Utah prepares Summer EBT rollout; state, DWS to share student data with opt-out option

The Utah State Board of Education is preparing to issue Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT or "SUN Bucks") benefits in summer 2025 and will share student data with the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) under a data‑sharing agreement, staff said during the board’s January data meeting.

Kim Loveland, director of Child Nutrition Programs at the Utah State Board of Education, said students who meet federal eligibility — enrolled in a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) school during the 2024–25 school year and determined eligible for free or reduced‑price meals during that school year — will receive $120 per eligible child on an electronic benefits card to spend at approved grocery stores and farmers markets.

The program will rely on three primary eligibility pathways: DWS direct certification for households already in SNAP/Medicaid caseloads; a streamlined certification pathway using S1 and newly added S5 records from local education agencies (LEAs); and a direct application to DWS for households that opt out of data sharing or whose eligibility cannot be verified through the other two routes. Natalie Barfus of the Department of Workforce Services joined the presentation and answered technical questions about direct certification and…