|
| Q: WHO CAN GET FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS? |
A: - All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP or TANF are eligible for free meals.
- Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.
- Children participating in their school's Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
- Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.
- Children may receive free or reduced price meals if your household's income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILDREN QUALIFY AS HOMELESS, MIGRANT, OR RUNAWAY? |
A: Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement?
Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis?
Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household?
If you believe children in your household meet any of the above descriptions and you haven't been told your children will get free meals, please contact your child's school. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: I GET WIC. CAN MY CHILDREN GET FREE MEALS? |
| A: Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please complete the application. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: IF I DON'T QUALIFY NOW, MAY I APPLY LATER? |
| A: Yes. You may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eliglble for free and reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: MY FAMILY NEEDS MORE HELP. ARE THERE OTHER PROGRAMS WE MIGHT APPLY FOR? |
A: To find out how to apply for SNAP or other assistance benefits, contact your local assistance office or one of the below numbers from the state in which you live:
Georgia: 1-877-423-4746
Michigan: 1-855-275-6424
New York: 1-800-342-3009
North Carolina: 1-800-662-7030
Ohio: 1-877-852-0010
|
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: WHAT IF I DISAGREE WITH THE SCHOOL'S DECISION ABOUT MY APPLICATION?
|
| A: You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling: 877-642-6325, emailing: FRLunchinfo@nhaschools.com, or writing to: National Heritage Academies Food Service Program, 3850 Broadmoor SE Ste. 201, Grand Rapids, MI 49512.
|
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: HOW SECURE IS MY ONLINE APPLICATION TRANSACTION?
|
| A: The highest security possible... 128 bit encryption. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: DO I NEED TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION FOR EACH CHILD?
|
| A: No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannont approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: WHY HAVE I NOT RECEIVED MY CONFIRMATION E-MAIL?
|
A: The most common reason for not receiving your confirmation email is an incorrect email address. Most email addresses are long and not intuitive to type, resulting in possible errors.
Another possible reason is that your Internet Service Provider has mistakenly blocked the confirmation email, confusing it with spam.
If you did not complete the entire application, receiving a confirmation number at the end, you will not receive an email and your application may need to be completed again. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: SHOULD I FILL OUT AN APPLICATION IF I RECEIVED A LETTER THIS SCHOOL YEAR SAYING MY CHILDREN ARE ALREADY APPROVED FOR FREE MEALS? |
| A: No, but please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, please call: (877) 642-6325 or email FRLunchinfo@nhaschools.com. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: WILL THE INFORMATION I GIVE BE CHECKED? |
| A: Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the household income you report. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: MAY I APPLY IF SOMEONE IN MY HOUSEHOLD IS NOT A U.S. CITIZEN? |
| A: Yes. You, your children, or other household memebers do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: WHO SHOULD BE INCLUDED WHEN DETERMINING MY HOUSEHOLD SIZE OR LISTING THE MEMBERS OF MY HOUSEHOLD?
|
| A: You must include all of the people living in your household that are one economic unit: yourself, all children and any related or non-related persons such as grandparents, other relatives, friends, etc. Only National Heritage Academies and/or PrepNet students should be listed in the student section of this application. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: WHAT IF MY INCOME IS NOT ALWAYS THE SAME? |
| A: List the amount you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: WE ARE IN THE MILITARY. DO WE REPORT OUR INCOME DIFFERENTLY? |
| A: Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded from income. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: CAN I E-MAIL QUESTIONS? |
| A: Yes. Please feel free to email your questions to FRLunchinfo@nhaschools.com. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: MY CHILD'S APPLICATION WAS APPROVED LAST YEAR. DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW ONE? |
| A: Yes. Your child's application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year. You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year. If you do not send in a new application that is approved the by school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full price for meals. |
| Back to top |
| |
|
| Q: WHAT IF SOME HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HAVE NO INCOME TO REPORT? |
| A: Household members may not recevie some types of income we ask you to report on the application, or may not receive income at all. If any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zero income for that houseohld member. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so. |
| Back to top |
| |
|