To clarify about Summer EBT: It's a new federal program that California is implementing in 2025. It provides $120 per eligible child for the summer months (June-August) to help with food costs when school meals aren't available. It's separate from regular CalFresh but will use the same EBT card system. This is not specific to Orange County - it's a statewide program. Eligibility is tied to school meal programs, so children who receive free or reduced-price school meals should qualify automatically. The state is still finalizing implementation details, but households should receive notification about eligibility in late spring.

Hey everyone! I'm new to California (just moved to Irvine from Arizona) and I'm trying to navigate the CalFresh system here. Reading through this thread has been super helpful - especially learning about the Summer EBT program coming this year! My 7-year-old gets free lunch at school so it sounds like we'd qualify for that $120 benefit. I'm also dealing with the same issue of benefits not lasting the full month. Back in Arizona my EBT covered way more groceries for the same amount. Is there a list somewhere of all the deductions I should make sure Orange County knows about? I have childcare costs, medical expenses, and I'm paying utilities separately from rent. Sounds like I need to call and make sure they have everything on file to maximize my benefits. Thanks for all the detailed info in this thread - it's exactly what I needed to read!

Yes, this is important. Once approved, you'll need to complete a SAR7 form every 6 months and a recertification every 12 months. The SAR7 is much simpler but missing it will definitely cause your benefits to stop. San Bernardino County should send reminders, but it's good to track these deadlines yourself.

I'm in a similar situation and just got approved last month! With your rent being over 80% of your income, you'll definitely qualify and likely get close to the maximum benefit. The high shelter costs actually work in your favor for CalFresh calculations. One thing I wish someone had told me - when they calculate your benefits, they use something called the "excess shelter deduction" which basically means they recognize that your housing costs are eating up most of your income. This should boost your monthly benefit amount significantly. Also, since you mentioned struggling to afford food right now, definitely ask about expedited processing when you follow up. Even if your income is too high for the usual expedited criteria, sometimes they can approve it faster if you explain you have no money left for food after paying rent and utilities. Good luck! The process is stressful but it sounds like you have a strong case for approval.

UPDATE: Our benefits just loaded today! Full $575 per child as expected. Thanks everyone for the help and information! For anyone else waiting in Manteca Unified, check your cards now!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone still waiting - I'm new to the P-EBT program and had to learn everything from scratch this year. My kids attend a school in San Joaquin County that participates in the Community Eligibility Provision (free meals for all students), but I never knew about P-EBT until a friend mentioned it. I applied late through the ca.p-ebt.org website in May and just received our cards in the mail yesterday. The benefits were already loaded with the full summer amount! So for anyone who might have missed out on automatic enrollment, it's not too late to apply directly through the website. The application was pretty straightforward and asked for basic info about my kids and their school.

So to summarize for anyone else confused like I was: P-EBT 3.0 is NOT coming back, but California is implementing the new permanent Summer EBT program starting summer 2025. It's about $120 per eligible child for the summer months, will be loaded automatically if your kids get free/reduced lunch or are on CalFresh, and this is separate from your regular monthly CalFresh benefits. Thanks everyone for clearing this up!

Just wanted to add that I work at a local food bank and we've been getting a lot of questions about this too. The confusion is understandable because the names are similar! We've been telling families that while the Summer EBT is great news, it's important to remember it only covers about 3 months. If you're struggling to stretch your CalFresh benefits year-round, don't forget about local food pantries and school backpack programs that can help fill the gaps. Many of us are open year-round and don't require extensive paperwork like government programs do.

this happens every time they do updates i swear. my cousin works for the county and says theyre always doing these "upgrades" that just mess everything up worse lol

I'm new to CalFresh and this is exactly what I was worried about! I just got approved last month in Fresno County and my benefits loaded fine then, but seeing posts like this makes me nervous. Is there anywhere we can sign up for notifications when there are system delays? It seems like they should have better communication about these issues, especially when families with kids are depending on these benefits for food.