2. Provided by the LAUSD Food Services Division 2015-2016 Meal Application Training for Food Services Staff 7/13/2015

3. Provided by the LAUSD Food Services Division 2015-2016 Meal Application Training for Food Services Staff 6/15/2015

4. Goal The goal of the Food Services Division is to qualify as many students for the meal program as possible.  Families that apply for meal benefits may be eligible to receive meals at little or no cost

5. Objectives Develop an understanding of the meal application processes and the following areas:  What is a meal application and why it is required  What’s new in 2015-2016?  What a grace period is  Roster requirements  How to process a meal application  Batching guidelines

6. What is the Meal Application? A meal application is a national tool used to determine the eligibility of students.  Households apply to participate in the School Breakfast, National School Lunch and Child and Adult Care Feeding Programs.  Meal applications are v alid for the entire school year  Only one (1) application is needed from a household

7. Why Are Meal Applications Needed? Household meal applications are a requirement of the Federal regulations for the meal program.  In accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7, Section 245;  School Food Authorities participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) shall provide applications for Free & Reduced price meals to all students

8. What’s New?  THE COLOR – it changes every year  Student’s grade level has been removed  Indicator boxes Homeless, Migrant and Runaway Income earned by students Total household members  Social Security box was moved to Step 2

9. 2015-2016 Meal Application

10. Accessing the Meal Application On-line starting July 1, 2015  http://achieve.lausd.net/mealapp http://achieve.lausd.net/mealapp  www.applyforlunch.com www.applyforlunch.com Paper applications will be  Mailed to households July 15, 2015  Sent to schools beginning the first week of August  Requested by the FS Manager through “Google Doc”

11. The Meal Application Process - Online On-line application transmitted to FS Central Office (CO). FS Meal Compliance Staff Review On-line Applications Eligibility is Determined Meal applications accessed and completed ON-LINE Meal Eligibility Letter is mailed to Household Meal eligibility is transferred from MCS into MiSiS and then to CMS each day

12. Households complete a paper application and delivers it to the FS Manager Meal Application Process – Paper Applications are scanned Meal applications Mailed to Households Meal Eligibility Letter is mailed to Household Applications are processed, and eligibility determined Meal eligibility is transferred from MCS into MiSiS and then to CMS each day FSM reviews applications, batches in envelope and sends them to the Central Office

13. Meal Application Process – CMS CMS is updated on a daily basis with current meal eligibilities. Meal eligibility is transferred from MCS into MiSiS From MiSiS to CMS each day

14. Central Office Processing Timeline Applications must be processed within 10 business days upon receipt  If the application is not being processed on site Do not complete the “Date Received” in the “For Office Use Only” section The “Date Received” will be completed when it is received in the Central Office

15. On Site Processing Timeline Applications must be processed within 10 business days upon receipt  If you are processing the application on site Complete the “Date Received” in the “For Office Use Only” section

16. When To Process Applications On-Site Process meal applications on site only:  If the meal application is complete and  The student is new to the district or  There is no previous meal eligibility code on the Meal Program Roster Record the meal eligibility code and the date processed on the Meal Program Roster

17. Problem (Unacceptable) Applications Applications with the following circumstances are problematic and cannot be accepted:  WRONG COLOR - 2014-2015 or prior school years  Photocopy of the application  Filled out in pencil  Alterations to the application; such as, covering information with labels, using white out or highlighters Note: Black ink is preferred but blue ink is acceptable

18. What Is A Grace Period (Carryover)? A Grace Period or Carryover is - the period for which we carryover and use the eligibility status from the previous school year for a child.  The Grace Period is for up to 30 operating days into the current school year beginning with the first operating day of school  The student’s prior year eligibility is valid until the new eligibility is determined OR the end of the Grace Period  Last day for the Grace Period if no current year eligibility is determined is September 30, 2015

19. What Is A Roster? A roster is a list of the students and their eligibilities. It is used at the point of service to record reimbursable meals served.  Could be: Manually Prepared Computer Generated Coded Un-coded  Must be up to date and accurately reflect the correct (most current) eligibility category for each student

20. Meal Eligibility Codes Meal eligibility codes are numbers that represent the student’s eligibility. They are used to prevent overt identification.  Meal Codes 1 - Free 2 - Reduced Price 3 - Not Eligible (Full Price) 4 - Do Not Wish to Apply 5 - Direct Certification (Free) Blank - An empty space on the roster (Full Price) Note: A blank does not mean no application has been received. It may have been received and is still being processed which can take up to 10 operating days.

