Back-To-School Financial Support Ahead of Academic Year

August 21, 2023

I am pleased to announce the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) delivered a one-time, back-to-school cash benefit to 7,500 children across the state using federal Pandemic Emergency Assistance Funds (PEAF). This benefit will go to children aged 5 to 17 who were enrolled in the Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) program in May 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specific information about the Saturday, August 19 distribution:

  • The one-time cash benefit is $55 per eligible child.
  • 4-year-olds who turned 5 by May 31 are eligible
  • 17-year-old who turned 18 by May 2 are eligible
  • Families do not need to apply for the additional funds, all eligible households will automatically receive this benefit on their existing electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards.

The cash benefit coincides with the start of Connecticut’s Sales Tax Free Week, which runs from August 20 – August 26, to help families maximize back-to-school purchases or other essential needs.

Connecticut previously distributed approximately $7 million in PEAF assistance in August 2022. The funding for this round of benefits came from a supplemental federal PEAF distribution.