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Has anyone tried going to their local office in person about this? I'm wondering if showing up might get faster results than calling.
Just wanted to provide an update - I've now heard from several clients that replacements for benefits stolen between May 1-10 are being processed this week and next. If your benefits were stolen after May 10th, you're looking at early June for replacement. The state has actually allocated additional staff to help counties process these claims faster, but there were over 40,000 theft reports in May alone across California, which is why it's taking so long. The good news is they are absolutely replacing the benefits - it's just a matter of when. I'd recommend checking your EBT account online every morning as replacements are often being loaded overnight with no notification.
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!
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!
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!!
Update on my situation - I finally got through to FTB about my MCTC after using that Claimyr service I mentioned. Turns out they had sent my card to my old address even though I updated it with CalFresh months before. The rep said they can cancel that card and issue a new one to my current address, but it'll take 3-4 weeks. Just a heads up for anyone else dealing with this - make sure they have your current mailing address!
I want to clarify something important: If you're still actively receiving CalFresh benefits, make sure you're clear which office you need to contact. For regular CalFresh questions, contact your county office. For Middle Class Tax Refund questions, contact the Franchise Tax Board at 800-542-9332. These are completely separate programs with different contact points. Also, updating your address with one agency doesn't automatically update it with others - you need to notify each program separately about address changes.
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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