Anyone received P-EBT 4.0 benefits in Monterey County (Salinas) for school kids yet?

I'm in Monterey County too (Seaside area) and just got P-EBT 4.0 loaded yesterday for my middle schooler. They seem to be rolling it out by school district. The P-EBT info line said Salinas districts should be getting theirs this week and next. If you don't see anything by the end of next week, you might want to call the P-EBT hotline at 877-328-9677 to check the status. Make sure you have your kids' P-EBT card numbers ready when you call.

my daughter got her benefit last week we're in soledad not salinas but monterey county too. the letter we got had different dates than yours tho so maybe different schools get it at differnt times???

I'm still waiting too!!! My 3 kids go to different schools in Salinas and NONE of them have received the funds yet. So frustrating because the letter SPECIFICALLY said April-May and it's almost the end of May!!! This always happens with government benefits - they promise one timeline and deliver on another. I've been checking the cards every single day and nothing. Meanwhile groceries keep getting more expensive every week. 😡😡😡

My neighbors kid got it last week and we're in Salinas too. Maybe call the school to check if theres a problem with your kids card?

Unfortunately you can't actually get any help from the school directly about P-EBT issues - they don't have access to the payment system. The P-EBT cards and benefits are managed entirely at the state level through CDSS, not through the schools. Schools only provide the eligibility data to the state, but have no visibility into payment timing or card status. If you need to check on your P-EBT status, you have to call the state P-EBT hotline, but be prepared to wait. I've been trying to reach someone for THREE DAYS about my daughter's card (we're in Marina) and keep getting disconnected after 45+ minutes on hold.

To clarify some confusion I'm seeing in this thread: P-EBT 4.0 benefits are being issued in two phases. Phase 1 (happening now through end of May): This covers Summer 2023 benefits for eligible children who were enrolled in school as of May/June 2023. Phase 2 (scheduled for June-July 2025): This covers the 2023-2024 school year benefits. If you're seeing that some children have received benefits while others haven't, it could be because they're in different phases or distribution groups. The system is processing millions of children, so they can't all be issued on the same day. Also worth noting - P-EBT is different from regular CalFresh. You don't need to report P-EBT benefits as income on your SAR7 or recertification, and these benefits don't affect your regular CalFresh eligibility or benefit amount.

I work with several families in Salinas who received their P-EBT 4.0 benefits this week (specifically Monday and Tuesday). It seems to be coming in waves. One thing to check - are you sure you have the correct P-EBT card? Some families still try to use the original P-EBT 1.0 card, but P-EBT 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 all use the same newer card that was issued later. The original white P-EBT cards from the first pandemic round won't receive new benefits.

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that our benefits finally arrived this morning! Checked the cards and each of my kids got $402 for the summer benefits. So if you're in Salinas and still waiting, they're definitely rolling out now. Thanks everyone for the helpful info!