Food and Nutrition Programs

School Year (SY) 2023-2024 Special Milk Program (SMP) Application Renewal and Massachusetts Special Milk Household Application Packet Now Available

The SY 23-24 Massachusetts Special Milk Program Application Renewal is now available.

The FY 24 Special Milk Program Agreement is located in the Document and Reference Library under the Special milk Program heading.

The following must be completed in the Application Packet for program approval:

• FY 24 Special Milk Program Agreement
• Updated Contact Types in Authorized Signatures
  • Special Milk Program Coordinators and Superintendent/CEO/Executive Director/Owner must be designated contact types for application approval.
• Civil Rights Training Certificate
  • This training must be completed annually and is available here: Civil Rights for Child Nutrition Programs.
• Sponsor Application must be submitted after all other components are submitted.

*PRICING PROGRAMS WITH FREE MILK OPTION ONLY*

The following information is only for Sponsors with pricing programs that offer the free milk option. All other sponsors can skip this section.

The household application packet is now available in the Document and Reference Library of the Security portal. This application is updated for SY 23-24 and contains the required information; please ensure that all pricing program schools with the free milk option in the Special Milk Program use the current free milk application documents. The income guidelines are a separate attachment and are for school use only. The Massachusetts Application for Free Milk should be used whenever possible. Please be advised that use of outdated or unapproved documents may result in a fiscal disallowance.

The most recent version of the Eligibility Manual for School Meals is available on the UDSA's website and the Security Portal. The manual was last updated in 2017.

The Limited English Proficiency Taglines Cover Page and USDA I Speak… documents are included in the application packet documents and should be included in the beginning of any communication sent to parents to assist in determining the language needs of a particular household. To accommodate a person with LEP use the translated USDA application package in their preferred language. Forty nine (49) different languages are available at Translated Applications. Additional instructions about diminishing participation barriers for Limited English Proficient (LEP) households are found in the Eligibility Manual for School Meals.

The packet also has additional documents related to milk benefit eligibility. There is a document related to the sharing of eligibility status with other programs. The sharing of information may be utilized for specific programs that are not covered by the federal/state education program as authorized by law, as long as the program is identified on the release form. Individual programs must be listed and have the parent/guardian's signature prior to the release of any information. Parental consent is not required when sharing student eligibility information with other Child Nutrition Programs such as the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Please refer to the Eligibility Manual for School Meals for complete information.

Available in the Document and Reference Library are Massachusetts prototype forms

Required information that must be provided to households:

• Letter to Households/Frequently Asked Questions
• How to Apply for Free Milk
• Massachusetts Special Milk Family Application-SY 2023-2024
• Notice to Households of Approval/Denial of Benefits

Optional application-related materials that should be provided to households:

• Sharing Information with Medicaid/CHIP
• Sharing Information with Other Programs: In most instances, LEAs may not share eligibility information without consent. DESE highly recommends including this document if the district provides additional benefits to eligible students as part of the meal benefit package.
• USDA's "I SPEAK Statements" and Limited English Proficiency Taglines Cover Page with local phone numbers inserted where a parent who is not proficient in English and/or is hearing impaired could call to get access to program information. This should be available at the school or district level where a parent can go to get any vital information about their child's education experience. To assist in determining the language needs of households.

The pages are designed to be printed on 8½" by 11" paper. Some pages may be printed front and back. The [bold, bracketed fields] indicate where you need to insert school district specific information. For example, you must include your district's no-charge telephone number for application assistance. This prototype application package includes information regarding the exclusion of housing allowance for those in the Military Housing Privatization Initiative. If this is not pertinent to your school district, please modify as appropriate. A hearing procedure guidelines document is also included for the district to use to develop their district specific hearing procedures.

If you have questions about the Special Milk Program, please contact:
Ebonique Faria
Ebonique.P.Faria@mass.gov
781-338-6461