FIS Supports U.S. States and Territories in Providing Critical Lunch Funding to Families of School-Age Children

Key facts

• Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provides lunch funding benefits to families of school-age children impacted by the school closures.
• FIS is supporting 16 states that have been approved to participate in the Pandemic EBT program, with more set to come online.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Financial services technology leader FIS™ (NYSE: FIS) announced today that it is supporting U.S. states and territories under the U.S. Government’s Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to deliver needed lunch and food benefits to families of school-age children who have been impacted by school closures due to the current health crisis. In addition to distributing electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards that can be used by participating families for in-store or online grocery purchases, FIS is also providing processing and customer support services.

Under the FFCRA, states and territories can provide Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) payments to eligible families of school-age children who would otherwise be receiving lunch benefits while in school.

As a leading processor of state-administered EBT benefits programs, FIS is currently providing prepaid cards and processing services to 16 states that have been approved to participate in the P-EBT program: Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Additional states are set to come online in the coming weeks.

“For families in need, the importance of providing nutritious lunches doesn’t stop just because their kids aren’t in school,” said Jim Johnson, head of Financial Institution Payments and Wealth at FIS. “FIS is committed to assisting U.S. states and territories to leverage the P-EBT program to ensure that families receive this critical assistance during the current crisis.”

In addition to its support of the P-EBT program, FIS has enabled sixteen states to provide online purchasing of food for more than 9 million households in the U.S. through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) under a pilot program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For a full list of participating states in the program, visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/online-purchasing-pilot.

The FIS COVID-19 Online Resource Center provides continually updated information and resources on ways that FIS is supporting government, banks, small businesses and individuals during the current crisis.

About FIS

FIS is a leading provider of technology solutions for merchants, banks and capital markets firms globally. Our more than 55,000 people are dedicated to advancing the way the world pays, banks and invests by applying our scale, deep expertise and data-driven insights. We help our clients use technology in innovative ways to solve business-critical challenges and deliver superior experiences for their customers. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, FIS is a Fortune 500® company and is a member of Standard & Poor’s 500® Index. To learn more, visit www.fisglobal.com. Follow FIS on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (@FISGlobal).