Back to School: Guidelines for Applying for Free, Reduced Prices Meals for Students

The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District has announced its policy for providing free and reduced price meals for children served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Each school office as well as the District Office has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by any interested party.

The household size and income criteria identified below will be used to determine eligibility for free or reduced-
price meal benefits. Children from households with incomes at or below the levels shown here are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

Households/children receiving benefits under Assistance Programs as well as those considered “Other Source Categorically Eligible” may not have to complete an application. Assistance Programs include CalFresh, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payments (Kin-GAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF), and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation (FDPIR). Other Source Categorically Eligible children include homeless, runaway, migrant, foster children, and children enrolled in Even Start/Head Start. These households will be notified of their eligibility for meal benefits by school officials. School officials will determine the eligibility for free or reduced- price school meals based on documentation obtained directly from State or local agencies, or program officials. Eligibility for a foster child is based on a separate application and solely on the amount of the child’s “personal use” income.

If households/children receiving benefits under Assistance Programs or other source programs are not notified of their eligibility by the District by August 20, 2014, the parents/guardians should complete a free and reduced meal application. For up to 30 operating days into the new school year, eligibility from the previous year will continue. When the carryover period ends, unless the household is notified that their children are directly certified or the household submits an application that is approved, the children must pay full price for school meals. Please note that the school will not send a reminder or a notice of expired eligibility.

To apply for free or reduced-price meal benefits, households may complete an online application by going to the District’s website at www.LivermoreSchools.com/CampusCatering and clicking on the “Free and Reduced- Price Meal Application” icon (lunch bag image). As an alternate, paper applications are also available and may be obtained at each school as well as the District Office.

For faster processing, online applications are recommended. Please note that only one application is required per household. Applications may be submitted at any time during the school year. The information households provide on the application will be used to determine meal eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year by school or program officials. School officials will notify households of their eligibility, and those who do not want their child (ren) to receive free meals must contact the Campus Catering Office.

Requirements for school officials to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price benefits are as follows:

For households receiving CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, FDPIR, or TANF benefits - applications need only include the enrolled child(ren)’s name, CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, FDPIR, or TANF case number and the signature of an adult household member. For households who do not list a CalFresh, CalWORKs, Kin-GAP, FDPIR, TANF case number, the application must include the names of all household members, the amount and source of the income received by each household member, and the signature and corresponding last four digits of social security number of an adult household member. If the household member does not have a social security number, the household member must indicate that a social security number is not available. The application must be signed by an adult household member.

Under the provisions of the free and reduced-price meal policy, the Campus Catering Director, as designated by the School Food Authority (SFA), shall review applications and determine eligibility. Parents or guardians dissatisfied with the eligibility ruling may discuss the decision with the determining official on an informal basis.

Parents may also make a formal request for an appeal hearing of the decision and may do so orally or in writing with the sponsor/agency’s hearing official. For specific information as to the name of the determining official and/or hearing official for a specific school or the district, parent or guardians should contact the school(s) their child (ren) attend(s).

If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the household should contact the school. Such changes may make the children of the household eligible for benefits if the household’s income falls at or below the levels shown above.

—Information submitted by Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District