September 2023 / www.ams.usda.gov

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Form Overview: Reimbursement Claim Form (Claim Form)

Who completes it? The Eligible Dairy Organization (EDO)

When to complete the Claim Form? 

 Anytime after you receive the official Plan Approval from USDA.

 You can submit as frequently as you would like—monthly, quarterly, annually—to mdrp@usda.gov. 

How to complete the Claim Form? 

 First, unlock the form by entering the password in the yellow box on the 

Instructions tab. This password was sent to you with your Plan Approval. 

 On the Donations tab, complete all necessary fields for each product. If 

you click a cell under any header in row 2, a yellow box will pop up with 

more information on the field and the format needed.

 On the YieldCalc tab: it is not necessary to complete this tab, but you can 

in order for the form to compute custom yields. Yields entered here are 

used preferentially over values entered under the Donations tab. If you 

use this tab, provide the recipe final pounds of product, recipe pounds of 

milk used, and milkfat percentage of the final product for each UPC (UPC must match exactly on the 

Donations and YieldCalc tabs for the correct information to load).

 If both the yield fields on the Donations tab and YieldCalc tab are blank, then the standard Yield 

Factor and Fat Percent values for the product type will be used to calculate reimbursement. The 

standard Yield Factor and Fat Percent values are linked on the Instructions tab and posted on the 

Milk Donation Reimbursement Program website: www.ams.usda.gov/mdrp. 

 On the Documentation tab: insert supporting evidence of the donation (bills of lading, delivery 

ticket) by selecting a cell in Row 2. Click Insert and then click Object. Only one form of supporting 

evidence is needed. See FAQ on next page for more details. 

 On the Certification tab: enter contact information for the person filling out the form. 
Agricultural Marketing Service

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

September 2023 / www.ams.usda.gov

FAQs: Reimbursement Claim Form (Claim Form) 

Why is a reimbursement not being calculated for a product listed?

 Ensure you are downloading the latest Claim Form from the program website. Claim Forms are 

added to the website by the 15th of each month to reflect applicable prices from the previous month.

If your form is not showing any plants or distributors, it may not be the latest Claim Form.

 Make sure all fields are complete.

 Check that the code date (sell-by, best-by, or use-by date) is entered accurately. Products are not 

eligible for reimbursement unless at least 12 days of shelf life remain from the date the product is 

delivered to the distributor. If this requirement is not met, you will not be able to receive 

reimbursement for the product and will be prevented from entering the number of units donated.

Please ensure that all dates are reported accurately.

Why is a plant or distribution location missing from the dropdown list on the Donations tab?

 If desired locations are not available on the drop-down list, contact the MDRP team at 

mdrp@usda.gov to have these locations added. 

How can I add documentation to the file? 

 To insert files in the 

Documentation tab, click in an empty 

cell in Row 2, click Insert on the top 

bar, and then click Object. 

 From the Object box, select the 

Create from File tab and then click 

Browse. Select your file and then 

click Insert. Make sure the Display As

Icon box is checked. Select OK to 

finish attaching the file.

 In the cell directly below the inserted file (Row 3), please list the line number of the referenced 

product on the Donations tab so that USDA knows which product this evidence is supporting. If 

multiple products are covered in one file, list multiple lines (ex. Line 1, Line 3, or Line 1-Line 5).

 If you need more details, click the blue button on the form to 

launch a video that will walk you through all the steps.

Anything else to know? 

 Make sure to accurately report with the same load ID if products are delivered on the same load. 

 Ensure you are reporting the distance to the first distribution point only. If the product is picked up 

by the eligible distributor, a zero should be reported.

 Send the form to USDA in its original Excel format. Do not convert to PDF or other format types.
Agricultural Marketing Service

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

September 2023 / www.ams.usda.gov

Documentation Examples