By Guy Page on May 22, 2024• ( 30 Comments )
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
By Guy Page
Eligible school-aged children will receive a $120 Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (SEBT) card to help them during the summer vacation months, complementing existing school summer meals programs, the Scott administration announced today.
Vermont is among the first states to launch the new permanent SEBT program, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.
This new benefit provides $120 per child, which families can use to purchase groceries. Some Vermont families will automatically qualify based on existing benefits, which will start being distributed on July 15. Other families who do not automatically qualify may still be eligible and will be able to apply in August. The Department for Children and Families (DCF) and the Agency of Education (AOE) will be providing additional details on eligibility, application details and payment distribution timelines directly to schools and families in the coming weeks.
“Good nutrition is an essential element of learning,” said Interim Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders. “This program complements the existing summer meals programs, providing another option for children who rely on school meals to access consistent nutrition over the summer months. I am glad that this program will provide extra support for families over the summer, which we know is a critical time for student learning retention and growth.”
The summer EBT card can be used at grocery stores, farmers markets and online where EBT is accepted. At present, EBT cards dispensing SNAP benefits limit what can and can’t be purchased. They can be used for any food for the household, such as:
- Fruits and vegetables;
- Meat, poultry, and fish;
- Dairy products;
- Breads and cereals;
- Other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages; and
- Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat.
Households cannot use SNAP benefits to buy:
- Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
- Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase.
- Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store).
- Foods that are hot at the point of sale
- Any nonfood items such as pet foods, cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies, and hygiene items or cosmetics.
This is a permanent plan. DCF tells the families, “Please keep the EBT cards as they will be used each summer for children who are eligible.
“Ensuring that children have access to nutritious food year-round is fundamental to their well-being.” said Secretary of Agency of Human Services Jenney Samuelson. “The launch of Vermont’s Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program demonstrates the agency’s commitment to supporting families and helping children thrive, especially during the summer months when children do not have access to school-provided meals. This is a vital step in addressing food insecurity.”
Kids automatically get benefits if they’re between 6 – 16 years old and get Medicaid with a qualifying family income, 3SquaresVT, or Reach Up; or they’re younger than six or older than 16 years old, but attend a public school or an independent school that participates in the National School Lunch Program and live in a home that gets Medicaid with a qualifying family income, 3SquaresVT, or Reach Up.
Families that qualify based on their income but aren’t automatically enrolled can apply online in August.
For additional information, including specific eligibility criteria, visit summerebt.vermont.gov. Application details will be available in August.
Categories: State Government
30 replies»
Awesome!! I’ll make sure I work extra hours during the summer so I can afford another government giveaway. Or I guess I can cut back on food for my own kids to feed those that aren’t mine. Yay!
Loading...
Reply
The SEBT summer program says it is funded by U S. Dept of Agriculture. How much do they fund, and how much is the State of Vermont ‘s potion ? If it’s fully funded by U.S. Dept of Agriculture, all 50 states would be receiving money to support SEBT. Interesting, the other 49 states are not, which would make a thinking person to believe the majority comes from the individual state’s. If Vermont is mostly funding this, can anyone smell another state tax, or an increase to one we already have ? If it’s all federal money they can borrow more to pay for this, increasing our debt and interest owed; or they could print extra money, only deflating how much U S. money is worth. To some, maybe that sounds like I am heartless, but are the SEBT cards going to children who are in the U.S. illegally ? For the Vermont student citizens, will this card offset their parents household responsibility so they have more money to buy cigarettes, and beer ? Just saying !
Loading...
Reply
@Bob V
>>>”For the Vermont student citizens, will this card offset their parents household responsibility so they have more money to buy cigarettes, and beer?”<<<
What a stupid thing to say! Cigarettes and beer? Is that what you think all parents who receive help buy?? Smarten up, it's for Marijuana, crack, and Heroin! Get with the times dude!🙄
(Note…sarcasm!)Loading...
