The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L 117-328) (the Act) authorized a permanent and nationwide Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) Program beginning in 2024. On July 31, 2023, USDA FNS released a memo, SEBT 03-2023, which stated that the program “is intended to reduce hunger and food insecurity for children who lose access to free and reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) during the summer when school is not in session”. Kansas implements this program as SUN Bucks to match USDA’s national branding of the program across state lines.

Kansas began implementation of SUN Bucks in 2024 under the name Summer EBT. It is now being run as a permanent program that will operate every summer. This policy memo is intended to describe the implementation and issuance of SUN Bucks benefits for the summer of 2025 following the 2024-2025 school year.

Eligibility

Eligibility for SUN Bucks benefits will be determined through one of two processes: 1) streamlined certification, or 2) submission of an application.

1. Streamlined Certification
   
   
   1. Eligible families will be identified through existing DCF and school data and automatically issued benefits without the need to apply.
      
      
      1. Children identified as participating in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Food Assistance will be streamline certified to receive SUN Bucks benefits.
         
         
      2. Children identified through secure data sharing with the Kansas Department of Education as being enrolled in a Kansas school in the 2024-2025 school year and as having received Free and Reduced Price School Meals will be streamline certified to receive SUN Bucks benefits.
         
         
2. Submission of an Application
   
   
   1. Families not identified through streamlined certification may still be eligible to receive SUN Bucks benefits.
      
      
      1. Families who do not receive benefits in April 2025 can apply through the DCF Self-Service Portal or by paper application available at their local DCF office. The application period will begin January 27, 2025 and will remain open year round.

Issuance

1. Streamlined Certification
   
   
   1. Accenture will run the auto-enrollment batch, capturing families who are streamline certified, January 18, 2025 through January 20, 2025.
      
      
      1. KEES will issue the autogenerated pre-approval Notice of Action January 21, 2025.
         
         
      2. Families will receive benefits in late April 2025 on a staggered schedule by last name.
         
         
2. Submission of an Application
   
   
   1. Families who do not receive a pre-approval notice can submit an application for benefits.
      
      
      1. DCF will make an eligibility determination within 15 business days of receiving a complete application.
         
         
      2. Families who are approved for benefits prior to April 1, 2025 will receive their benefit in late April 2025.
         
         
      3. Families who are approved for benefits after April 1, 2025 will receive benefits when their application is processed.

If the family has an active Kansas Benefits card, the SUN Bucks benefits will be loaded onto the existing card. If a new card needs to be issued, the standard issuing procedure will be followed, and a new card will be mailed to the family.

SUN Bucks benefits will expunge 122 days after issuance. This contrasts with other EBT benefits in that the expungement period begins immediately after issuance, not after the last date benefits were expended. For families who receive FA benefits in addition to SUN Bucks benefits, the SUN Bucks benefits will be used first so that the benefits that expunge first are spent first.

Timeline for SUN Bucks 2025

• January 18, 2025 through January 20, 2025
  
  • Auto-enrollment batch runs.
    
    
• January 21, 2025
  
  • Pre-approval notices will be available to view on the SSP and in Distributed Documents.
    
    
• January 27, 2025
  
  • The application period begins. The SSP application will be available at 8 a.m., and paper applications will be available in field offices.
    
    
• The last two weeks of April 2025
  
  • Benefits will be issued on a staggered schedule by the first letter of the last name to families included in the January 18, 2025 through January 20, 2025 auto-enrollment batch and families whose applications were approved before April 1, 2025.
    
    
• May 1, 2025 through August 29, 2025
  
  • Summer Operational Period
    
    • Benefits for applications submitted and approved will be issued within 15 days of receipt.
    • Applications received after 5 p.m. on August 29, 2025 will be processed for SUN Bucks 2026.

Instructions for staff when encountering SUN Bucks on a case

Eligibility requirements for SUN Bucks are different than the eligibility requirements for other programs. There may be times that staff are closing other programs on a case that also has an Active or Pending SUN Bucks program.

Do not take action on the SUN Bucks program block if taking action on another program on the same case for any of the following reasons:

• The family moves out of state.
• The family requests case closure for other programs.
• The family has been found guilty of committing fraud or is suspected of potential fraud.

In the following situations, do not take action on the SUN Bucks program block. Notify SUN Bucks program staff.

• Primary Applicant is deceased or incarcerated.
  
  
  • Email the case name and number to dcf.sebtpolicyquestions@ks.gov.
    
    
• A child moves out of the home.
  
  
  • Email the case name and number to dcf.sebtpolicyquestions@ks.gov.