Families can receive $120 per child to cover food costs over summer break. (NNS file photo by Sue Vliet)
By Alex Klaus
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Thousands of Milwaukee students are eligible for summer food money, but some families will have to apply in order to receive their benefits.
Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), also known as Sun Bucks, is a federal program that gives $120 in grocery money to qualifying students to help with food costs during summer break.
Over 118,000 children across Milwaukee County have already received benefits, according to Elizabeth Goodsitt, communications specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
The amount of Summer EBT benefits provided so far this year to families in Wisconsin is over $52 million, including $452,000 on the weekend of July 12, wrote Goodsitt in an email to NNS.
If you haven’t received funds but you have a student at home, you might still be eligible to apply.
Are you eligible?
Summer EBT is available to students whose household income would qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch through their school, or whose family receives benefits like Medicaid, FoodShare or Wisconsin Works. Department of Health Services uses free or reduced-price lunch applications to automatically determine who is eligible.
Milwaukee Public Schools does not require students to submit free or reduced-price lunch applications because the district offers free meals to all students through the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision. The provision allows schools with a big enough population of low-income students to offer meals to all students without accepting applications.
Since MPS doesn’t collect applications, only Milwaukee families enrolled in another benefit program will automatically receive Summer EBT. This means thousands of students could miss out on benefits if families don’t know they’re eligible to apply, said David Rubel, an education policy consultant.
Even if you aren’t enrolled in a qualifying benefits program, your family can still qualify for Summer EBT if your household income is below the Department of Health Services’ summer EBT income limits.
As long as a family was or is enrolled in a qualifying benefits program between July 1, 2024 and Aug. 28 2025, their children will qualify for Summer EBT, Goodsitt wrote.
Families with past enrollment should have received benefits in June.
How will you receive benefits?
According to Goodsitt, DHS will continue to send funds as they approve families throughout the summer.
If you’re enrolled in a qualifying benefit program and automatically qualify for Summer EBT, you should have already received your money.
If you already receive FoodShare benefits, DHS will load your benefits on your QUEST card. If not, you’ll receive a new card in the mail.
If you recently changed addresses or contact information, you’ll need to let DHS know using this form to ensure access to your benefits.
After DHS issues your benefits, you have 122 days to use them. Any funds not used after that will be removed from the card.
How to apply
If your income qualifies but you aren’t enrolled in another benefits program, fill out this online application with DHS by Aug. 28.
You will need to report all sources of income using pay stubs or earning statements. If you receive income through retirement or Social Security benefits, submit that information as well.
You’ll also need to provide other personal information, including your and your child’s full name, date of birth, mailing address (or address where you can receive mail) and the most recent school your student attended.
Need help applying or didn’t get Summer EBT money and think you should have? Call the Summer EBT support team at 833-431-2224 or email questions to DHSSEBTSupport@dhs.wisconsin.gov. The Department of Health Services also answers frequently asked questions on its website.
If you want to qualify for Summer EBT by getting approved for another benefits program, you can apply on the Access or Access en Español website. If you need help applying for benefits like FoodShare, Wisconsin Works or Medicaid, contact Milwaukee Enrollment Services at 888-947-6583.
Alex Klaus is the education solutions reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.