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!

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.

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!

Just to give some additional clarity: Sometimes when people refer to "extra" benefits, they might be referring to retroactive benefits if there was a delay in processing your application or a change. For example, if you reported a change that would increase your benefits but it took the county a month to process it, you might receive the increase for the current month plus a supplement for the previous month all at once. Has anything like that happened with your case recently?

i just want to say my benefits amount changes slightly sometimes and i never know why lol. i got $432 last month and $447 this month with no explanation. i don't question it anymore, just grateful for whatever helps feed my family. the calfreh system is so confusing sometimes!!

When my sister moved counties last year, she ended up having to reapply because the transfer got messed up somehow. The new county said they never received her case info from the old county. Just make sure you follow up regularly to check on the status of your transfer.

One more important tip: start checking your EBT card balance frequently during the transfer period. If you notice your benefits don't get loaded when expected, contact both counties immediately. Sometimes transfers can cause delays in benefit issuance, but if you're proactive, they can often fix it quickly. Also, once the transfer is complete, your benefit amount might change slightly because some counties calculate utility allowances differently. Don't be surprised if there's a small adjustment in your benefit amount after the transfer.