Following some initial delays, needy Colorado families will have more funds to feed their kids while school’s out. 

The Colorado Department on Human Services announced Thursday the rollout of the new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program.

Similar to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Summer EBT is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will provide eligible students with $120 for groceries throughout the summer between school years.

In a press release, the CDHS said that families will start to receive a notice of their student’s eligibility for the program through the mail. If approved, they will then receive a new benefit card for each eligible student in their family 30-45 days later.

Students who already receive benefits like SNAP and free or reduced-priced meals at their school will automatically qualify for this new program.

Since this new waiting period comes following the announcement in the middle of July, many eligible Colorado families are concerned that the aid will come too late. 

On Facebook, multiple Colorado families who qualify for the new program expressed their concerns. 

Human Services communications manager John Rosa said the rollout process for Summer EBT was similar to the pandemic electronic benefits transfer (P-EBT) and the delay stemmed from it being a new federal program with “a lot of moving parts.”

“We wanted to dot our i’s and cross our t’s to make sure everything is correct,” he said. “That’s the reason it took this long.”

Rosa added that they found many more Coloradoans eligible for the program than they had anticipated. An earlier projection of 360,000 students ballooned to over 550,000 when they finished this year’s count. 

In a January press release, the state Education Department projected that the eligible children may receive $40 per month during the summer. Because of the delay, this year’s will be in a one-time $120 increment that is expected to continue in the years to come.

In response to these families’ concerns, CDHS released a statement Friday the delay caused by the initial year shouldn’t be an issue in the years to come. 

“While we were able to use some of the lessons learned from Pandemic EBT, Summer EBT required an entirely different framework and multiple system changes to ensure that the right students were identified as eligible to receive benefits,” the statement read.

“In future years, Colorado will be able to use these new systems to get benefits out earlier and in line with federal program guidelines.” 

In the meantime, Rosa recommended that families in need contact their local food bank for any immediate needs and visit their website for additional resources. 

Last month, the state’s summer meals program opened to all students ages 18 and under across 44 locations in the Pikes Peak Region. 

Free summer meal program expands in El Paso County

Fraud watch

CDHS is also warning those who are eligible to be aware of potential fraud with their EBT cards. 

As of early June this year, the department reported 38 instances of adult financial theft, 16 reports of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families theft and approximately 2,470 reports of SNAP theft statewide.

Rosa noted that, within hours of announcing this summer’s EBT rollout on Facebook, scammers were already found in their comment section. 

“Never share your PIN with anyone,” CDHS states on their website. “Do not respond to unsolicited emails, texts or calls asking for your EBT Card or PIN number. Legitimate EBT customer service workers will never ask for your PIN.”

Those who believe their card’s information has been stolen are advised to freeze their card and change their PIN immediately.