Anyone in San Diego received K-12 P-EBT reloads yet? My CalFresh worker gave no timeline
Been waiting for the new K-12 P-EBT reload for my 3 kids (ages 7, 10, and 13) and nothing has shown up yet. I checked their P-EBT cards yesterday and still zero balance. My neighbor said she got hers last week and we're both in the San Diego area. When I called the county CalFresh office, I finally got through after 2 hours on hold and the worker just said "they're being issued in phases" but couldn't tell me when my kids' cards would be reloaded. Has anyone else in San Diego received their K-12 P-EBT benefits yet? Do they notify you somehow or does it just appear? I'm stressing because summer break is coming up and grocery costs are insane right now.
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Mateo Gonzalez
I'm also in San Diego County (Chula Vista), and my kids' P-EBT cards were reloaded last Tuesday. From what I understand, they're releasing the funds in alphabetical order by last name this year. What letter does your last name start with? My last name starts with A, and my sister's starts with M and she hasn't received hers yet either. Also, they don't send notifications anymore - you just have to keep checking the card balance through the P-EBT portal or by calling the number on the back of the card.
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Nia Harris
•Our last name starts with T, so maybe that explains it! I didn't know they were doing alphabetical rollout. Thanks for the info! I've been checking the balance on the phone line, but I'll try the portal too.
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Aisha Ali
my kid got it last week im in el cajon area. they never tell u when it comes just appears on the card. check the balance by calling the number on back of card
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Ethan Moore
•What number do you call? I lost the paper with the phone number and my kids cards have worn down so I can't read the number on the back anymore. Is it the same as the regular EBT number or different?
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Yuki Nakamura
The K-12 P-EBT benefits for the 2024-2025 school year are being distributed between May and July 2025 in several phases. The official information from CDSS indicates that distribution is based on several factors including county, school district, and sometimes alphabetical groupings - but this varies by county. Some important points to know: 1. There are NO notifications when funds are loaded 2. You can check the balance at www.ebt.ca.gov/p-ebt or call 877-328-9677 3. San Diego County is scheduled for distribution throughout May-June 4. If your children qualified for free/reduced lunch through their school, they should automatically receive the benefit 5. The new issuance is approximately $257 per eligible child for this period If you haven't received the benefits by June 20th, then I'd recommend contacting the P-EBT helpline directly rather than the general CalFresh office, as P-EBT is administered separately.
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Nia Harris
•Thank you for such detailed information! I didn't realize it could go all the way into July. That $257 per child will be so helpful with summer food costs. I'll give it another few weeks before panicking.
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StarSurfer
I spent FOUR DAYS trying to reach someone at the San Diego County office about this exact issue!!! The phone system is absolute GARBAGE. Kept disconnecting me after waiting 1+ hours. Finally I used Claimyr.com to get through - they held my place in line and called me back when an actual human answered. Saved me so much frustration! They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Anyway, the worker told me that San Diego County is releasing P-EBT in batches based on school district, then alphabetical. My kids are in Poway district and we got ours last Thursday. What district are your kids in?
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Nia Harris
•My kids are in San Diego Unified. That Claimyr service sounds really useful - I wasted half a day on hold! I'll definitely check it out next time I need to call. Thanks for sharing that tip!
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Carmen Reyes
I don't think anyone here actually knows what they're talking about. P-EBT is NOT the same as CalFresh. P-EBT is a pandemic benefit that ended LAST YEAR. You're probably confusing it with Summer EBT which is the new permanent program replacing P-EBT. And Summer EBT doesn't even start until July. The state hasn't even announced distribution dates yet!
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Yuki Nakamura
•This is incorrect. While the original P-EBT was a pandemic program, California received approval to continue a modified K-12 P-EBT program for the 2024-2025 school year. It's separate from Summer EBT (which is indeed scheduled to begin in July). The current P-EBT issuance covers school year benefits, while Summer EBT will provide additional benefits during summer months. Both programs exist concurrently this year in California. You can verify this on the CDSS website.
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Ethan Moore
wait i'm confused... is P-EBT the same as CalFresh? i get CalFresh benefits on my EBT card but have never heard of P-EBT for kids? my son qualifies for free lunch at school, should he be getting this too? how do i apply?
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Mateo Gonzalez
•No, P-EBT is completely separate from CalFresh. P-EBT is specifically for children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. The good news is you don't need to apply - if your son already gets free school lunch, he should automatically receive a P-EBT card in the mail. They were first sent out a few years ago. Check if you received a white card with his name on it that looks similar to an EBT card but isn't the same. If you never received one or lost it, you can call 877-328-9677 to request a replacement.
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Aisha Ali
my sister in LA got hers 3 weeks ago and im in sd county got mine last week so def seems like they doing different counties at diff times
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Andre Moreau
I literally just checked my kids' cards after seeing your post and the money's there! Thank you for the reminder! I hadn't checked in weeks. We're in Vista (North SD County).
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Nia Harris
•Congrats! I just checked again and still nothing for us. Hopefully soon!
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StarSurfer
Anyone know if the P-EBT amount is the same for all kids or does it vary by age? My 16yr old eats like three teenagers combined lol!
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Yuki Nakamura
•The P-EBT benefit amount is the same regardless of the child's age - currently $257 per eligible child for this issuance period. The amount is calculated based on a federal formula for average meal costs multiplied by the number of school days covered, not by individual food consumption. So unfortunately, your hungry teenager gets the same amount as a kindergartener!
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Nia Harris
Update: Just checked our P-EBT cards and the money finally appeared today! So for anyone else waiting in San Diego with last names in the second half of the alphabet, it seems like they're moving through the list now. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Andre Moreau
•Great news! Glad it worked out for you! 👍
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