P-EBT

P-ebt Logo

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will be issuing another round of Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) cards to eligible families this summer. Families qualify for P-EBT if:

Their student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program. This includes any student in a school that provides free meals to all students (under a special rule called "Community Eligibility Provision"), AND
Their student is in a fully virtual (by computer) or hybrid (partially computer-based and partially in person) learning situation.

Benefits will be retroactive to August 1, 2020 and will be issued in installments over the next few months.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I am still waiting for confirmation that DCFS received my child’s information.
DCFS is processing rosters from all schools across the state. We sent your child’s information at the end of May, and they are currently working on sending out confirmation and benefits as fast as possible. You may contact the InspireNOLA Parent Center or your school to confirm your child was eligible for the P-EBT program, and can expect to receive your confirmation from DCFS later this summer.

How do I check which months my child qualified for P-EBT?
Please contact the InspireNOLA Parent Center or your school and we can tell you which months your student qualified for P-EBT. Please note that we CANNOT give you your child’s school ID or change your address over the phone or email. You MUST visit the InspireNOLA Parent Center or your school in person for those requests.

What is my PIN?
Your PIN is the last four digits of your child’s school ID number. Your child’s school ID number, which is the same as their lunch ID number, can be found at the top of their report card. If you are unable to find your child’s ID number, you may visit the InspireNOLA Parent Center or your school in-person and we will give it to you. We are not able to give ID numbers over the phone or email because we must verify your identity as your child’s guardian.

My child attended more than one school last year. Will this impact my benefits?
If your child attended more than one school last year, their benefits will be based on their enrollments at each school. We can tell you what benefits your child was eligible for based on their enrollment at our school. You will need to contact your child’s other school for information on what benefits they were eligible for based on their enrollment there.

In some cases, your PIN may also be your child’s school ID from their previous school. You will need to contact your previous school to get that ID. Unfortunately, we cannot assist you with questions regarding another school’s information that was sent to DCFS.

I need to update my address.
Please visit the InspireNOLA Parent Center or your school in person to fill out an address change form. You will need your ID to verify your identity as your child’s guardian and two proofs of Orleans Parish residency to update your address. Acceptable proofs include:

  • Homestead exemption form/property tax bill
  • Cable or internet service bill
  • LA state ID card or drivers’ license
  • Entergy bill
  • Telephone bill
  • Current lease
  • Official letter from Family Services caseworker
  • Sewerage and Water Board bill
  • Payroll check stub with home address.

We are not able to accept address change requests over the phone because we must verify your identity as your child’s guardian first.

I have other questions not answered by this FAQ.
Families can learn more about the P-EBT program by visiting DCFS’ website.

For help with Your P-EBT Card, like activating your card, checking your balance, or setting your PIN, call the EBT Customer Service Center at 1-888-997-1117

For general questions about P-EBT that are not answered by DCFS’ FAQs, call the DCFS Customer Service Center at 1-888-524-3578