HONOLULU (KHON2) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that Hawaii’s reimbursement rate for federal child nutrition programs will be increased by 13%.
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The new funding will be applied to all child meal programs in the state which include the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program. This increased rate is expected to bring a projected $8 million a year to Hawaii.
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The increase of the federal reimbursement rate will now accurately reflect the current cost of providing school meals to Hawaii and other territories. The push for this increase began in May 2022 and was successfully passed in December.
The increased reimbursement rate will be effective beginning July 1. USDA has also announced that increased child nutrition program reimbursement rates are in the works for Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, totaling over $30 million a year for all four jurisdictions.
