The California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) team routinely releases communications entitled Flashes to local educational agencies (LEA) representatives responsible for student data and reporting requirements. These communications include pertinent information on the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (S-EBT) Program also called SUN Bucks. For a detailed overview of the S-EBT program, please refer to Flash #269. Note that a subsequent update has been provided in Flash #282. This CALPADS Update FLASH will be posted to the CDE CALPADS web page.
The intent of this announcement is to further support School Food Authorities with S-EBT requirements as outlined in Flash #269 and S-EBT changes that are included in Flash #282. The focus is making the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) application and the Alternative Income Form available throughout the school year and summer (July 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024) to families who may become eligible during this time period.
S-EBT Requirements
Under the federal S-EBT requirements, students may become eligible for 2024 Summer-EBT benefits any time from July 1, 2023, through August 31, 2024. Therefore, families must be able to submit an NSLP application or Alternative Income Form during this time period should their economic circumstances change, making the student eligible for S-EBT benefits.
Potential Need for Continued NSLP Application/Alternative Income Form Processing
The vast majority of S-EBT eligible students are streamline certified based on existing records in:
- The Statewide Automated Welfare System (SAWS), which captures students participating in CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal (at or under 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level)
- CALPADS, which identifies students who are categorically eligible based on their migrant, homeless, or foster status in CALPADS, or who have a Free or Reduced-Price Meal (FRPM) record in CALPADS that is based on an NSLP application or Alternative Income Form.
UPDATE: To be eligible for benefits, students must have been (or be) enrolled in a school participating in the NSLP or the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and have an eligibility record open any time between July 1, 2023, through August 31, 2024. Since the S-EBT program allows students whose economic circumstances change to receive benefits, there are two populations of students who may need to submit NSLP applications or Alternative Income Forms through August 31, 2024:
- Students who were enrolled in an NSLP/SBP participating school and who never submitted an NSLP application/Alternative Income Form to update their FRPM eligibility.
- Note: Families that have not yet received 2024 S-EBT benefits, and who contacted the S-EBT Help Line, may ask to submit an NSLP application or Alternative Income Form if the student was found not to have an eligibility record in SAWS or CALPADS
- Students enrolling in a California public school for the first time in the 2024−25 school year on or before August 31, 2024.
LEAs are reminded that beginning July 1, 2024, families may complete the NSLP application or Alternative Income Form for the 2024−25 school year, which may qualify them for 2024 and 2025 S-EBT benefits. These families do not have to submit applications/forms for 2023−24 to qualify for 2024 S-EBT benefits. However, to be eligible for 2024 S-EBT benefits, students must have been/be enrolled in an NSLP/SBP participating school between July 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024.
To be eligible for 2024 S-EBT benefits, LEAs must receive the NSLP application or Alternative Income Form on or before August 31, 2024. LEAs must then process the applications/forms and submit an FRPM program record to CALPADS with a start date that is on or before August 31, 2024.
Additional Data Extraction Dates
To provide LEAs time to process these applications/forms, the California Department of Education (CDE) will extract data from CALPADS on a monthly basis through December 2024 and provide any newly eligible students to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) for benefits issuance.
Each monthly data extraction captures students newly enrolled in an NSLP/SBP participating school in the 2024−25 school year on or before August 31, 2024, and previously enrolled students who were enrolled between July 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024, and who are newly eligible by August 31, 2024.
The remaining data extraction dates are specified in the table below.
Remaining Data Extraction Dates in 2024
| All data updated in CALPADS as of this date will be extracted from CALPADS and provided to CDSS |
|---|
August 31, 2024 |
September 30, 2024 |
October 31, 2024 |
November 27, 2024 |
December 31, 2024 |
Resources
The California Department of Social Services has established a SUN Bucks web page
that includes additional information about the SUN Bucks program.
Contact Information
For household questions, families can contact the SUN Bucks help line at 877-328-9677.
For Local Education Agency questions ONLY, please reach out to SummerEBT@cde.ca.gov. Please note, this email address is not for household inquiries about SUNBucks. CDE staff do not have individual eligibility information and are not able to provide customer service directly to households.
For CALPADS questions, please send a ticket to calpads-support@cde.ca.gov