Administration of the SUN Bucks Program
In FFY 2024, DCFS administered the SUN Bucks program, distributing approximately $80,273,040 in nutritional assistance to 668,942 eligible school-aged children during the summer months. Each child received a one-time $120 benefit, with benefits being issued in three phases. The first phase, issued on June 19, provided benefits to 321,371 children in households receiving SNAP. The second phase, issued during July and August, covered 337,637 children whose households participated in Medicaid, FITAP, KCSP, or NSLP/SBP. The final phase, launched in September, issued benefits to 9,934 children through an application process for additional eligible households. Benefits were delivered via EBT cards with a 122-day usage period. Prior to issuance, DCFS emphasized the importance of updating mailing addresses to ensure timely delivery of EBT cards.
Optimizing Emergency Preparedness Efforts
Louisiana experienced a quiet year in terms of major emergencies in 2025. Despite this, the Emergency Preparedness (EP) team continued their efforts in disaster preparedness activities and training.
Notably, over 2,000 DCFS staff members underwent training for ESF-6, and the team responded to nine emergency events, including severe weather occurrences, such as freezing rain/ice and Hurricane Francine, collectively logging nearly 90,000 hours of emergency response time