NEW YORK, March 8 (UPI) -- A federal pilot program in New York City aims to cut bureaucratic red tape for free school breakfast and lunch that will save money, a U.S. senator said.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said the pilot program will automatically enroll eligible New York City youth from kindergarten through 12th grade based on their Medicaid information.
Currently, families on Medicaid must fill out forms each year to enroll their children in the free school meals program.
However, many end up paying full cost of the meals -- some $270 a year for school lunch per child -- if the necessary paperwork was lost, incomplete or filed incorrectly.
"Under the new pilot program beginning July 1, 2012, the city Education Department will work with the city Human Resources Administration to use an electronic data system to automatically enroll students who are on Medicaid in the federal free school meals program," Gillibrand said in a statement. "Each day, the city Education Department serves approximately 660,000 lunches and 230,000 breakfasts in nearly 2,000 locations."
The city said approximately 7,000 students who are on Medicaid but currently not enrolled in the school meals program will be automatically enrolled through this demonstration project, Gillibrand said.
The new program, which cuts the administrative cost, would offset the expense for the additional children who would be automatically enrolled for free school meals, Gillibrand said.