Today is May 22, 2024. Most schools will be out early to mid-June 2024. The first cards role out July 15, 2024. Schools go back into session mid-late August 2024. The the State of Vermont will provide details in the coming weeks? They will be able to process applications, send and load the cards, and field all the questions in that time frame? Will vacations or eligible time off for AHS employees saddled with this bureucratic bondoogle be suspended to process this workload and perform their other duties efficiently and timely? This is a permanent program and is this automated to kick in year over year or does eligibility need to be reviewed each year?
Absolute insanity, but what can we expect from the hapless, rudderless bureaucrats! To the struggling elders and the rest of us, no soup for you, eat cake!
Loading...
A bird builds a nest before raising a family.
We need to teach our children the basics.
Since our constitutional change, Vermonters should no longer be on the hook for supporting any families or children after that. It was the sole choice of the women to make a child, it wasn’t a child until she declared it. Since it was only a product of conception, men and the state should no longer be liable for anything but removing said product of conception.
Can’t have it both ways ladies. It’s their idea, live by it.
Loading...
Reply
THIS!!!! Absolutely!!! Feed, clothe and house your own spawn. I’m so tired of women who reproduce as a form of income – either from the contributing male or the government (ie, taxpayers).
Loading...
Fraud and more fraud under the guise of Free Food for Children. Look back to 2022 when there was a surplus of $45Million – see below.
Whatever happened to the decrease in population of school-aged children in Vermont? Isn’t Vermont’s demographics mostly middle-aged to older adults, summer homes, vacation rentals, government employees? Hmmmmm, what really happened to the excess $45Million in 2022? Where’s the Tax Relief for Vermont tax payers? Whose Pockets are being lined? We, Vermonters really Want to Know! Vote NO on All Tax Increases. Cut-off the Money to the Marxist, brainwashing institutions called Public Schools by taking your children out of them. Vermonters are funding their own demise. The VT Government (and Federal) want the children to have the Government as replacements for Parents! Where are the Receipts for the surplus of $45Million, Vermonters want to see them compared to the decrease in school-aged children in Vermont. It is OUR hard-earned MONEY. FOIA’s Now!By Calvin Cutler
Published: Jun. 9, 2022 at 4:57 PM EDTTax Relief on the way for Vermont Homeowners
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Tax relief is on the way for Vermont homeowners under a new bill passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Phil Scott this week.
On average, property taxes will drop 14 cents on every $100 of assessed property. For Vermonters who pay property taxes based on their income, that rate is dropping from 2.5% to 2.3%.
The savings for taxpayers comes as part of a bill divvying up a $90 million surplus in the state’s education fund.
Governor Scott wanted $45 million in property rebates– direct checks sent to Vermonters– but lawmakers and the governor eventually came to an agreement on how the money should be spent. They eventually landed on tax relief through a lower tax rate, funding for career technical centers and free school meals.
Much of this money is tied to the $8 billion state budget which is currently on the governor’s desk.
He said this week he has no problems with the spending plan and will likely sign it.Loading...
Reply
Not only does the SNAP program feel people, Vermont also has the Vermont Farmacy program see link below. The World Bank includes the US SNAP program benefits under its Universal Basic Income model. Although, our politicians and media never share this information.
https://www.vermontfarmersfoodcenter.org/farmacy_project
Loading...
Reply
Thank you for the link, Christine. The invasion of free enterprise of Farmer’s Markets by the Government with a “feel good” scheme is what I see. It is actually a takeover of Free Market, Capitalism by combining the Government with your business in order to survive. Government makes it increasingly difficult to survive on your own (red-tape, restrictions, fees, certifications, being raided, shut-down for any “health or climate” excuse, etc.) while providing what looks like an escape-hatch to sign-up with them in order to have a business. Also Watch Out for Land Trusts and Conservation hoaxes, signing your land rights away, especially to Government, is a never a good idea!
Loading...
As a senior on a fixed income, I’m not asking for a hand-out, BUT I do resent having to help support others, even more than I am already. I worked hard all of my life, starting at a very young age, so I am able to survive. So far anyway. Enough already!
