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my kid goes to regular school not virtual and we still haven't got our pebt card either lol... whole system is a mess this year
UPDATE: I called the actual P-EBT hotline (not CalFresh) and after waiting for almost an hour, I finally got through! The representative confirmed that LAUSD Virtual Academy IS participating in P-EBT, but there was some kind of system error with how virtual students were being coded. She said they're aware of the issue and working on fixing it for all affected students. Apparently, benefits should be issued by the end of next month for everyone affected by this coding problem. She added a note to our case to make sure we don't get missed. Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions!
Great news! This is exactly what I suspected - a coding issue in their system. Make sure to keep that confirmation number or case note ID they gave you, just in case you need to reference it later. Glad you got it sorted out!
Omg thank you for posting this update!!! Going to call tomorrow and reference this coding error!!
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Let me clarify the P-EBT vs. EBT Restaurant Meals Program confusion since there's some misinformation here: 1. P-EBT (Pandemic EBT) was created to help families with children who would normally receive free/reduced school meals. These benefits can ONLY be used at retailers that sell groceries. 2. Regular CalFresh EBT has the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) in certain counties, but ONLY for people who are: - 60 years or older - Disabled - Homeless - AND have an active CalFresh case 3. Even if you qualify for RMP with your regular EBT, your P-EBT card follows different rules and cannot be used at restaurants. 4. You can check your P-EBT balance and transaction history at www.ebt.ca.gov or by calling the number on the back of your card. The 2025 P-EBT benefits are specifically designed to supplement grocery purchases, not restaurant meals. Hope this helps!
Thank you for the detailed explanation! This makes it very clear. I'll stick to using the P-EBT for groceries only and not try to use it at restaurants.
my kid got p-ebt 2 and its confusing cuz the card looks almost the same as my calfresh card!! but ya cant use it at mcdonalds or anywhere like that even tho they might have the ebt sign. i tried once at jack in box and it didnt work. wish they would make it more clear on the instuctions they send!!
You're right - they should make the instructions clearer! The cards do look very similar which creates a lot of confusion. The P-EBT information they mail out doesn't always explain the restaurant limitations very well.
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Dont forget you gotta spend the p-ebt within like a year i think or the benefits expire!!! My sister lost like $300 cuz she didnt know and just set the card aside
Oh wow, I had no idea they expire! Thanks for the heads up - definitely don't want to lose any benefits. I'll make sure we use them.
Just to clarify a common confusion - P-EBT benefits don't expire after a year of issuance like some think. It's 274 days of inactivity that triggers expiration. So as long as you use the card at least once every 9 months, your benefits will remain. And since your child was born in 2021, they'll qualify for the full school-year amount if they're in a qualifying program now. The P-EBT amount for 2025 was increased to $140/month from the previous $123/month to account for inflation in food costs.
Thank you for this correction! That's a relief about the expiration timeline. And good to know about the increase to $140/month - every bit helps with how expensive groceries have gotten.
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Thanks for all the responses everyone! I feel a lot better knowing it's normal for the cards to arrive at different times. I'll just keep checking the mail for my 1-year-old's card. I activated my son's card yesterday and was surprised by the amount on it! For anyone else wondering, there was $391 loaded on it for summer 2024 benefits.
That's exactly the amount my kid got too! I think it's $120/month for June, July, and part of August. Did anyone get a different amount? I'm wondering if it's the same for all ages.
make sure u spend the money!!! they expire after like a year if u dont use them i think
That's partially correct. The P-EBT benefits won't expire for one year from the date they were issued. However, if the card remains inactive (never activated) for 274 days, it will be canceled. So make sure to at least activate the card within that timeframe, even if you don't use the benefits immediately.
Miguel Diaz
Yay!! So glad you found them! Told you those envelopes are super easy to miss!
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Dylan Cooper
Great news! Glad you were able to locate them. Just a reminder that these P-EBT benefits are good for up to one year from the issuance date, so you don't need to use them all right away.
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