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This happened to me too!!! I kept checking my old card and getting mad that no money was on it. Then a new card came in the mail like 10 days later with all my benefits. So annoying they didn't tell me
I'll definitely keep an eye on the mail too, thanks for the heads up! Though the worker specifically said they'd use my existing card, so hopefully that's accurate.
When I call CalFresh they never answer anyways so good luck trying to figure it out lol
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I understand now that P-EBT is specifically for school-aged children who would normally receive meals at school, which is why my 6-year-old qualified but my baby doesn't. We already have regular CalFresh and WIC for the whole family, so we're covered. I appreciate all the clarification!
I got my kids PEBT but it was only for 1 of my 3 kids even tho theyre all at the same school on the same lunch program??? Makee NO sense!
This is actually a common issue with the P-EBT 4.0 rollout. It's likely because the school submitted inconsistent data for your children. Call your school district's nutrition services department first to confirm all three children are properly coded in their system as free/reduced lunch participants. Then contact your county CalFresh office with this confirmation. They'll need to submit a correction request to the state.
Update: I decided to try Claimyr like someone suggested above. I was skeptical but it actually worked - got connected to a real person at my county office in about 15 minutes! The worker checked and said my kids' P-EBT benefits are scheduled for the second wave of distribution in early June. She said there was nothing wrong with our case, just that our district is in the later processing group. I'm still frustrated about the timing but at least now I know what's happening and can budget accordingly. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions!
One important thing to know - when you get CalFresh, make sure you complete your Semi-Annual Report (SAR7) every 6 months and recertification every year. If you miss these deadlines, your benefits stop and you have to reapply all over again. They should send you these forms in the mail about a month before they're due. I learned this the hard way and lost benefits for almost two months while reapplying!
They mostly send paper notices in the mail, but many counties now offer text or email alerts if you opt in. When you complete your application, there should be a section where you can provide your phone number for text notifications and email for electronic notifications. I highly recommend signing up for both! Also, the BenefitsCal website/app will show your upcoming deadlines once your account is set up.
Ryan Young
Also, just to clarify how CalFresh works for new applicants: Benefits are prorated from your application date. So if you applied on July 30th, you'd only be eligible for 2 days worth of July benefits. For such a small amount, they often just add it to your first regular issuance. Check your approval letter - it should specify the exact benefit amount you're approved for monthly and any retroactive amount.
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Samantha Hall
•I just dug out my approval letter and you're right! It does mention my monthly benefit amount going forward would be $343, but there's nothing about any retroactive payment for July. I only applied on July 28th so maybe it was too small an amount to bother with? Anyway, I'm convinced now it's just my September payment coming early because of the weekend. Thanks for all the help everyone!
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Sophia Clark
my frend got double benefits once and spent it all and then they made her pay it back over like 6 months by taking some from each months benefits so dont spend it if ur not sure!!!!!
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Madison Allen
•While it's true that overpayments need to be repaid, in this specific situation, the OP is just receiving their regular September benefits a few days early due to the weekend. This is standard practice and not an overpayment. However, your friend's experience highlights why it's always good to verify unexpected deposits before spending them.
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