september 3, 2015. the intent of cep is ◦ to improve access to free school meals in eligible high...

Community EligibilityProvision

September 3, 2015

The intent of CEP is◦ To improve access to free school meals in eligible

high poverty SFAs and schools

◦ To eliminate administrative burden of collecting meal applications

Deadline to elect CEP for SY15-16 is August 31, 2015. ADE CNU will work with districts/school if anticipating CEP election goes past this date.

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

Participation Basics Claiming Basics

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

Any district, group of schools or individual school participating in the NSLP AND the SBP and meeting eligibility criteria: ◦ Have a minimum percentage of 40% identified

students in the school year prior to implementing CEP Identified students _ x 100% ≥ 40%

Total enrolled students ◦ Serve free lunches and breakfasts to all students ◦ Agree to not collect Household applications for free

and reduced price meals◦ Determine if non-Federal funds are needed to cover

costs above USDA reimbursement.

Community Eligibility Provision Participation Basics

Identified Student Percentage (ISP) – directly certified through SNAP, homeless, migrant, runaways, Even Start, Head Start, foster children

Not included in ISP◦ Income applications free or reduced◦ Categorically eligible based on information, such

as a case number, submitted through a meal application


Will notify public thru media release (there is a CEP specific media release)

Will receive and process the four Direct Certification matches

Must code directly certified and extended household members as 04 in e-School and on master roster (POS only if used as master roster – warning for overt identification)

Must keep records to calculate the ISP (Identified Student Percentage) based on categorically eligible students (all “List” students) for state reporting in April


May recalculate ISP% if an increase occurs - this will start 4 year cycle over

Will use CEP information in Section 2 of the Verification Collection Report (VCR) but does not perform verification activities.

Will use the “Claiming Percentage Worksheet” to calculate the claim for reimbursement (file with monthly claim)sent to district in August.

NOTE: Participation in CEP does not change requirements for Point of Service counts, edit checks, on-site reviews or other reporting or recordkeeping requirements.


The ISP is used to determine reimbursement percentages for breakfast and lunch meals served.◦ ISP x 1.6 USDA factor = claiming percentage◦ 55% ISP x 1.6 = 88% free NO

REDUCED 12% paid

Apply claiming percentage to #of meals served for the month

CEP Claiming Basics

Example 55% ISP x 1.6 = 88% free NO REDUCED

12% paid

1000 breakfast meals served 1000 x 88% = 880 free - report in free on claim 1000 x 12% = 120 paid - report in paid on claim

5000 lunch meals served 5000 x 88% = 4400 free – report in free on claim 5000 x 12% = 600 paid – report in paid on claim

CEP Claiming Basics

There is no special claim to use - Use online Claim for Reimbursement

Enter number of free and paid meals served based on claiming percentages for breakfast and lunch NO REDUCED

CEP Claiming Basics

To calculate “eligibles” on claim form 1.F use the claiming percentages (sent to district from ADE, CNU) x enrollment

For example:1000 enrolled x 85% = 850 free

eligiblesNO REDUCED

1000 enrolled x 15% = 150 paid eligibles

CEP Claiming Basics

For Summer, Seamless Summer◦ For regular summer – apply claiming %’s to meals

served◦ For Seamless Summer – all served free and

claimed free For Afterschool Snacks - CEP schools that

are not area eligible claim snacks using the same claiming percentages they use to claim meals under NSLP/SBP.

CEP Claiming Basics

For Cycle 2 Reporting – There are no source documents for the 2015-2016 school year.

All students will be reported in the Free 01 and Directly Certified 04 (based on portal matches) codes in eSchool and on Cycle 2 Reports 431, 331, 436, 336.

Additional CEP reporting document and instructions will be mailed to district by ADE/CNU

CEP Cycle 2 Reporting

Keep all documentation that supports the Identified Student Percentage as of April 1 for 5 years or longer if audit problems exist and until audit problems are closed.

Recordkeeping

Can we round the ISP?◦ No. Do not round.

We have visiting students from a CEP school to non-CEP school. Do they eat free?◦ Yes.

Are Pre-K included in the ISP?◦ Yes. If they have access to at least one meal per

day

Questions from USDA Q & A’s

If a student at a CEP school transfers to a non-CEP school is the student “free” all year?◦ No. Under CEP, individual students do not have

an individual eligibility status. The non-CEP school would need to process a household application within 10 days and provide “free” meals until eligibility is determined.


If a student at a non-CEP school visits a CEP school and eats lunch, does the student receive a free lunch because s/he’s at a CEP school?◦ The CEP school would not take payment from

visiting students. Meals served to visiting students would be included as part of the total count of meals served at the CEP school and claiming percentages applied. Maintain documentation of visiting students on meal counts and production records


A CEP student visits a non-CEP school and eats lunch. Do they eat “free”?◦ Non-CEP schools are strongly encouraged to

provide a meal at no cost to the visiting CEP students. Meals should be claimed according to the CEP district/schools claiming percentages.

◦ Maintain documentation on meal counts and production records


Will the 1.6 multiplier change?◦ FNS, USDA is permitted to change the multiplier

to a number between 1.3 and 1.6. If the multiplier changes, schools on CEP will be able to keep the same multiplier for their entire 4 year cycle and must implement the change at the next 4 year cycle.


Do districts/schools on CEP conduct verification?◦ No. Districts may have individual or groups of

schools that are not on CEP – those districts would need to conduct verification activities.


A student refuses to take required components for reimbursable meal. Can that student be charged?◦ The school could charge the student a la carte prices or

allow the student to take the food for free and not claim the meal for reimbursement.

What if a parent insists on paying for a student’s meals?◦ Children may opt out of receiving free meals by bringing

food from home ◦ Parents that insist on paying should be encouraged to

make a monetary donation to the nonprofit foodservice account.


For ADE, CNU procedures on participating refer to Commissioners Memo FIN-15-110

For information regarding state funding, Title 1 and e-Rate funding, refer to Commissioners Memo FIN-15-101.

For USDA Community Eligibility Resources◦ http://

www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/community-eligibility-provision-resource-center

CEP Information

http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/community-eligibility-provision-resource-center



Patricia Winders◦ [email protected]

Donna Ratliffe◦ [email protected]

Or your Area Specialist

(501)324-9502

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

september 3, 2015. the intent of cep is ◦ to improve access to free school meals in eligible high...

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