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Yes, P-EBT is completely different from CalFresh. P-EBT 4.0 is specifically for families with children who qualified for free/reduced school meals during the 2022-2023 school year AND who had COVID-related absences during that period. It's separate from regular CalFresh benefits. If your children meet those criteria, they should be getting cards, but the rollout is happening in phases through June 2025.
Update: I finally got through to someone at the P-EBT hotline! Apparently, our cards were mailed out last week and should arrive any day now. The rep said they're doing distribution based on the first letter of the child's last name within each county. My county is among the last batch. For anyone else still waiting, hang in there - they're definitely still sending them out.
UPDATE: I found the letter! You guys were right - it was about adding my nephew. The letter says I'll get an additional $110 for May (prorated since he moved in on the 12th) and starting June my regular amount will increase by $178 monthly. The additional May amount should be on my EBT card by the 20th. Thanks everyone for the help!!
Wait, are we talking about school P-EBT or summer P-EBT? Because those are different, right? I've been expecting the summer one and wasn't aware of a new school year distribution. Can someone please explain the difference? My kids get free lunch at school already.
You're right that there are different P-EBT distributions. For the 2025 cycle: 1. School Year P-EBT: This covers days when children couldn't access school meals during the regular school year (currently being distributed) 2. Summer P-EBT: This is a separate benefit to help with food costs during summer break when school meals aren't available (typically distributed in June/July) Both are automatic if your children qualify for free/reduced meals. You don't need to apply separately. The current discussion is about the School Year P-EBT that's rolling out now through May.
Anyone know how much we're supposed to get per kid this time? Last year it was like $120 per kid per month for 5 months, but I heard they reduced it this year?
For the 2025 school year, P-EBT benefits are $130 per eligible child per month for qualifying months. Some counties may receive fewer months of benefits depending on how many qualifying school closure or virtual instruction days they had. The maximum benefit period is 5 months, so potentially up to $650 per child for the full benefit period. This is actually a slight increase from last year's rate.
My sister in Riverside County just told me her household got an extra $200 this month because of something called the "Family Stabilization Benefit" - has anyone else heard of this? She said it was because her income dropped recently. I'm in Sacramento County and haven't seen anything like that...
The Family Stabilization Benefit isn't a standard CalFresh program - it's actually part of CalWORKs (cash aid), not CalFresh. Your sister is likely receiving both programs and may have confused which program provided the additional funds. CalWORKs has several supplemental payments that CalFresh doesn't offer. You should check your eligibility for CalWORKs if your income has decreased significantly.
WHY do they make everything so confusing?? I've been on CalFresh for 3 years and I STILL don't understand half the notices they send. One month I get $375, the next it's $341, then back to $375 with ZERO explanation. Called FOUR TIMES last month and couldn't get past the automated system. It's like they WANT us to give up!!
The fluctuations might be due to the way your income is calculated month-to-month. If you're paid biweekly, some months have 5 weeks instead of 4, which can cause your benefit amount to change. Also, utility allowance adjustments happen seasonally. I agree they should explain changes better in the notices though.
StarSurfer
UPDATE: I finally got through to my county worker! The EBT-2259 form wasn't on their website but the worker emailed it to me. I filled it out and submitted it along with the police report. They said I should get emergency replacement benefits within 3 business days since I have kids, then the full claim will be processed in 7-10 days. Thank you all for the advice - especially about mentioning the emergency situation with my kids. Will update again when I get the benefits back.
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Carmen Reyes
•Great! Make sure to keep checking your EBT balance daily. Sometimes they don't actually notify you when they load the replacement benefits. And definitely change your PIN immediately after you get the new benefits.
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Andre Moreau
One more tip - when this happened to me, I started using the BenefitsCal app's "freeze card" feature. You can instantly freeze your EBT card after you use it each time, then unfreeze it only when you're at the store and ready to use it again. It's inconvenient but better than getting all your benefits stolen again.
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StarSurfer
•I had no idea this feature existed! Just downloaded the app and found the freeze option. Will definitely use this from now on. Thanks for the tip!
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