CalFresh P-EBT cards for kids with last names R & N not received yet - Riverside County delay?

My kids (last name starts with S) just got theirs yesterday in Riverside County!! I was going crazy waiting too. The distribution schedule is SO confusing. When I finally reached someone at the county office, they said they're actually sending them out in REVERSE alphabetical order in Riverside (Z-A) this time, which is why your sister got hers first. So R and N should be coming in the next wave. Call the main CalFresh line and press option 4 then 2 then 1 - that's how I finally reached a human who could check.

its not happening in alphabetical order AT ALL, my kids last name starts with C and we got nothing, my neighbor has B and F last names and both got their cards last week. the whole system is completely random i swear

I work with a local resource center and we've been getting TONS of calls about this. The official information we received is that Riverside County P-EBT cards for Summer 2025 are being distributed through August 15th. If you haven't received yours by then, that's when to really start following up. The P-EBT customer service line (877-328-9677) is overwhelmed right now, so it's almost impossible to get through. If you need to speak to someone right away about your case specifically, I recommend using Claimyr.com to help you skip the phone queues - they have a service that calls and waits on hold for you then connects you when a real person answers. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

THE P-EBT SYSTEM IS A DISASTER EVERY SINGLE YEAR!! I've been through this for three summers now with my kids and it's ALWAYS late and ALWAYS a problem. They PROMISED distribution would be better this time but here we are again! My son's last name starts with N and we just got the card yesterday, but it had ZERO balance when we tried to use it!!! Called and they said it takes "24-48 hours to activate" which makes NO SENSE since my daughter's card (different last name from her dad) worked immediately. The whole thing is designed to make it so hard that people give up.

Not sure if this helps but I called the main P-EBT number (877-328-9677) last week about my kid's card (last name R) and after waiting for 1.5 hours, they told me Riverside County is doing distribution in 3 waves: A-J was first wave (July 1-15), K-S is second wave (July 16-30), and T-Z is last wave (Aug 1-15). But then my neighbor whose kid has last name Wilson got theirs already so who knows if that info is even right lol

Just to clarify some common confusion: P-EBT (Pandemic EBT) has been renamed to Summer EBT/Sun Bucks in California for 2025, though many county workers still use the old terminology. For Riverside County specifically, there was a processing delay with certain school districts' eligibility files, which has affected some alphabetical ranges including R and N last names. According to the most recent CDSS update on July 21, 2025, these delayed cards should be mailed by August 1st. If you don't receive it by August 5th, you can request an update on your case status or replacement card by submitting form DEV-P-EBT25 through BenefitsCal or at your county office. Unlike regular CalFresh benefits, these summer nutrition benefits don't require a SAR7 or recertification - they're one-time benefits based solely on school lunch program eligibility.

my kids r in riverside and we got ours last week names start with T if that helps

Update: I asked my sister who works for the school district, and she said the real issue is that they had a problem with the student database for certain schools in Riverside County. They had to manually verify some of the eligibility data, which affected certain last name ranges including R and N. She said all cards should be out by August 10th at the latest, and they're processing about 5,000 cards per day now to catch up.