Does P-EBT still exist in 2025? And Easter CalFresh supplements question
Can anyone tell me if P-EBT cards are still a thing this year? I have 3 kids in elementary school who qualified for free lunch, but we haven't received any P-EBT benefits since 2023. I heard from another mom at school that they might be bringing it back? Also, I remember during COVID they used to give us extra CalFresh benefits around holidays. Is there going to be any extra money loaded onto our EBT cards for Easter this year? My benefits barely last 3 weeks as it is with food prices so high now.
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Kevin Bell
P-EBT was a pandemic-era benefit that ended when the federal emergency declaration expired. It's not currently active in 2025. The program provided food benefits to families with children who would have received free or reduced-price meals at school when schools were closed due to COVID. Regarding Easter supplements - CalFresh doesn't provide holiday-specific extra benefits. The temporary emergency allotments that gave households maximum benefits during COVID ended in February 2023. Currently, there are no seasonal or holiday supplements to regular CalFresh benefits. If you're struggling with your benefit amount, you might want to make sure your household information is up-to-date with your county office, especially if you have any new deductible expenses like higher childcare costs or medical expenses for elderly/disabled household members.
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Ella Cofer
•Thanks for clarifying. So frustrating that all the good pandemic benefits are gone but food prices are still insane. I didn't realize the holiday extras were just a COVID thing too. I'll double check my deductions, but I already reported my childcare. Just hard to stretch $782 for a family of 4 these days.
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Savannah Glover
I heard P-EBT mite be coming back!!! My cousin who works at the welfare office said theyr planning another round for summer 2025 for kids who get free lunch. But don't quote me on it lol. And no extra easter money, they stopped all that bonus stuff after COVID.
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Felix Grigori
•This is incorrect information. There is no official announcement about P-EBT returning for summer 2025. Please don't spread rumors as it confuses people who rely on these benefits. If P-EBT was being reintroduced, it would be officially announced through CDSS and school districts.
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Felicity Bud
I was wondering the same thing about p-ebt! Been so helpful when we had it. But I called my county office last month about something else and asked - they told me p-ebt was 100% discontinued at federal level. The worker said unless Congress passes new legislation specifically bringing it back, it's gone for good. And definitely no Easter bonuses or holiday increases for CalFresh. Nothing for Christmas either. I remember those extra COVID amounts were amazing...sigh.
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Max Reyes
•If you're having trouble getting through to your county CalFresh office to ask these kinds of questions, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. I was calling for WEEKS about my SAR7 issue and getting nowhere until I found them. Instead of waiting on hold for hours, they have this system that calls you back when a real worker is available. Saved me literally hours of hold time! Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8
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Mikayla Davison
My kids' school sent a notice that certain low-income schools in our district are doing the "Summer EBT" program this year - it's not the same as P-EBT but it does provide some grocery money for eligible kids during summer break. You should check if your kids' school participates! It's about $120 per eligible child for the whole summer. Not as generous as P-EBT was but better than nothing.
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Ella Cofer
•Omg thank you for this info! I never heard of Summer EBT. I'll definitely call my kids' school tomorrow and ask about it. $120 per kid would help a lot during summer when they're eating all meals at home.
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Adrian Connor
i remmber the covid era benifts... my family got like $1000 a month on are ebt card!!! now its back to normal and barely covers anything with these crazy prices. government don care about us now that covid over 🙄 they should at least do easter bonus when they know kids are home from school that week
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Kevin Bell
•While I understand the frustration with current benefit amounts, it's important to note that the extra COVID benefits were always designed to be temporary emergency measures. CalFresh benefit amounts are adjusted annually based on the USDA Thrifty Food Plan. If your household circumstances have changed (income decreased, expenses increased), you should report those changes as they might increase your benefit amount.
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Savannah Glover
ACTUALLY I just remembered!!! There IS a way to get extra food help for Easter break specifically! Many school districts run a Spring Break meal program where kids can pick up free breakfast and lunch even when school is closed. Check your school district website or call your kids' school office and ask about spring break meals! Might not be money on your EBT card but it does help with food costs when kids are home.
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Ella Cofer
•Thanks for this suggestion! I'll definitely look into it. Every little bit helps these days.
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Felicity Bud
I think the biggest confusion is that there are several different food programs with similar names. Just to clarify: 1. P-EBT (Pandemic EBT) - This was specifically for COVID and is gone 2. Summer EBT - This is newer and some states have it 3. Regular CalFresh/SNAP - Your normal monthly food benefits 4. School Meal Programs - Free/reduced lunch at school It gets confusing because they all help with food but work differently. The holiday extras were technically called "Emergency Allotments" and those are definitely discontinued nationwide.
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Ella Cofer
•This breakdown is super helpful, thank you! I definitely got all these programs mixed up. I'll focus on making sure I'm getting the maximum regular CalFresh benefits we qualify for and check out that Summer EBT program someone mentioned.
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