Confused about EBT P-EBT card reload for K-12 students after initial $120 payment

The P-EBT program is separate from regular CalFresh benefits, and the reload schedule depends on your children's school's participation in the free/reduced lunch program. For the 2024-2025 school year, if your children attend a school with universal free meals (Community Eligibility Provision schools), they should receive monthly P-EBT benefits of approximately $130-$145 per eligible child depending on your county. If their school doesn't have universal meals, then eligibility is based on your household's free/reduced lunch status. Some schools only get one-time payments while others get monthly reloads. Check with your school's nutrition services department to confirm their participation status.

I was soooo confused about this too!! My kids (one in middle and one in high school) got different amounts - one got $120 and the other got $135?? And then last month neither got anything but THIS month both cards got money. When I asked at the school office they said something about how the benefits are released in "batches" depending on the school district and sometimes there's delays. Super frustrating trying to plan our grocery budget when you don't know when the money will show up!

The system is deliberately designed to be confusing and keep people from getting benefits they deserve. I waited THREE MONTHS for my kids' cards to reload after the initial payment, called 6 times, and got a different answer every single time. One worker even told me the program had ended when it clearly hadn't! Don't hold your breath waiting for the government to fix this garbage system.

Have you tried checking your P-EBT balance online? Sometimes the benefits are loaded but the notification letters are delayed. You can check your balance at www.ebt.ca.gov or by calling the number on the back of your P-EBT card. I've found this more reliable than waiting for letters. Also, if you're having trouble reaching someone at the P-EBT hotline, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helps you get through to a live person at government benefit offices. They connected me to a CalFresh worker in under 10 minutes after I'd been trying for days. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to sort out my benefits issue!

my kid gets it every month but my sisters kids only got it once, i think it depends if ur school is Title 1 or not. the Title 1 schools get monthly and other schools just get one payment. maybe check if ur school is Title 1?

To directly answer your question: No, not all K-12 students get reloads after the initial payment. For the 2024-2025 P-EBT program, there are two benefit structures: 1. Monthly benefits: For students at schools that offer universal free meals through CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) or Provision 2/3 programs 2. One-time payment: For eligible students at schools that don't offer universal free meals If your children's school has universal free meals, they should receive monthly benefits (approximately $130-145 per child). If not, they may have only qualified for the one-time payment. Benefits are typically issued between the 11th-22nd of each month for eligible students, but the exact date varies by county and sometimes school district. There can also be administrative delays of 1-2 weeks. You can verify your children's eligibility by contacting your school district's nutrition services department and asking specifically about their CEP/Provision status for P-EBT purposes.

i just got a letter last week saying the p-ebt program is changing again in october!! something about new requirements?? anyone else get this? so confused!!!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I just got off the phone with our school district's nutrition services department, and they confirmed our elementary school DOES participate in the CEP program with universal free meals, so my kids should be getting monthly benefits. They said there was a processing delay for our district and the next batch of benefits should be loaded within 5-7 business days. They also gave me a direct number to call if we don't receive the benefits by next Friday. This has been so helpful - I really appreciate all of you taking the time to explain how this works!