Free & Reduced Meal Application & Information

• All children in households receiving SNAP or TFA benefits are eligible for free meals. Note: Some students receiving HUSKY A (Medicaid) benefits are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
• Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals. (Note: A foster child is categorically eligible for free meals and may be included as a member of the foster family if the foster family chooses to also apply for benefits for other children. Including children in foster care as household members may help other children in the household qualify for benefits. If non-foster children in a foster family are not eligible for free or reduced-price meal benefits, an eligible foster child will still receive free benefits.)
• Children participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
• Children who meet the definition of homeless or runaway are eligible for free meals.
• Children may receive free or reduced-price meals if your household’s income is within the limits of the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Your children may qualify for free or reduced-price meals if your household income falls at or below the limits on this chart.

No. Use one Free and Reduced-price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to 30 Park Street, Vernon, CT, 06066. For a video tutorial on how to complete the application, please refer to How to Fill Out the Application for Free and Reduced-price Meals or Free Milk . Online meal applications are also available. 

Yes. You are encouraged to complete the electronic online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application. Visit https://www.vernonpublicschools.org/departments/food-services-menus to begin or to learn more about the online application process. Contact Elizabeth Fisher at 860-896-4682 or efisher@vernon-ct.gov if you have any questions about the online application.

Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for up to 30 operating days into the new school year (or until a new eligibility determination is made, whichever comes first); this is referred to as the “carryover period.” When the carryover period ends, unless you are notified that your children are directly certified or you submit an application that is approved, your children’s meals must be claimed at the paid rate. Though encouraged to do so, the District is not required to send a reminder or a notice of expired eligibility.

Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the household income you report.

Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced-price school meals if the household income drops below the income threshold.

You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing William Meier at 860-896-4659 or wmeier@vernon-ct.gov.

Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced-price school meals.

List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1,000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1,000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.

Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application or may not receive income at all. When this happens, please write “0” in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving the income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.

Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food or clothing, or receive Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance payments, these must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded from income.