified to receive free or reduced-price meals. Students attending schools where all meals are served at no cost must also be notified they have been directly certified as eligible for free or reduced-price meal benefits.

Once a student is certified for free or reduced-price meals, the eligibility status is maintained for the duration of the school year. An individual student’s eligibility from the previous school year (before July 1) carries over for up to 30 operating days into the new school year, or until a new eligibility determination is made, whichever comes first. The 30 operating days begins on the first operating day of school.