Loading...
Reply
End the $$$ flow and the whole thing dries up.
Liberty is from God, not man.
Loading...
Reply
And with no regulations they buy garbage
Loading...
Reply
Unless you hunt or grow a garden, most food in the US IS garbage! Not only is most food garbage, but sadly it’s also most times more affordable than healthy food. They designed it that way.
Loading...
I know a resident of New Hampshire who has a kid enrolled in AT J Acadamy. Last year she got a $120 EBT card from Vermont. So, it looks like it applies to anyone who has a kid enrolled in a Vermont school.
Loading...
Reply
ST J Academy. Spell check wasn’t wirking. (working)
Loading...
Question, how does the state know what the person is purchasing with these cards? If they are like the EBT cards they can be used to purchase anything.
Loading...
Reply
not quite, see guidelines in story
Loading...
@Guy Page
Those are the same guidlines.Loading...
@Mike H.
Well, close, but not “anything.”Loading...
maybe that card will buy the high priced meat in the stores/// you have to wonder how much is thrown out because the people can not afford to buy it/// ask the meat cutter how much is scraped each week///
Loading...
Reply
It’s meat, of course the card will pay for it. It doesn’t matter how much the food or beverage costs as long as it’s human FOOD and beverages, except alcohol.
Loading...
When I was in 1st grade I remember I had this suspicion in my head that all the students seemed like dumb robots, and that the reason for it was the school was putting chemicals in the food to control everyone. I was never exposed to any influence that made me think this, it was just a feeling I developed all on my own.
Strange thing for a kid to think, but turns out I was sort of right in a way. Many years later there were reports of high levels of fluoride and other chemicals in the processed school lunches during that era, and from the same company that delivered to my school, causing fluorosis and other problems. Governments have a long history of experimenting on people, and what better way to do it through a school lunch program?
Don’t give your children government “food”! School lunch is complete junk. (experiment or not). Free/forced school lunch is highly suspect. Some school systems in other states were trying to make it against the rules to bring your own lunch. If you know history, you know these types of things are big red flags. Now with this unneeded “free food” scheme in VT, it’s just as suspect. Someone should send this stuff to a laboratory for testing.
I would only eat the “teacher’s meal” salad or take a lunch from home growing up. Just about all of my friends I grew up with that aren’t trusting of politicians, also brought their own lunches to school. This might be from upbringing, or it might be because children’s growing brains are being damaged by trash “food” and chemicals.
Loading...
Reply
I agree. Although, >>>”When I was in 1st grade I remember I had this suspicion in my head….putting chemicals in the food to control everyone…”<<<
When I was 6 years old and in first grade I remember playing with barbies!! Lol.Loading...
Just getting them on the government TEET (we the people tax dollars) while they young!!!! Disgusting!
Loading...
Reply
Exactly, programming children to expect food to be provided as a human right to be provided by the state.
Loading...
News flash!: Of course the guidelines are not enforced. Anyone can take cash advances on these EBTs and use it to buy beer, dogfood, or fentanyl. I have written about this previously. Just ask anyone working in a convenience store and they will confirm what I say here. So the big lie is that they police the use of these cards: they don’t. So we are not just paying for others’ food, but for their booze, drugs and dogfood — while our fixed-income retirees face tax increases and will soon be eating catfood.
Loading...
Reply
>>>”Anyone can take cash advances on these EBTs and use it to buy beer, dogfood, or fentanyl.”<<<
Wrong. No such thing as a "cash advance" on a food card. However, there is the other portion of money that people receive from benefits such as Reach Up (or ANFC) on the card that is cash. They are separate.Loading...
Also, >>>”while our fixed-income retirees face tax increases and will soon be eating catfood.”<<<
A word of advice, don't purchase cat food to eat…it's just as expensive as a can of human tuna! 😉
Loading...
Like
Loading...
Reply
How about some real healthy candy, soda and other junk food. Great idea!
Loading...
Reply
