Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) is a new state option launched in the spring of 2020 to address the food needs of lowincome
children during COVID-related school closures by providing directly to families receiving free or
reduced-price meals the value of missed breakfasts and lunches via a SNAP-like benefit card. Every state, the
District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands implemented P-EBT. Though precise national outcome data are not
yet available, states, under a very tight time frame, with limited and evolving federal guidance, and during a
period of unprecedented difficulty, did a remarkable job implementing P-EBT. The program delivered some $7
to $10 billion in food assistance to up to 30 million school children.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Food Research & Action Center conducted a rapid
assessment project to document the development and implementation of P-EBT. The project identified the
various approaches states took to implement P-EBT, as well as key preliminary lessons state officials and other
stakeholders have learned, to inform states and others as they implement P-EBT for the 2020-2021 school
year.
Other resources from the project can be found at www.cbpp.org/pebt and www.frac.org/pebt.
Information below about Oregon is based on publicly available materials about how P-EBT operated for the
2019-2020 school year and a conversation with the SNAP agency. We will update this information to reflect
any corrections or clarifications we receive from states.
For more information on Oregon’s P-EBT program, click here: https://govstatus.egov.com/or-dhs-benefits.
