School Nutrition Programs
Provision 1 -2 -3
Special Assistance Certification and Reimbursement Alternatives
Background
*Provision 1, Provision 2, and Provision 3 are authorized by Section 11(a)(1) of the National School Lunch Act. The purpose of these provisions is to reduce the burden of paperwork on parents and school districts.
*Provisions 1 and 2 have been an option for schools since publication of the regulations in 1980. Provision 3 has been and option for schools since 1995 through an implementing memorandum.
Provision 1
*This Provision reduces application burdens by allowing free eligibility to be certified for a 2 year period.
*In schools where at least 80 percent of the children enrolled are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, annual notification of program availability and certification of children eligible for free meals may be reduced to once every two consecutive school years. All other households must be provided a meal application and are allowed to apply for meal benefits each school year, including reduced-price children. There is no requirement to serve meals at no charge to all students.
*Schools must continue to record the number of free, reduced-price and paid meals served daily as the basis for calculating reimbursement claims.
Provision 2
*This Provision reduces application burdens and simplifies meal counting and claiming procedures. It allows schools to establish claiming percentages and to serve all meals at no charge for a 4 year period.
*Schools must serve meals to all participating children at no charge for a period of 4 years. During the first year, or base year, the school makes eligibility determinations and takes meal counts by type. During the next 3 years, the school makes no New eligibility determinations and counts only the total number of reimbursable meals served each day. Reimbursement during these years is determined by applying the percentages of free, reduced-price, and paid meals served during the corresponding month of the base year to the total meal count for the claiming month. The base year is included as part of the 4 years.
*At the end of each 4 year period, the State agency may approve 4 year extensions if the income level of the school's populations remains stable.
*Schools electing this alternative must pay the difference between Federal reimbursement and the cost of providing all meals at no charge. The money to pay for this difference must be from sources other than Federal funds.
Provision 3
*This Provision reduces application burdens and meal counting and claiming procedures. It allows schools to simply receive the same level of Federal cash and commodity assistance each year, with some adjustments, for a 4 year period.
*Schools must serve meals to all participating children at no charge for a period of 4 years. These schools do not make additional eligibility determinations. Instead, they receive the level of Federal cash and commodity support paid to them for the last year in which they made eligibility determinations and meal counts by type, this is the base year. For each of the 4 years, the level of Federal cash and commodity support is adjusted to reflect changes in enrollment and inflation. The base year is not included as part of the 4 years.
*At the end of each 4 year period, the State agency may approve 4 year extensions if the income level of the school's population remains stable.
*Schools electing this alternative must pay the difference between Federal reimbursement and the cost of providing all meals at no charge. The money to pay for this difference must be from sources other than Federal funds.
Implementation
*If you are interested in implementing one of these provisions, contact our office for a complete manual and policy statement, collection policies, and instructions.