Meal Payments/ Free & Reduced

• All children in households receiving benefits from FoodShare, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or W-2 cash benefits are eligible for free meals, when listed on the application.
• Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.
• Children participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
• Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.

• Children may qualify to receive free or reduced price meals if your household income is at or below the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines.

Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and have not been told your children will get free meals, please call or e-mail the school's homeless liaison.

No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to the Student Nutrition Director.

Please read the letter you received carefully and follow the instructions. If your letter indicated you qualify for free meals, then no application is needed. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact the Student Nutrition Director immediately. If your household was notified it qualified for reduced price meals, we encourage you to complete an application to potentially qualify for free meals based on household size and income. 

If your child attends a school that participates in CEP, receipt of free breakfast and lunch meals does not depend on returning this application. However, this information is necessary for other programs and may be used to determine if your household is eligible for additional benefits.

Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year, or when a new eligibility is determined. You must submit a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year. If you do not submit a new application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full price for meals.  

Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals, but it is based on income. Please submit an application.

Children participating in BadgerCare Plus or Medicaid may be eligible for free or reduced price meals, but it is based on income. Please submit an application.

Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the household income you report.

Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed or experience a financial hardship may become eligible for free and reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.

You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to:

Mail: Hearing Officer
206 South Taft Avenue
Jefferson, WI 53549

Phone: 920-675-1000

Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals. 

List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes.  If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.

Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application, or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.

Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Do not include any combat pay resulting from deployment as income.

List any additional household members on a separate piece of paper and attach it to your application.

To find out how to apply for FoodShare or other assistance benefits, contact your local assistance office or call 1-800-362-3002.

Yes. An approved Household Application for Free or Reduced Priced Meals qualifies your household for Summer EBT benefits. More information is available at https://dpi.wi.gov/school-nutrition/programs/SummerEBT.