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Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Do you qualify? Sun Bucks returns in summer 2025 for some Louisiana families
Sun Bucks is returning to Louisiana for summer 2025, providing families with a one-time $120 grocery benefit for children who qualify for free or reduced school meals. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services made the announcement Monday in a news release. It stated most children who are eligible would be automatically enrolled, so they would not need to apply for the program. See more: Unemployment claims in Louisiana declined last week Louisiana insurance crisis: What to know as Gov. Jeff Landry proposes insurance reform legislation Check it out here: Gulf Coast region gas prices declined from last week "Last year, of the nearly 670,000 Louisiana children that received over $80 million in SUN Bucks benefits, only about 1,500 were determined eligible though the application process," said Sammy Guillory, assistant secretary for family support at DCFS. "The rest were already automatically enrolled." However, families should be sure to update their addresses with any program they use — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program, Kinship Care Subsidy Program or income-based Medicaid. Parents shouldn't forget to update their addresses for their child's school or foster care case so they don't face delays in receiving Sun Bucks benefits. The benefit will begin being issued in the second half of May for those who are automatically enrolled and "continue throughout the summer months as applications are approved or a child's family begins receiving SNAP, FITAP, KCSP, or income-based Medicaid benefits," reads the release. Sun Bucks must be used within 122 days of the issuance date. If not used, benefits will expire and cannot be added back, it reads. For more information about Louisiana SUN Bucks, including Frequently Asked Questions, visit Children born between Aug. 8, 2006, and July 1, 2019, who received SNAP, FITAP, KCSP or Medicaid benefits for those below 185% of the federal poverty level anytime between July 1, 2024 and Aug. 8, 2025. Children who applied and were individually approved to receive free or reduced school meals through the National School Lunch Program. Families previously or already enrolled in SNAP will receive Sun Bucks on their existing EBT card. Families that received Sun Bucks in 2024 will receive 2025 benefits on their same card. New participants not enrolled in SNAP will receive a preloaded card via mail. Call 1-888-997-1117. Visit Use the LifeInCheck EBT mobile app. Log into the CAFE system. Those children who attend Community Eligibility Provision schools but who didn't complete an NSLP application and who don't receive SNAP, FITAP, KCSP or income-based Medicaid will need to apply to determine if they are eligible. Some children may be eligible based on their household's income. To apply, parents can visit For more information, visit This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Does your child qualify? Get Louisiana Sun Bucks information here
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Louisiana SUN Bucks: How to apply, do you qualify and when they will go out
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The SUN Bucks program is returning this summer for children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, according to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Those who qualify will receive a $120 summer grocery benefit all at once. 'Most eligible children will be automatically enrolled and do not need to apply,' said Sammy Guillory, Assistant Secretary for Family Support at DCFS. 'Last year, of the nearly 670,000 Louisiana children who received over $80 million in SUN Bucks benefits, only about 1,500 were determined eligible through the application process. The rest were already automatically enrolled.' Those who receive benefits have 122 days to use them from the date they are issued, or they will lose them, DCFS said. Families of children who may receive these benefits are encouraged to make sure their addresses are up-to-date with various programs, including the Kinship Care Subsidy Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, income-based Medicaid, the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program, and the child's foster care case or school. Doing so will prevent delays in receiving benefits, DCFS said. Families who do not have an EBT card or Sun Bucks card can call 1-888-997-1117 and ask for a new one. If a child is automatically enrolled, families should start to receive SUN Bucks during the second half of May, DCFS said. Benefits will continue throughout the summer months as applications are approved or a child's family begins receiving SNAP, FITAP, KCSP, or income-based Medicaid benefits. DCFS stated that to be eligible for SUN Bucks, the child must have been born between Aug. 8, 2006, and July 1, 2019, and received benefits including SNAP, FITAP, KCSP, or income-based Medicaid between July 1, 2024, and Aug. 8, 2024. That is not the only way a child could be eligible for these benefits. In addition, children who applied and were individually approved to receive free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program may be eligible for SUN Bucks. USDA: Most states failing SNAP deadlines—but not Louisiana If a child goes to a Community Eligibility Provision school but did not get SNAP, FITAP, KCSP, or income-based Medicaid, or finish an NSLP application, they will need to apply to see if they are eligible. Other children may be eligible based on household income. SUN Bucks benefits will be received on an existing EBT card if families are enrolled or have been before. New participants signing up for the first time will get a new, preloaded EBT card in the mail. Families who received SUN Bucks on a card last year will receive them on the same card this year. If a SUN Bucks or EBT card is lost, there are multiple ways to get a new one: Call 1-888-997-1117 Log in to the CAFE system Visit this website, or Use the LifeInCheck EBT mobile app Trump backs slate of vulnerable House Republicans on heels of Johnson meeting Louisiana SUN Bucks: How to apply, do you qualify and when they will go out Durbin has 'no plans' to endorse in Democratic leadership race for his successor 'Hee Haw' actor, singer dead at 78 White House defends deportation of children born in the U.S. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
