The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced that Illinois has been approved to provide approximately 316,000 Illinois households with additional SNAP benefits. The USDA authorized and will fund Illinois’ Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program, which will bring food benefits to all school-aged children who are eligible for free or reduced meals. The benefit will be issued to all SNAP households with school-aged children. These new benefits will automatically be added to family Link cards. All who are eligible for the additional benefits will start receiving them through April 30th. The Pandemic EBT program will provide SNAP households in Illinois with roughly $112 million in additional benefits for their children. Benefits are calculated using a $5.70 per day and per student calculation. Illinois will be issuing the benefits based on a total of 10 missed school days in March and 22 missed school days in April. May benefits will also be issued in the month of May. Households with school-aged children who are eligible for free or reduced meals when school is in session, but who do not currently receive SNAP benefits, will be able to submit a simplified application for P-EBT benefits as early as next week, using the ABE.Illinois.gov online portal or by completing a paper application which will be available at the IDHS website at dhs.state.il.us.