CalFresh customer service rep told me P-EBT 4.0 cards don't get reloaded - is this right??

The rep was definitely wrong. P-EBT 4.0 cards absolutely DO get reloaded quarterly. The next issuance date should be February 15th for the winter quarter benefits. I've worked with families navigating these benefits for years, and this kind of misinformation happens all the time. The regular EBT customer service reps often get confused between regular CalFresh, P-EBT, and other benefit programs. Next time, ask to speak with a supervisor who will likely have more accurate information.

omg this just happened to me too!!! lady told me my kids cards were "one-time use" which is total BS. my neighbor's kids got theirs reloaded last quarter no problem. i think they tell u wrong stuff on purpose to save money 🙄

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The whole P-EBT system is a JOKE. I've had THREE different answers about reloading schedules in the past year alone. One worker said quarterly, another said it depends on school district reporting, and a third said it's based on some complicated formula. WHICH IS IT?? And don't get me started on the website - never updated, always showing outdated info. The whole system is designed to CONFUSE parents so we just give up and they save money. My kids haven't received benefits in 8 months despite qualifying!!!!

this happened to me 2 but with regular calfresh not the pebt. rep said my benefits were ending but they weren't, just some computer glitch. always call twice and talk to different ppl is what i do now lol

What's really confusing is that there are actually different types of P-EBT cards. The original pandemic ones were one-time use, but the 4.0 program (which started in 2023) does have quarterly reloads for eligible children. The summer P-EBT is different from the school-year P-EBT. And then there's regular CalFresh which is monthly. So I can see why some reps get confused, but they should be better trained! For your specific question - yes, P-EBT 4.0 cards ARE reloadable for eligible children. The next issuance should be mid-February 2025 for the winter quarter. You can verify this on the official CDSS P-EBT webpage (though they're notoriously slow at updating it).

Have you tried checking your balance on the EBT app? Sometimes the benefits get loaded early and they don't tell you. My daughter's P-EBT had $391 added last week even though nobody told us it was coming. The app shows all transactions and upcoming deposits.

GUYS i just looked this up and there's a policy change coming in March 2025 where they're supposedly "streamlining" P-EBT with regular school lunch programs. I bet that's why the customer service people are confused - typical government nonsense changing things without telling anyone including THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES!!! This affects thousands of families and they can't even bother to train their staff properly.

Update: I called again today and spoke with someone different who confirmed the P-EBT 4.0 cards DO get reloaded quarterly! She said the next deposit will be February 11-15 (depending on your case number). She also apologized for the misinformation and said they just had a training about this very issue because too many parents were being told incorrect info. So if anyone else runs into this problem, DEFINITELY call back and speak to someone else!

So glad you called back and got the correct information! This is exactly why I always tell people in my neighborhood to never accept the first answer when it comes to benefits - especially with something as important as feeding your kids. The fact that they had to do a training specifically about this issue shows how widespread the misinformation problem is. It's really concerning that customer service reps are giving out wrong info about programs that families depend on. Thanks for updating us with the February 11-15 timeline - that's super helpful for other parents who might be wondering the same thing!