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UPDATE: I checked my BenefitsCal messages and there was a notice about the wildfire emergency allotment! It was dated yesterday even though the money came in last night. Says it's a one-time payment for households in the affected areas. So looks like we're good to use it! Thanks everyone for your help figuring this out.
thx for posting this! just checked mine and got the same message. gonna use mine for stocking up on food since were supposed to have another fire evacuation warning next week
I called my caseworker and finally got through! She confirmed it's disaster assistance and is 100% ours to keep. NOT an error. Anyone in the affected zip codes should have gotten it automatically. If you didn't get it but think you should have, you need to call and request it specifically - mention "wildfire emergency allotment" and they'll check your eligibility. So relieved!
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ALSO another thing they dont tell u is that u HAVE TO activate the card within 30 days of getting it or they can deactivate it!!! happened to my cousin last year and was HUGE headache to fix. the activate number is on sticker on card
Is that really true?? Omg I got mine last week and haven't activated it yet because the instructions said funds wouldn't load until July 15th! Running to find it now!
Just to prevent panic: You don't have to activate P-EBT cards within 30 days of receiving them. The cards remain valid for one year after issuance. You should activate them when you receive them, but there's no 30-day deactivation policy. What can happen is if you report a card lost/stolen and then find the original, the original will be deactivated 30 days after reporting it lost. The confusion might be from the regular EBT card policy, which does require contact with the card within 365 days to keep it active. P-EBT follows different rules.
well all i know is my cousins kids card stopped working and when she called they said it was cuz she didnt activate it fast enough. maybe the worker was wrong but thats what they TOLD her. better safe than sorry!!!!
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btw those two November deposits are probably for different things - like one might be the base benefit and the other could be a supplement. P-EBT is super confusing that way. My daughter's card had some weird split payments too.
totally true lol one of my kids deposits was split into 3 different amounts on different days but it was actually just one month's worth of benefits 🤦♀️
After seeing all these responses, I want to clarify something important: P-EBT is NOT the same program as CalFresh, although both use EBT cards. P-EBT is specifically for school-aged children to replace school meals during eligible periods. The current 2025-2026 P-EBT program issues benefits quarterly, not monthly. The payments you received are likely just the first installment, with more scheduled for February and May 2026. If you need definitive answers, I recommend: 1. Check the P-EBT portal at ca.p-ebt.org and create an account if you haven't 2. Contact your child's school nutrition services department 3. Call the P-EBT hotline at 877-328-9677 (though getting through can be difficult) You can also contact your county CalFresh office, but be aware that some county workers aren't fully trained on P-EBT details since it's administered separately from regular CalFresh benefits.
Thanks for the additional information. I'll try the P-EBT portal first and then contact the school. It sounds like I should expect more deposits based on what everyone's saying, which is a relief. I appreciate all the help!
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Does anyone know if homeschooled kids qualify for any of this? My children were homeschooled during 2021-2022 and we were on CalFresh, but I haven't received anything. Not sure if I should be expecting cards or not.
Unfortunately, homeschooled children generally don't qualify for the school-aged P-EBT benefits unless they were enrolled in a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program. However, if any of your children were under 6 as of August 1, 2021, AND your household received CalFresh between August 2021-August 2022, those younger children would qualify for the under-6 benefit regardless of schooling status.
Update: Just wanted to share that I checked my son's P-EBT card balance today and there was an additional $147 added! Must be for his COVID absences in January. So it does look like they're automatically adding those funds if your school reported the absences correctly. Still nothing extra on my daughter's card, but that makes sense since she wasn't school-aged. Thanks everyone for your help understanding this complicated program!
nice!! i just checked mine and nothing extra yet. gonna call tomorrow
That's excellent news! Thanks for updating us. For everyone's information, the state is processing the COVID absence supplements in batches through July 2025, so some eligible families may not see those additional funds for several more weeks. If you don't see anything by August, that would be the time to pursue the appeals process.
Ravi Choudhury
UPDATE: Called my county worker this morning and they confirmed there's been a bunch of reports about the EBT system showing phantom PIN changes from 11/30! Apparently it was a system update that incorrectly displayed as PIN changes to users. My benefits were deposited normally today and I can access them with my PIN. So relieved!!! Still glad I changed my PIN just to be safe though. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
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Chloe Harris
•Thanks for updating! This is really helpful information. I'm going to share this with other clients who might be seeing the same thing. Glad everything worked out with your benefits.
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Freya Andersen
•phew!!! glad ur money is safe!!
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CosmicCadet
Great news! For anyone reading this later - always better to be safe than sorry with EBT security! I always change my PIN every few months just to be extra careful with my foodstamps.
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