Anyone getting the new 3.0 EBT card for kids under 6 on CalFresh? Confused about rollout timing

thx for info! my daughter just turned 1 last week so sounds like she might be in first group? does anyone know if they auto enroll us or do we have to apply for the kiddos benefit thing separately? My county office never tells me ANYTHING

Thanks for sharing! That's helpful to know about the age rollout. At least I know my 2-year-old might get it in July. $43 isn't a ton but that's almost $90 total for both kids which would definitely help with milk and fresh fruit costs. Wish they'd sent clearer info about this instead of leaving us guessing.

You're confusing two different programs. The 3.0 cards are specifically for CalFresh households with young children, not CalWorks. Your 5-year-old would qualify, but your 7-year-old would not since the age cutoff is under 6. The rollout is happening in phases through 2025, so you might not receive the benefit for a couple more months depending on your county and your child's age/birth month. Your neighbor might be receiving a different benefit through CalWorks.

I was having the same problem trying to reach someone at the county for information about the 3.0 rollout. The automated phone system is terrible. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person in under 5 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. The worker I spoke with confirmed Sacramento County's rollout is scheduled for mid-July starting with 0-2 year olds, then the older kids in August. It was worth it to get a clear answer instead of waiting for a notice that might never come!

I understand your frustration with the timeline, but the phased approach is to ensure the system can handle all the updates without crashing. Remember this benefit is permanent - once it starts for your child, it continues until age 6 as long as you remain eligible for CalFresh. So while the rollout is frustrating, the long-term impact will be significant for families. And while $43 might not seem like much, that's over $500 per year per child, which can make a real difference for many households.

From what I understand, any child under 6 in an active CalFresh household qualifies when their county/age group comes up in the rollout schedule. So if you get approved next week, your 3-year-old should automatically be part of the program when your county implements it for that age group. There's no cutoff date for when you had to start receiving CalFresh. Just make sure your child is properly listed as part of your household on your application!

Yes, they do prorate the benefit. If your child turns 6 during a month, you'll receive the benefit for the days they were still 5. For example, if they turn 6 on the 15th, you'll get about half the monthly benefit amount for that final month. The system calculates this automatically based on the birth date you have on file, so just make sure that information is correct in your account.