21. The MiSiS Meal Program Roster contains: Total School Meal Code Summary Prior Meal Code Information Versus Current Meal Code Information Grade Student Name Room Number Current Meal Code Effective Date Prior Meal Code MiSiS Meal Program Roster Aug. 18-21, 2015 Note: Indicate the date range in the upper right-hand corner

22. MiSiS Roster Maintenance – Pricing Schools Rosters must be updated and maintained on a regular basis to ensure accurate student meal eligibilities are available. Pricing Schools  Print weekly from August through October  November through June, two roster will be obtained Print on the 15th and the last operating day of the month  Manually indicate the date range on the roster  File with most current date in front

23. MiSiS Roster Maintenance – Base Year Rosters must be updated and maintained on a regular basis to ensure accurate student meal eligibilities are available. Base Year Schools  Print weekly from August through October  November through June, two roster will be obtained Print on the 15th and the last operating day of the month  Manually indicate the date range on the roster  File with most current date in front

24. MiSiS Roster Maintenance – Provision 2 Year 2+ Schools During the 2015-2016 School Year, there will be no Provision 2 Year 2+ schools.

25. Off-Site and State Pre-School Attendance Rosters Schools that service Off-Site and/or State Pre-School  Obtain monthly attendance rosters with students birthdate Include the name of the Off-Site or State Pre-School  Send attendance rosters to Central Office for student meal eligibility codes Fax to 213.241.8486 Attention: Pat Millender, Sr. Meal Compliance Auditor Include main site school name, location code and Fax number  Rosters with meal eligibility codes will be faxed to you

26. Students With No Eligibility Code If there is no eligibility code for the student  Ask if they have submitted an application  If they have not submitted an application, provide an application Note: Students are full price until the eligibility code appears on the Meal Program Roster

27. Household Terms and Definitions Household - Group of related or unrelated individuals living as one economic unit Household Income (H INC) - Income is any money received on a recurring basis, including gross earned income before deductions Household Size (HS) - The composition of household members listed on the application living as one economic unit sharing housing and expenses of it’s members

28. “For Office Use Only” Box Complete the “For Office Use Only” section  DATE REC’D Enter date received only if processed on site  HS – Enter Household Size  H INC – Enter Household Income or QQ  F (Free), R (Reduced), or NE (Non-Eligible) Fill in appropriate circle to denote eligibility  REVIEWER – Initials of the processor  DATE - Date processed 060215 03 1900 RD060515

29. Homeless, Migrant and Runaway If a student selects the “Migrant, Runaway, Homeless” box on the application, notify a school administrator. The school administrator will:  Sign the application in Step 3 If the student has no legal guardian  Provide the Student Residence Questionnaire (SRQ)  Refer the student to the Homeless Student Office for additional benefits - (213) 202-7581

30. Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation (FDPIR) Application  Verify meal application for completion Student(s) name listed in Step 1 A valid Tribal ID number Signature of parent or legal guardian is provided in Step 3

31. FDPIR Application cont. A letter from the Tribe (including the Tribal ID number) must accompany the completed meal application. Do not process or batch with other applications  Send the application and supporting documents to the Food Services Division Attention: Pat Millender/Meal Compliance Unit

32. Processing A “Do Not Want To Apply” Application Households may be aware they do not qualify for meal benefits or choose not to share their personal information.  Households has checked the “NO, we DO NOT want to apply for meal benefits” box  Step 1 Student(s) name listed

33. Processing A “Do Not Want To Apply” Application, cont.  Step 3 Signature of parent or legal guardian All applications must be returned home if missing a parent or guardian signature  Do not process the application Batch and send to Central Office

34. 1. Click on the 3 sections that must be completed on a “ Do not want to apply” Meal Application. 2. A blue box will appear if a correct selection has been made. 3. Click here when all 3 correct boxes are selected. Required to fill out

35. Incorrect! Click here to go back to the form.

36. Congratulations! You have selected the correct boxes. Click anywhere to continue

37. Processing A Quick Qualifier “QQ” Application Quick Qualifier (QQ) is a term used by LAUSD Food Services to indicate that the eligibility of free was determined by using a valid case number.  Step 1 Student(s) name listed A valid 7-15 alpha-numeric case number – One case number qualifies all children on the meal application  Step 3 Signature of parent or legal guardian

38. Processing A Quick Qualifier “QQ” Application, cont.  Process As a household of 1, regardless of the amount of students listed.  Complete “For Office Use Only” box  Code the Meal Program Roster These students will be coded “1” on the Meal Program Roster 060215 01 QQ RD060515

39. 1 1 1 1 03 J e r r y G a r c i a R OC1 9 672 0 1 Grace Diaz “QQ” Application Example Required

40. 1. Click on the 3 sections that must be completed on a “Quick Qualifier” Meal Application. 2. A blue box will appear if a correct selection has been made. 3. Click here when all 3 correct boxes are selected. Required to fill out

41. Incorrect! Click here to go back to the form.

42. Congratulations! You have selected the correct boxes. Click anywhere to continue.

43. Processing A Foster Child Application A Foster Child is a child that is considered a ward of the state and is placed in “foster care.”  Step 1 Student(s) name listed The box for Foster Child is marked – If the other children are listed on the meal application with income included; » Do not process the application; send to the Central Office  Step 3 Signature of legal guardian

