


Ask the community...
DONT FORGET TO ASK FOR EXPEDITED PROCESSING!!! They won't offer it unless you specifically say your family has NO FOOD and NO MONEY to buy any! I had to literally tell them my kids were going hungry before they marked my claim as "priority" - the system is designed to make you give up!!!
One additional suggestion - if you have the transaction details showing the suspicious location, print that out to include with your police report. Also, when you file the report, make sure it lists "EBT fraud/theft" specifically, as some officers may not be familiar with the proper categorization. This helps ensure your claim meets all requirements for replacement. Most counties are processing these claims faster now (often within 5-7 business days) due to the new legislation, but having complete documentation speeds things up.
wait is P-EBT the same as calfresh? i thought they were different things? my neighbor said p-ebt is only for kids but im confused now
They're different programs that both provide food assistance. P-EBT is specifically for school-aged children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, and the benefits come periodically. CalFresh (California's SNAP program) is for low-income households of any composition, and benefits are issued monthly. You can receive both if you qualify for both. They might be loaded onto the same EBT card in some cases, which causes confusion.
just as an update i called yesterday and they finally answered! the lady said benefits for next phase are coming between feb 12-27 depending on the first letter of your last name. A-G is feb 12-15, H-M is feb 16-20, N-S is feb 21-24, and T-Z is feb 25-27. hope this helps someone!
has anyone noticed that the EBTedge app sometimes logs you out randomly?? happened to me twice last month and i panicked thinking my account was hacked lol. but ya the lock feature is good, i use it all the time. btw i heard they're gonna upgrade the actual EBT cards soon to have chips like regular credit cards which should help with the skimming problem
Quick update on the chip card situation since it was mentioned - California is indeed planning to roll out chip-enabled EBT cards, but the timeline has been pushed to late 2025 according to the latest CDSS updates. The chip technology will significantly reduce skimming risk, but until then, the app's lock feature is your best protection. To answer the original poster's question about notifications - EBTedge doesn't have automatic deposit notifications yet, but you can set calendar reminders for your issuance date. Some users have reported success with setting up banking apps like Mint to monitor their EBT account and notify them of balance changes, though this varies by county integration. One final tip: when you unlock your card to shop, consider only unlocking it at the register right before you pay, then immediately locking it again after the transaction is approved. This minimizes the window of vulnerability.
Thanks for all this info! Late 2025 feels so far away for the chip cards, ugh. I'll definitely use your tip about only unlocking right at the register - that's smart. Wish the app had better notifications though. I'll just keep checking manually around my issuance date to make sure the benefits actually loaded correctly.
Update: Just wanted to thank everyone for their help! I applied for the Riverside County Food Support Program through BenefitsCal yesterday and got an email confirming my application. The county worker I spoke with (thanks to the callback service someone suggested) said I should expect a decision within 10 business days since I'm already verified for regular CalFresh. Turns out the program only started in January and most people didn't know about it. They're going to start sending out notices about it with the regular CalFresh paperwork next month. Thanks again for all the helpful information!
slightly off topic but does anyone know if san bernardino county has something similar? or is this just a riverside thing?
This is currently only a Riverside County initiative. San Bernardino County doesn't have an equivalent supplemental program as of March 2025. Each county in California can implement their own supplemental food programs, but they're not required to. So far, only Riverside, Los Angeles, and San Francisco counties have launched similar supplemental benefits.
Fatima Al-Farsi
my sister just got calfresh last month and she had benefits in like 5 days but she has 3 kids so maybe thats why it was fast? idk how it works exactly but i think families with kids get prioritized
0 coins
Jamal Carter
•Households with children don't automatically get prioritized for faster processing unless they also meet the criteria for expedited services (very low income/resources). However, families with children often qualify for higher benefit amounts based on household size. Each county processes applications in the order received, but expedited applications get moved to the front of the line regardless of household composition.
0 coins
CyberSamurai
UPDATE: I called this morning and had to wait on hold for 45 minutes, but I finally spoke to someone! They confirmed I qualify for expedited services and are processing my application today. They said I should have benefits loaded onto an EBT card within 3 days and they'll mail the card to me ASAP. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and advice.
0 coins
Zoe Alexopoulos
•thats awesome! glad it worked out for u!
0 coins