That's great news! One more tip - when you get your new card, immediately register it on the EBT mobile app and set up text alerts for ALL transactions. That way you'll know instantly if there's any suspicious activity. Glad the county came through with the expedited replacement!

so happy 4 u!!! gonna try that special phrase next time they mess up my benefits too lol

does anyone no if u can use p-ebt at farmer markets? i heard they double the amount at some markets but not sure if thats only for regular calfresh or p-ebt too????

UPDATE: Just saw on the California Department of Social Services website that they've extended the P-EBT 4.0 distribution timeline through May 2025 due to "processing delays." So if you haven't received your benefits yet, that might explain why. They're also adding a status checker to the P-EBT website in early March where you can enter your child's information to see if/when benefits will be issued. That should help reduce some of the uncertainty and phone calls.

Emergency allotments are gone BUT what might be happening is the quarterly adjustment for the utility allowance that affects some households. February is when the seasonal utility allowance changes for certain households using the SUA or LUA deductions. So some people DO see small benefit increases this month if they're in households where heating costs changed significantly. Check your last SAR7 to see if you get either SUA (Standard Utility Allowance) or LUA (Limited Utility Allowance) deductions. If your worker calculated a change, it might show up as a separate deposit.

Just to add some clarity here: CalFresh has returned to normal operations with no emergency supplements currently authorized for February 2025 in any California county. However, there are three legitimate ways you might see adjustments to your benefits this month: 1. Utility Allowance Adjustment (as someone mentioned) 2. Retroactive corrections if your income was previously calculated incorrectly 3. Restoration of benefits if you had a successful appeal The best way to check is by using the BenefitsCal mobile app or website, which will show any pending deposits to your EBT account, or by calling the EBT customer service line at 877-328-9677 to check your balance and pending deposits.

btw your neighbor was probably talking about the CalWORKs payment schedule, not CalFresh. those payments did get moved around this month because of the system update. easy to confuse all these different benefit types lol

Since your issue is a late SAR7 form, here's what you need to do immediately: 1) Complete and submit your SAR7 through BenefitsCal today 2) Call the county office to notify them you've submitted it late 3) Request 'restoration of lost benefits' since you weren't properly notified about the form being due. When you submit the SAR7, make sure to include all household income for the report month, any changes in household composition, and all required verification documents. The county has to process an SAR7 received within 30 days of the due date, even if it's late.

I used that Claimyr service that someone mentioned above after spending days trying to get through. It actually worked! Got connected to a real person in about 20 minutes who set up the PIN for both my kids' cards. Worth checking out if you're desperate like I was.

Just an update for everyone struggling with P-EBT PIN issues - the Department of Social Services just posted that they're aware of the system problems and are working to increase capacity. They recommend trying during off-peak hours (before 8am or after 7pm) and say the online portal at ca.p-ebt.us should be working more consistently than the phone line. They've also extended the activation period by 60 days, so cards won't be deactivated if you can't set up the PIN right away. Hope this helps reduce some stress for parents trying to access these benefits.