Coordination between State-administered and ITO-administered Summer EBT Programs

(a) The ITO Summer EBT agency must receive priority consideration to serve eligible individuals within its service area, as identified in its FNS-approved Plan for Operations and Management (POM) per § 292.8.

(b) An ITO Summer EBT agency and State Summer EBT agency serving proximate geographic areas must coordinate Summer EBT Program services, which may include a written agreement between both parties. ITO Summer EBT agency and State Summer EBT agency coordination must, at minimum, include the following:

(1) The State Summer EBT agency must share data, including household contact information, indicating those individuals deemed eligible in the ITO Summer EBT agency's service area in a manner and timeframe that will allow the ITO Summer EBT agency to issue program benefits timely;

(2) The ITO Summer EBT agency and the State Summer EBT agency must each provide notice to eligible individuals or households that they may choose to receive Summer EBT Program benefits from either Summer EBT agency, in addition to referral information upon individual or household request; and

(3) The ITO Summer EBT agency and State Summer EBT agency must coordinate to detect and prevent dual participation in the same summer operational period when serving proximate service areas in accordance with § 292.15(d). For all student data exchanged applicable to the Summer EBT Program, the ITO Summer EBT agency and State Summer EBT agency must ensure the confidentiality of such data and data must only be used for program purposes in accordance with § 292.13(o).

(c) Eligible households choosing to participate in either the ITO-operated Summer EBT Program or the State-operated Summer EBT Program must participate in the same program for the duration of the summer operational period in any given year.