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I'm in Riverside county and haven't received anything extra either. Is this supplement automatically applied to everyone on CalFresh or do you have to qualify in some special way? I didn't get any notices about this.
According to what I've read, the new CFAP supplement is for households that meet certain criteria - your household income needs to be under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and you need to have at least one citizen or qualified immigrant in the household. If you already qualify for regular CalFresh, you most likely qualify for this supplement too. The notification process has been very inconsistent though - some counties sent notices, others didn't.
UPDATE: Just called my county office again and finally got through! The worker confirmed that the supplement payment will come on the 17th for my case number ending in 7. She also said this supplement will be ongoing monthly for at least the rest of 2025, which is a huge relief for our family budget. Thanks everyone for your help figuring this out!
lucky you got thru!! ive been trying all day and cant get past the stupid robot voice!!
Update: My 7yo's 4.0 supplement just posted to our EBT card this morning! So I guess they really are doing it in batches like everyone said. Thanks for the reassurance - I was getting worried for nothing.
Glad to hear it was resolved without you having to contact the county! This is consistent with what we're seeing across California - the distributions are happening in waves but most eligible children should receive their benefits by the second week of June. For anyone else checking this thread with similar concerns, I recommend waiting 14 days before contacting your county office.
Lucky you!!! Still nothing for my 7yo. Been checking constantly. Might try that Claimyr thing someone mentioned because I STILL can't get through on the county line. So tired of this system.
speaking of the 4.0 benefits, does anyone know if summer school counts for getting the summer supplements? my oldest is doing summer school this year and im wondering if she'll get the extra EBT benefits for july/august too
Yes, summer school participation does qualify for the Summer EBT program. Make sure you've indicated on your most recent SAR7 or recertification that your child is enrolled in summer educational programs. The summer benefits are separate from the 4.0 supplement and should be automatically added if your case information is current. The summer program provides approximately $125 per eligible child per summer month for 2025.
Thanks everyone for clearing this up. I feel kinda dumb now for believing my neighbor, but she was so convincing! I'll definitely look into getting my benefits recalculated with my current expenses. Really appreciate all the help and information.
Don't feel bad! CalFresh rules are complicated and there's a lot of misinformation out there. Focus on getting all your current expenses documented at your next SAR7 or recertification. That's your best path to maximizing your regular benefits now that the emergency allotments are gone.
My cousin works for the county and said they get calls about this ALL THE TIME still. People are really struggling without those extra benefits. I remember getting almost double my regular amount during COVID. Now food prices are even higher but we're back to the old benefit levels. It's rough out there.
i just go to the office in person now cause the app AND the website are both trash lol easier to just hand them papers directly
Update on your specific issues: For the BenefitsCal app in Shasta County, there's a known issue affecting users trying to upload verification documents. The county is aware of it and working on a fix. In the meantime, you can email documents to shastaESS@co.shasta.ca.us with your case number in the subject line, or use the website version which is more stable. For P-EBT status, Shasta County's distribution is scheduled for late March 2025, so you likely won't receive notification until early March. The P-EBT cards are mailed to the address the school district has on file, so make sure your address is current with your children's school.
Jessica Nguyen
To add some clarity here: P-EBT 3.0 for the 2024-2025 school year follows a two-payment structure. The first payment covered August 2024 through December 2024. The second payment covers January 2025 through May 2025. The timing of the second deposit varies by county and is rolling out between April 1-30, 2025. You can verify your balance by calling the number on the back of the P-EBT card or checking online at the EBT portal. Important: P-EBT is separate from regular CalFresh benefits. If you need additional food assistance beyond P-EBT, you should apply for regular CalFresh benefits if you haven't already.
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Victoria Jones
•do u know if the cards expire?? my kids still have some left from last year but i heard they might shut off old cards??
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Jessica Nguyen
•Great question! P-EBT benefits remain available for 274 days (about 9 months) from the date they're issued. The physical card doesn't expire for several years, but unused benefits will be removed after that 274-day period. I recommend using any remaining benefits from previous issuances first.
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Michael Green
Update: Just wanted to let everyone know that I finally got through to someone at the P-EBT hotline. They confirmed the second deposit is definitely coming in April. The exact date depends on the first letter of your child's last name - they're doing a staggered release to avoid overwhelming the system. The representative said for last names A-G it's April 8-12, H-M is April 15-19, and N-Z is April 22-26. Hope this helps others who were wondering!
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Victoria Jones
•thanksss for the update!! my kids last name starts with W so guess we gotta wait till the end 😩
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Mateo Silva
•Thank you for sharing this information with everyone! This staggered approach is new for 2025 and should help prevent the system issues they had with previous distributions when everyone tried to use their cards on the same days.
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