Overview
Eligibility documents are the supporting records that back up a student's Free or Reduced meal status — direct certification files from the state, approved Free & Reduced applications, household correspondence, and other paperwork your district keeps for audit and reimbursement purposes. Gaia stores these documents alongside each student's eligibility record so reviewers can see why a status was granted and when.
Where to Find Eligibility Documents
Student profile: Each student profile shows the documents attached to their eligibility records.
Eligibility Documents Library: A district-wide view of every eligibility document uploaded across students, useful for audits and bulk review.
Uploading a Document
Go to the Eligibility Documents page.
Uploading an Eligibility file (a spreadsheet of student eligibility data, as opposed to a single certification or application document)
After you attach the file, map its columns to Gaia's fields, then review a summary showing how many rows read cleanly and how many have problems before you confirm the import. You can import anyway and skip the problem rows, or fix the file and re-upload.
Processing Outcomes
Each uploaded document carries a processing outcome that tells you whether Gaia was able to match and apply it:
Matched — the document was successfully linked to a student's eligibility record.
Not Matched — Gaia couldn't match automatically. A reviewer needs to open it and assign it to a student.
Failed — the document couldn't be processed. Re-upload or contact Gaia support.
Why This Matters
During a USDA review or state audit, you may be asked to produce the documentation behind each Free or Reduced student. Keeping eligibility documents in Gaia (rather than in separate folders) means the eligibility timeline and the supporting record are in the same place.