Just wanted to update everyone - my emergency allotment just hit my EBT card today (Feb 15th)! Checked my balance this morning and it wasn't there, then checked again after dinner and the extra amount had been added. So for anyone else waiting in LA County, they're processing them now!

My sister works for Sacramento County and she told me emergency allotments happen the same days for all counties, it's just that they spread them out over a few days so the system doesn't crash. She said to always count on it being between the 15th-18th every month. The emergency allotments are all done through the same state computer system, not individual counties. Hope that helps!

ok so i just got off the phone with ebt customer service and they confirmed this is real! i had to wait on hold for 55 minutes just to talk to someone. they said there are multiple fake apps out there right now and they're working with the fraud department to shut them down. stay safe everyone!!

Thank you for confirming! The county worker I spoke with seemed really worried about how many people are falling for these scam apps. She said they target people through Facebook groups and even sometimes through texts claiming to be from CalFresh.

UPDATE: I checked my BenefitsCal messages and there was a notice about the wildfire emergency allotment! It was dated yesterday even though the money came in last night. Says it's a one-time payment for households in the affected areas. So looks like we're good to use it! Thanks everyone for your help figuring this out.

I called my caseworker and finally got through! She confirmed it's disaster assistance and is 100% ours to keep. NOT an error. Anyone in the affected zip codes should have gotten it automatically. If you didn't get it but think you should have, you need to call and request it specifically - mention "wildfire emergency allotment" and they'll check your eligibility. So relieved!

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

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.

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.