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TDOE says TMAC direct-certification screen updated; SNAP letters cannot be used to grant benefits
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Summary
Tennessee Department of Education staff told school nutrition directors the TMAC direct-certification screen now matches state practice, USDA visited in November and TDOE is pursuing a state-match direct certification system; staff reiterated SNAP letters cannot be used to provide benefits and explained why some Medicaid recipients may not appear
Rhonda Mead, senior compliance and data manager, told participants that the DC (direct certification) matching screen in TMAC has been updated so on-screen guidance matches current state processes.
Mead said USDA conducted a review of Tennessee's direct certification process on Nov. 20 and that the state is working toward "a true state match" that would use attendance information and the data TDOE already receives to improve direct certification matching. "Those are the only updates I have about that system at this time," Mead said.
Mead reminded districts of long-standing USDA guidance about SNAP letters. Citing policy, she said, "SNAP letters cannot be used to provide benefits to students." She explained that while a SNAP letter can be used to verify an application selected for verification (if it includes a certification period), it cannot be used as the initial mechanism to grant direct certification. As a result, the verification report field that counts categorically eligible students via the SNAP-letter method should always be zero.
Mead also addressed questions about Medicaid and direct certification. She explained that a student may receive Medicaid but not qualify for direct certification because Medicaid eligibility can extend to households with higher income thresholds than free or reduced-price meal eligibility. "There are situations that exist where a family or a child may be receiving Medicaid benefits but not be...eligible to be on our direct certification list," she said.
On notifications and timing, Mead said SNAP data files are received weekly (typically every Friday with files available by the following Tuesday). She said districts do not need to wait for a TDOE notification email to download the files and process claims; seeing file dates for each Friday in the month indicates a complete dataset.
Mead closed by previewing upcoming application-packet changes for school year 2025–26: new USDA pre-award civil-rights questions and a requirement to confirm associated TMAC users at packet renewal. TDOE plans a March 27 training on the packet changes.
