I work at a local community center that helps families navigate benefit programs, and I see this situation pretty regularly. A few things that might help while you're dealing with the replacement: 1. Some grocery stores will let you do a "manual voucher" transaction if you can provide proof that you have P-EBT benefits but lost the card. You'd need documentation showing the benefits were issued to your child. Not all stores do this, but it's worth asking at customer service. 2. If your son's dad is willing to help with the call, sometimes having the custodial parent information ready speeds things up - they may ask about custody arrangements or who's authorized to make changes to the account. 3. For future reference, many parents don't realize you can actually request a second card for the same account (like having one for each household in shared custody situations). Might be worth asking about when you call for the replacement. The 877 number is definitely right, and definitely emphasize that it's P-EBT 3.0 when you call. Good luck - I hope you get through quickly and your son gets his food assistance restored soon!

I just went through this exact same situation two months ago with my daughter's P-EBT 3.0 card! Here's what worked for me: Definitely call 877-328-9677 (that number is correct), but try calling right at 8am when they open - I got through in about 20 minutes versus the 2+ hour waits later in the day. Have everything ready: your son's full name exactly as it appears on school records, DOB, school name, and your current address. One thing that really helped speed up my call - I found the original P-EBT welcome letter in my files which had some reference numbers on it. Not required, but the rep said it made the process much faster. For this weekend, call your son's school Monday morning to ask about their weekend food backpack program if they have one. Also, some grocery stores will do manual voucher transactions if you can show proof of the P-EBT benefits (like old statements or the welcome letter). My replacement card came in exactly 7 business days, and they immediately canceled the old card when I called so no one could use it if they found it. Make sure to ask them to confirm the cancellation! Hang in there - I know how stressful this is when you're counting on those benefits. You'll get through this!

I went through this exact situation last year when we had rolling blackouts in my area. Your son definitely qualifies for replacement benefits! A few tips from my experience: 1) Call the county office early in the morning (they're less busy), 2) Have his case number ready when he calls, 3) Ask them to email him the CF 303 form so he can fill it out ahead of time, and 4) The utility company can usually provide a power outage verification letter online or over the phone pretty quickly. In my case, they replaced the full amount I lost ($180) within about a week. Don't let him stress too much - this is exactly what the replacement program is designed for!

I work for a county social services office and can confirm that CalFresh replacement benefits are absolutely available for power outages! Your son should call his county CalFresh office as soon as possible (definitely within the 10-day window). He'll need to request Form CF 303 and provide documentation of the power outage from his utility company. One thing I'd add that others haven't mentioned - he should also check if his renters/homeowners insurance covers food loss due to power outages. Some policies will reimburse for spoiled food, and if he gets insurance money, he'll need to report that to CalFresh. But don't let that delay filing the CalFresh replacement request! The county can adjust things later if needed. Good luck to your son - this is a very common situation and the system is set up to help in exactly these circumstances.

Thanks everyone for your advice! I think I'm going to start changing my PIN quarterly as suggested, and be more careful about where I use my card. I had no idea skimming was such an issue with EBT cards. Going to download the app to monitor my balance too. Really appreciate all the information!

Just wanted to add that if you do decide to change your PIN regularly, try using a pattern or system that makes sense to you so you don't forget it. I use the last 4 digits of the month/year plus a number that corresponds to the season (like 0125-1 for January 2025, winter = 1). This way I can always reconstruct it if I forget, but it's still secure and changes regularly. Also, I've found that grocery stores with newer chip readers tend to be safer than older swipe-only machines. Stay safe everyone!

I'm so relieved to find this thread! I'm pretty new to using CalFresh (just got approved last month) and had the exact same thing happen at the Aldi near me two weeks ago. I was already feeling anxious about using my EBT card for the first time in public, and then when it got declined I was mortified. The cashier kept trying to swipe it and other customers in line were getting impatient. I ended up just leaving without buying anything and went home feeling like I had done something wrong with my application. Reading everyone's experiences here makes me realize it wasn't my fault at all! Thank you all for sharing - this community has been so welcoming and informative. I'm going to download that CalFresh app to check for the green checkmarks and maybe try that other Aldi location that someone mentioned has the updated system. It's such a relief to know I'm not alone in this!

This whole thread has been such a lifesaver! I've been dealing with the same issue at my local Aldi for about three weeks now. What really gets to me is how the staff sometimes act like it's YOUR fault when the card gets declined - like one cashier actually rolled her eyes and said "maybe you should check your balance" even though I had just checked it on my phone and had over $180 available. It's so frustrating when you're already feeling vulnerable using benefits and then you get treated like you're trying to pull a fast one. I'm definitely going to try that manual entry trick next time, and the credit instead of debit option sounds promising too. Really grateful for everyone sharing their experiences because it makes you realize you're not alone in dealing with this stuff. Can't wait for May 15th when hopefully this will all be resolved!

I've been through this exact situation before! The good news is that county systems do keep detailed call logs, and most workers document everything as they go. When you call back, they should be able to pull up notes from your previous call and see exactly where you left off. Here's what worked for me: I called back the next day and explained that my call dropped during the confirmation number part. The worker was able to see that the previous worker had already submitted the benefit restoration request in the system. My benefits were back on my card within 48 hours. Pro tip: Write down the date, time, and case worker's name (if they give it) for future reference. Also, some counties send text notifications when benefits are loaded, so keep an eye on your phone! You've got this - the system isn't perfect but they do want to help get your benefits restored.

This is so frustrating! I had something similar happen where my phone died during an important call with the county. From my experience, they definitely keep records of all calls in their system - it's required for documentation purposes. When you call back tomorrow, have your case number ready and tell them exactly what time you called yesterday. Ask them to look up the case notes from that specific call. The worker you spoke with likely already started processing your benefit restoration before the call dropped, so there's a good chance it's already in progress. If for some reason they can't find the record (which would be unusual), don't let them brush you off. Ask to speak with a supervisor and explain the situation. Your benefits are important and they should work with you to resolve this quickly. Also, check your EBT card balance periodically over the next day or two - sometimes benefits get restored faster than they tell you. Good luck, and I hope you get this sorted out soon so you can get groceries for your kids!