Food Assistance: Early Results of USDA's No-Fee School Meal Pilot Program
(Testimony, 04/14/94, GAO/T-RCED-94-184).

Under the existing lunch and breakfast programs, the federal government
pays schools a nationally established subsidy for each meal served to
reduce the cost to students.  The programs require that meals be
provided free, or at a greatly reduced price, to poor children.
Reimbursement rates differ depending on the income of the students'
families.  Schools are required to determine and verify students'
eligibility and must keep accurate records of meals served to all
students to support their claims for federal reimbursement.  To reduce
this administrative burden and to boost student participation, Congress
encouraged the Agriculture Department (USDA) to explore alternatives to
the administrative requirements of the current program.  The result was
USDA's no-fee school pilot program.  This testimony discusses the (1)
differences between the no-fee pilot program and the traditional school
meal programs, (2) different approaches used by the four school food
authorities participating in the pilot program, and (3) results being
obtained in terms of administrative costs and workloads, student
participation, and federal costs.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-RCED-94-184
     TITLE:  Food Assistance: Early Results of USDA's No-Fee School Meal 
             Pilot Program
      DATE:  04/14/94
   SUBJECT:  School lunch programs
             Disadvantaged persons
             Students
             Child care programs
             Subsidies
             Eligibility determinations
             Paperwork
             Administrative costs
             Cost control
IDENTIFIER:  Philadelphia (PA)
             Jersey City (NJ)
             Salinas (CA)
             National City (CA)
             National School Lunch Program
             National School Breakfast Program
             USDA No-Fee School Meal Pilot Program
             
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