SANTA FE – The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) and Public Education Department (PED) announced today that eligible New Mexico households will receive additional emergency food assistance benefits under the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program effective Aug. 8. Benefits are available to school-age children who qualified for free or reduced-price school meals during the 2020- 2021 school year.

“These benefits are crucial to many New Mexico families and will continue to provide much-needed nutritional assistance,” HSD Deputy Secretary Angela Medrano said. “We are grateful for the extended funding, which makes an enormous difference in the lives of the families receiving these benefits.”

A one-time, fixed benefit will be available on Aug. 8 in the amount of $375 for each eligible student. The payment was determined using a daily rate of $6.82 for 55 days of summer.

Eligibility for the P-EBT program is determined by the New Mexico Public Education Department, which shares student information with the Human Services Department to issue benefits through P-EBT cards. The P-EBT program applies to all eligible students regardless of their family’s SNAP eligibility.

For additional information or eligibility questions, call the P-EBT hotline at 1-833-415-0569.To verify student eligibility and payment amount, visit the P-EBT portal through YesNM at https://www.yes.state.nm.us/yesnm/home/index. For frequently asked questions and to view the amount of benefits issued based on each school schedule,  visit: Help Feed Your Children with Pandemic EBT | New Mexico Human Services Department (state.nm.us).

The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to 1,030,306 New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program and several Behavioral Health Services.