CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) has extended the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to children under the age of six years old who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and are not enrolled in school.

The P-EBT benefit will be issued retroactively in 2-month allotments beginning with the October/November 2020 benefit period. The amount of benefits will vary by county and the child will receive the average student benefit for their county of residence.

Each SNAP household with a qualifying child will receive a West Virginia P-EBT card. A letter will be mailed separately from the card with a DHHR case number and will explain the amount the child is eligible to receive during each benefit period. Please keep the P-EBT letter as the case number is needed to activate the P-EBT card.

“P-EBT is valuable resource to ensure West Virginia children’s nutritional needs are met during the ongoing pandemic,” said Linda Watts, Commissioner for DHHR’s Bureau for Children and Families. “We are pleased to expand this federal benefit to a broader population of our most vulnerable residents.”

The expanded P-EBT program will benefit approximately 37,000 additional children in West Virginia. The first P-EBT issuance date for non-school children will be released in June 2021.