Medicaid Now Certifies Kids For Free Lunch In Maryland

(AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added Maryland and 7 much states to the 19 wherever students receiving Medicaid sum volition beryllium automatically added to the programme offering escaped oregon reduced-price schoolhouse lunches.

Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and South Carolina are present portion of a objection programme started successful autumn 2012, a quality merchandise said Tuesday.

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“Providing reliable entree to nutritious meals has ne'er been much important arsenic Louisiana continues to retrieve from the effects of caller hurricanes, floods and the pandemic,” said John Dupre, authorities manager of kid nutrition programs for the Louisiana Department of Education.

USDA said Tuesday’s enactment expands objection projects that person certified much than 1 cardinal students for escaped means and astir 260,000 for reduced-price meals since the 2012-2013 schoolhouse year.

“Direct certification works to alteration errors successful schoolhouse repast programme medication and ensures children successful request aren’t mistakenly near behind,” said USDA Food and Nutrition Service southwest determination head Bill Ludwig.

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The 27 states present progressive correspond astir 75% of students nationwide, the bureau said.

Direct certification makes it easier for children from low-income households to person escaped and reduced-price schoolhouse meals.

Historically, astir students who person specified meals person applied for the program. Families participating successful a fewer different programs, specified arsenic the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program oregon Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, besides get the escaped oregon lower-cost meals.

“Adding Medicaid to the database of payment programs that tin ‘directly certify’ a pupil to person escaped oregon reduced-price meals is simply a win-win for students, families, and schoolhouse officials. This means little paperwork for families and less schoolhouse repast applications for schoolhouse districts to process and verify,” the quality merchandise said.

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CBS Baltimore Staff