ATLANTA – In an effort to ensure children have access to the nutrition and medical services they need during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) and Department of Education (GDOE) are partnering to encourage families with school-age children to use district-issued student devices to access online SNAP, Medicaid or TANF applications rather than visit the local county office.

Leaders from both agencies worked throughout the week to remove any barriers that prevented access to the programmatic websites so that parents can file an application online and avoid the need to fill out an application at the local county office.

“We welcomed the opportunity to work with DFCS to make it easier for our families to get the support they need to take care of their children during this difficult time,” said Garry McGiboney, DOE Deputy Superintendent of School Safety and Climate.

“Our primary goal as a division is to make sure that we do everything in our power to help families have access to the basic things they need to take care of their families in this time of need”, says DFCS Division Director Tom Rawlings, “we are very grateful for the support of our partners at DOE in making access to services easier to families while helping the local offices and families practice social distancing.”

While local county office lobbies may be temporarily closed, DFCS remains open for business and is encouraging families to access self-service options.

Self-service options include:

Food Stamp and Medicaid Benefits
Visit: gateway.ga.gov (verification documents can also be uploaded and case status info is available for all benefits)

Download an Application: https://dfcs.georgia.gov/services

Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT)
Visit: https://www.connectebt.com/gaebtclient or call: 888-421-3281 for updates

Those without internet access can contact the DFCS Customer Contact Center at 877-423-4746 for additional information or to request a paper application. Once completed, applications and any required verification can be mailed back to your local county DFCS office.

County office locations are available online at https://dfcs.georgia.gov/locations.

For more information on the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services please visit, dfcs.georgia.gov. To learn more about the Georgia Department of Education please visit, gadoe.org.