Policy and Handbook for SMP

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State and Federal Law Concerning F&N Programs

USDA Policy

USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issues policy memoranda to provide guidance on implementing NSLP. Click here to see these memos on the USDA site.

Eligibility Manual: Determining and Verifying Eligibility for School Meals

The USDA Eligibility Manual is available at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/eligibility-manual-school-meals. This manual contains information on federal requirements regarding the determination and verification of eligibility for free and reduced price meals in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). These provisions also apply to the determination of eligibility for free milk under the Special Milk Program (SMP). This manual is to be used in conjunction with Section 4, Determining Eligibility in the Administrator's Reference Manual (ARM).

SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual

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Publication Name	Download	About	Program Name
Complete ARM			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 01. Program Overview			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 02. Program Application & Agreement			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 02a. Meal Pattern Certification			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 03. Civil Rights & Confidentiality			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 04. Eligibility Determination			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 05. Special Provision Options			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 06. Verification of Eligibility			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 07. Breakfast Meals			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 08. Lunch Meals			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 09. Pre-Kindergarten Meals			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 10. Afterschool Snacks & Meals			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 11. Summer Meals			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 12. Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 13. Special Milk Program			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 14. USDA Foods			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 14a. USDA Foods Processing			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 15. Program Integrity			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 16. Financial System			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 16a. Contract Management			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 17. Procurement			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 17a. Procurement Procedures			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 17b. Buy American			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 17c. Cooperative Purchasing			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 18. Food Service Contracts			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 19. Meal Pricing			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 20. Counting & Claiming			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 21. Meal Service			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 22. Competitive Foods			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 23. Food Product Documentation			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 24. Disaster Situations			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 25. Meal Accommodations			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 26. Food Safety			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 27. Professional Standards			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 28. Residential Child Care Centers			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 29. Local Wellness Policy, Stakeholder Engagement			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 30. Records Retention			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 31. Administrative & Other Compliance Reviews			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Contact Information			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Definitions and Acronyms			SMP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual

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, 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.

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