Evaluation of Demonstrations of National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program Direct Certification of Children Receiving Medicaid Benefits: Year 1 Report

Direct Certification-Medicaid (DC-M) is expected to expand the number of students who are certified without completing an application. DC-M might also increase the total number of students who receive free meals by reaching students who are eligible but not certified under standard procedures. If DC-M leads to an increase in the number of free meals served, it will have an impact on Federal reimbursement costs. In addition, DC-M will likely affect the costs that States and districts incur for administering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). The increased costs from conducting DC-M might be partially offset or more than offset by the reduced costs from processing fewer applications.