Parents who received special covid benefits aimed to help with the cost of student lunches during the pandemic could still be entitled to funds that they may not know about.

 An education expert says close to $16 million in Ohio alone could go unused by the end of March.

From 2020 to 2023 students who were home during the pandemic and didn't have access to school breakfast or lunch were given access to federal assistance.

"Since the schools were closed the children were no longer receiving the school free lunch program so the federal government stepped in and gave families enough funds so it could cover a child's breakfast and lunch," said education policy expert, Dave Rubel.

That benefit ran out last summer but Rubel says a lot of money is still left of the EBT cards of families who may not know it.

"The problem is that not everybody knew there would be more distributions. many people threw away their card. maybe they lost their card so they had no way to know there was more money coming down the pike that I am entitled to," said Rubel.

The last payment to those cards was $120. So the pandemic EBT cards could be sitting around with that much money still on them to spend at grocery stores. But those funds are set to expire sometime in March.

If you lost the card or threw it out, you can request a replacement through Ohio EBT customer service.
That number is 866-386-3071

A new EBT summer lunch program is set to begin in Ohio this year.