Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Cost Reimbursement Program

FandN Resources > Coronavirus Update for Contracting Entities > Emergency Operational Cost Reimbursement Program

Background

Section 722 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 provides additional funds to State agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). USDA will provide these funds to TDA through two temporary reimbursement programs:

School Programs Emergency Operational Cost Reimbursement Program
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program

Payments will be made directly by TDA to eligible CEs. CEs do not need to do anything to apply to receive these emergency cost reimbursement funds. TDA is calculating the reimbursements and will post resources to this webpage once the calculations are complete.

Purpose

Using a statutory formula, the emergency operational costs are designed to provide additional reimbursements for eligible school food authorities (SFAs) and CACFP operators whose revenues declined or were interrupted during the early months of the COVID-19 public health emergency. During this time, many program operators experienced significant loss in revenue and in many cases were forced to expend their savings, draw funds from other sources, and cut or suspend operations. This federal relief is intended to help address such shortfall.

Calculating Payments

Financial relief is provided based on loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. It allows eligible operators to receive:

55% of the difference between reimbursements from the months of April, May, and June 2020, and the same months in 2019 (or Alternative Period for “new” CEs), and
For March 2020 calculations, the payment is half of 55% of the difference between March 2020 and March 2019 (or Alternative Period for “new” CEs).

Terminology

Reimbursement Period:

March, April, May and/or June 2020

Reference Period:

March, April, May and/or June 2019

Alternative Period:

January and February 2020

“New” Program Operator:

A CE that was not yet operating during the reference period (March – June 2019) for any given month.

“All Other” Program Operators:

CEs operating at any time during the reference period.

Key Dates

Feb. 25, 2021	May 10, 2021	June 30, 2021	Sept. 30, 2021	Jan. 31, 2022
TDA’s initial application to USDA is due – TDA submitted the plan February 2.	TDA’s implementation plan due to USDA.	USDA recommended date to begin disbursement of funds to CEs.	All funds must be obligated to program operators.	All funds must be distributed by this date.

All of this information is also available here: Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program One-Pager

Frequently Asked Questions

Guidance and FAQs: Emergency Operational Cost Reimbursement Program

Estimated EOC Reimbursement Amounts

TDA conducted the EOC additional reimbursement calculations based on the statutory formulas outlined above. In addition, detailed formula examples may be found in the Guidance and FAQ document. The formula examples are organized by Program (School Programs and CACFP) and by entity type (i.e., CACFP Institutions, Day Care Home (DCH) Sponsor, Unaffiliated Centers).

The following spreadsheets provide Contracting Entities and sites with their estimated EOC reimbursement by month.

NOTE: If a $0.00 reimbursement is listed, per the statutory requirements, the Contracting Entity or site may not have:

demonstrated current participation**;
experienced loss of revenue for the “Reimbursement Month,” or
2019 or “Alternate Period” reimbursements to calculate revenue loss. If you have a question about the calculations, please refer to the Guidance and FAQ document.

If your question is not answered in that document, please contact your local ESC or email EOC@TexasAgriculture.gov for additional guidance. Day Care Home providers should direct any questions directly to their sponsor.

**To meet Emergency Operational Cost Reimbursement Program eligibility requirements, program operators must be currently participating in the program or provide TDA with an assurance statement that they will file a claim for reimbursement within the required time period if they did not file any valid claims during September – December 2020, or later (current participation). Please refer to the Guidance and FAQ document for additional information on providing an assurance statement. TDA is developing a process for CEs and sites to use when providing an assurance statement to TDA.

School Programs Calculations

School Food Authorities (Updated 8/9/21) – Calculated EOC reimbursement by month by Contracting Entity.
As of 8/25/21, TDA processed all “EOC Eligible” payments to SFAs. The payment reference is “EOC2021 CN Pmt CE XXXXX”. Payment Memo
Review the Emergency Operating Cost Grants program and Food Distribution Payments presentation for School Food Authorities by clicking here.

SFAs that operate child care centers, at-risk afterschool care programs, or any other component of the CACFP may be eligible as an institution for additional reimbursement under the CACFP Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program. Please consult the CACFP: Institutions/Affiliated Center spreadsheet provided below.

CACFP Calculations

CACFP: Day Care Homes (Updated 8/10/21) – Calculated EOC reimbursement by month by day care home provider operator license number (or by provider name if there is no provider operator license number is available).
As of 8/25/21, TDA processed all “EOC Eligible” payments to Day Care Home Providers. The payment reference is “EOC2021 DCH Oper XXXXX”. The X’s represent the CE ID in TX-UNPS. Payment Memo
CACFP: Day Care Home Sponsors (Updated 8/9/21) – Calculated EOC reimbursement for administrative funds for day care home sponsors.
As of 8/25/21, TDA processed all “EOC Eligible” payments to Day Care Home Sponsors. The payment reference is “EOC2021 DCH Admin XXXXX”. The X’s represent the CE ID in TX-UNPS. Payment Memo
CACFP: Institutions/Affiliated Centers (Updated 11/3/21) – Calculated EOC reimbursement by month by Contracting Entity.
As of 9/13/21, TDA processed all “EOC Eligible” payments to Affiliated CEs. The payment reference is “EOC2021 CACFP AFFL XXXXX”. The X’s represent the CE ID in TX-UNPS. Payment Memo
CACFP: Unaffiliated Centers (Updated 10/13/21) – Calculated EOC reimbursement by site groups for unaffiliated centers. Calculations for sponsors that have not confirmed or corrected site groups may not be accurate.
As of 9/13/21, TDA processed all “EOC Eligible” payments to Unaffiliated CEs. The payment reference is “EOC2021 CACFP UNAFF XXXXX”. The X’s represent the CE ID in TX-UNPS. Payment Memo

If you have any questions, please contact your local ESC or email EOC@TexasAgriculture.gov. Day Care Home providers should direct any questions directly to their sponsor.

TDA Resources

Return EOC Funds Form Use the appropriate form when returning EOC funding to the Texas Department of Agriculture. Include this form with your check. The forms have a space to include the reason for return. It’s important to list the reason for reporting and tracking purposes. CACFP EOC Form School Nutrition EOC Form
Emergency Operational Cost Reimbursement Program: Site Group Confirmation for Unaffiliated CACFP Centers Purpose: To seek assistance from Sponsoring Organizations of Unaffiliated Centers to help TDA accurately calculate revenue used to determine EOC reimbursement. Information from Sponsoring Organizations will help TDA identify all unaffiliated center sites that used multiple site applications to provide meal service during the COVID-19 reimbursement and reference periods. You can download the slide deck here.
NSLP/SBP Operators - COVID-19 Emergency Operating Costs Reimbursement Program Purpose: To provide additional funding for Child Nutrition Program operators whose revenues decreased or were interrupted during the early days of the public health emergency. You can download the slide deck here.
CACFP Operators - COVID-19 Emergency Operating Costs Reimbursement Program Purpose: To provide additional funding for Child Nutrition Program operators whose revenues decreased or were interrupted during the early days of the public health emergency. You can download the slide deck here.
Assurance Statement Resources PDF Version of Form Used to Collect Assurance Statement Presentation on Assurance Statement Process CACFP Sponsor Assurance Statement Tracking Log

USDA Guidance

Assistance available in English and Spanish. Please call 877-TEX-MEAL (877-839-6325) for help. Additional translations services available as well.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.