44. Processing A Foster Child Application, cont.  Process As a household of 1, regardless of the amount of students listed.  Complete “For Office Use Only” box  Code the Meal Program Roster These students will be coded “1” on the Meal Program Roster 060215 01 QQ RD060515

45. x 1 2 2 3 09 T o m Blank Peppermint Patty 1 0 2 3 08 John Smith x x x x 07 1 3 10 Lucy Cake 04 2 0 04 Maria Johnson 02 21 07 Billy Fund Foster Child Application Example Required

46. 1. Click on the 3 sections that must be completed on a “Foster” Meal Application. 2. A blue box will appear if a correct selection has been made. 3. Click here when all 3 correct boxes are selected. Required to fill out R e q u ir e d t o fi ll o u t

47. Incorrect! Click here to go back to the form.

48. Congratulations! You have selected the correct boxes. Click anywhere to continue.

49. Processing An Income Application An income based application is an application reporting “income” for members of the household which will be used to determine the eligibility.

50. Processing An Income Application, cont.  Step 1 List all student names If the student(s) have no reportable income - Enter “0” in the student income box If the student(s) have reportable income - Enter the total in the student income box - Enter the frequency (Weekly, Bi-Weekly, 2x Month, Monthly)

51. Processing An Income Application, cont.  Step 2 List all other household members If the household members have no reportable income -Enter “0” in the income box If the household members have reportable income -Enter the income amount in the income source box -Enter the frequency

52. Processing An Income Application, cont.  Step 2 continued Indicate the total household members (children and adults) in the box The person signing the application must be included The person signing the application must: – Provide the last four digits of their Social Security Number – Or check the box “I DO NOT have a Social Security Number”

53. Processing An Income Application, cont.  Step 3 Signature (printed or cursive) of parent or legal guardian The address and phone numbers are not required

54. Processing A Income Application, cont.  Process Process based on the amount of income and household members listed on the application  Complete “For Office Use Only” box  Code the Meal Program Roster Based on the eligibility determined 060215 RD060515 Enter Household Size Bubble in eligibility based on IEG Enter annualized income

55. Processing An Income Application, cont. Income totals are annualized using the criteria below:  Monthly x 12  Bi-weekly x 26  Twice a month x 24  Weekly x 52 Add all income together  Round up to the next whole dollar of.50₵ or more  The dollar amount remains the same if.49₵ or less Use the current IEG to determine eligibility

56. Income Eligibility Guidelines 2015-2016

57. 0 5 1 6 0 7 T h e o d o r e C l e a v e r 0 3 1 3 9 7 W a l l y C l e a v e r Ward Cleaver 1,012.85 every 2 weeks June Cleaver 112.35 weekly Sally Cleaver 0 - No Income Ward Cleaver 5 1234 Income Application Example Required

58. Household size of 5 Ward’s income every 2 weeks is $1,012.85  $1,012.85 x 26 = $26,334.10 June’s weekly income is $112.35  $112.35 x 52 = $5,842.20 Total combined annual income: $32,176.30  Rounded out to $32,176 Based on the IEG the students eligibility is Free Household Size AnnualMonthlyTwice Per MonthEvery Two WeeksWeekly 1$15,301$1,276$638$589$295 2$20709$1,726$863$797$399 3$26,117$2,177$1,089$1,005$503 4$31,525$2,628$1,314$1,213$607 5$36,933$3,078$1,539$1,421$711 6$42,341$3,529$1,765$1,629$815 7$47,749$3,980$1,990$1,837$919 8$53,157$4,430$2,215$2,045$1,023 For each additional family member, add: +$5,408+$451+$226+$208+$104

59. 1. Click on the 6 sections that must be completed on an “Income Based” Meal Application. 2. A blue box will appear if a correct selection has been made. 3. Click here when all 6 correct boxes are selected. Required to fill out Require d to fill out Required to fill out

60. Incorrect! Click here to go back to the form.

61. Congratulations! You have selected the correct boxes. Click anywhere to continue.

62. Incomplete Meal Applications If any required information is missing, the application is considered incomplete and cannot be processed.  Missing required information with the exception of the parent or guardian signature may be obtained by telephone Add the provided missing information to the application – Using black ink, add the date, who you spoke with and your initials in the area outside of the scanning area  When information cannot be obtained, send a Notice of Incomplete (NOI) letter which states what information is needed

63. Application Batching Guidelines Mail batches of 1-50 meal applications to the Central Office daily  Batch packing slips and logs, are automatically shipped to schools in July Call 213.241.3185 to order additional forms  Application Packing Slip are color coded Pink (main site) Green (off site)  Complete batch control log for every batch Remain at the site in the Daily Workbook

64. Batch Control Log Example 8/14/15 8/18/15 2 3 4 5 6 1 7 8/13/15 50 43 40 50 18 50 22 Off sites 3 2 2

65. Any Questions? Thank you