Has anyone in Madera County received P-EBT cards for school kids yet?
Been waiting for almost 3 weeks now for my kids' P-EBT cards (I have three in elementary school). The school said all kids who qualify for free/reduced lunch would automatically get them, but nothing's shown up in the mail yet. I keep checking my BenefitsCal account but there's no update there either. Anyone else in Madera County received theirs? Or know who to contact about this? The regular CalFresh hotline wasn't helpful - they just said P-EBT is handled separately. Really counting on this extra food assistance with grocery prices being so crazy in 2025!
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Sofia Peña
got mine last week but im in fresno county. heard madera is running behind on everything these days
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Hunter Hampton
•Thanks! At least that means they're being distributed in the area. Did yours just show up or did you get any notification first?
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Aaron Boston
P-EBT cards are being distributed in waves depending on your county and school district. Madera County is actually in the third wave of distribution which started about 10 days ago, so you should be receiving them soon. Unlike regular CalFresh, P-EBT is administered by CDSS in partnership with CDE (California Department of Education), which is why your regular CalFresh worker couldn't help. If you don't receive anything by next week, you should call the P-EBT specific helpline at 877-328-9677. Just be aware they've been experiencing extremely high call volumes and many people report getting disconnected after waiting for hours. The best time to call is right when they open at 8:00 AM.
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Hunter Hampton
•Thank you so much for this info! I'll give it until the end of next week and then try that number. Really appreciate knowing we're in the "third wave" - at least now I know it's not lost in the mail or something.
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Sophia Carter
I'm in Madera too and JUST got my kids' cards yesterday!! They came in separate plain white envelopes that honestly looked like junk mail at first, so check your mail carefully. Each kid got their own card with their name on it. They should have about $550 each for the first semester.
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Hunter Hampton
•OMG thank you for the heads up about the plain envelopes!! I probably would have thrown them away thinking it was credit card offers or something. I'll be checking the mail extra carefully now. Did you have to activate them like regular EBT cards?
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Sophia Carter
•Yes you do have to activate them! Call the number on the back of each card and you'll need to create a PIN. They also came with instructions but honestly they were confusing. Just make sure you keep track of which PIN goes with which kid's card!
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Chloe Zhang
P-EBT distribution in Madera County is definitely underway, but there have been some delays reported. A few important things to know: 1. P-EBT cards are mailed directly to the address your school district has on file, not the address in your CalFresh account if they're different 2. Cards are being sent in batches by school, not necessarily by household (so if your kids attend different schools, cards might arrive on different days) 3. Each eligible child receives their own card with their name on it 4. For the 2024-2025 school year, the benefit amount is approximately $128 per eligible month per child If you don't receive them by next Friday, I'd recommend trying to reach someone at the P-EBT hotline. However, I know that can be extremely frustrating - I've heard from many clients who spent hours trying to get through due to the high call volumes.
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Brandon Parker
•this is super helpful! do u know if kids need to be on calfresh to get this? my neighbor's kid gets free lunch but they dont have calfresh
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Chloe Zhang
•Great question! Children do NOT need to be on CalFresh to receive P-EBT. They qualify if they attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program AND if they're approved for free or reduced-price meals. So yes, your neighbor's child should qualify if they get free lunch, even without CalFresh!
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Adriana Cohn
I was in the same situation last month trying to reach someone about my kids' P-EBT cards (I'm in Kings County). After spending literally 4 days trying to get through to the P-EBT hotline and being disconnected every single time, I found this service called Claimyr that was a LIFESAVER. Basically, they hold your place in the phone queue and call you back when an actual human picks up. I got through to a rep in about 2 hours while I just went about my day. They helped me confirm my kids' cards were being processed and gave me the exact date range for delivery. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Just sharing because I know how frustrating it is to need these benefits for your kids and not be able to get answers!
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Hunter Hampton
•This is super helpful! I tried calling that P-EBT number today after seeing the suggestions here and got disconnected twice. I'll check out this service if my cards don't arrive by next week. Thanks for sharing!
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Sofia Peña
•does it cost money tho?? seems sus that you gotta pay to talk to government workers that should be helping us anyway
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Adriana Cohn
•Yeah it's not free, but for me it was worth it to not waste entire days on hold. I was missing work trying to make these calls which cost me more in the long run. But hopefully you get your cards soon and don't need to worry about calling at all!
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Jace Caspullo
The whole P-EBT system is a JOKE! I've been waiting since JANUARY for my kids' cards in Merced County. Called that stupid hotline 17 TIMES and either got disconnected or told different things by different people. One said cards were mailed in March, another said they weren't processed yet, another said they needed more information but couldn't tell me WHAT information!!! And don't even get me started on the income limits - apparently we made $50 too much on ONE pay period and now they're saying my kids might not qualify even though they get free lunch AT SCHOOL EVERY DAY! It's just another way they make it IMPOSSIBLE for working families to get help we qualify for! They WANT us to give up!
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Sofia Peña
•preach!! system is broken on purpose!!
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Aaron Boston
•I understand your frustration, but P-EBT eligibility is determined by your child's free/reduced lunch status at school, not by your current income. If they're receiving free lunch now, they should qualify for P-EBT regardless of recent income changes. The one pay period you mentioned shouldn't affect their status until the next school year's eligibility determination. I'd recommend asking for a supervisor next time you call who can specifically look up your children's eligibility status in the system.
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Brandon Parker
my kids got theres last week but the amounts were lower than last year. only like $128 per month instead of $150 something. anybody know why they lowered it??
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Chloe Zhang
•The P-EBT benefit amounts are calculated based on the federal reimbursement rates for free breakfasts and lunches for that school year, multiplied by the average number of school days per month. The rates were adjusted for 2024-2025, which is why you're seeing a different amount than last year. It's not that they specifically lowered it - the calculation formula stayed the same, but the underlying reimbursement rates changed.
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Sophia Carter
Has anyone had issues using their P-EBT cards once they got them? I finally received my kids' cards but when I tried to use one at Food Maxx yesterday, it kept getting declined even though I activated it and set the PIN. The balance tracker on the P-EBT website shows funds available but the cashier said it wasn't working... super embarrassing with a line of people behind me!
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Hunter Hampton
•That's so stressful! I haven't received mine yet but now I'm worried about this too. Did you try calling the number on the back of the card?
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Sophia Carter
•Yes, I called and after 45 minutes on hold they told me sometimes it takes 24-48 hours after activation for the card to work properly at all stores. So I'm going to try again tomorrow. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up so you don't end up in the same embarrassing situation!
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Aaron Boston
Just a reminder to everyone waiting for P-EBT cards: when they arrive, they're valid for one year from the issue date. Any unused benefits will remain on the card until the expiration date. Don't feel rushed to spend all benefits at once. Also, P-EBT benefits are completely separate from regular CalFresh benefits. Accepting and using P-EBT will not affect your CalFresh eligibility or benefit amounts in any way. Some clients worry about this, but they are entirely separate programs. If your address has changed since you provided information to your child's school, you should contact the P-EBT hotline to update your address to ensure the cards are sent to the correct location.
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Hunter Hampton
•Thanks for this info! Quick question - can these P-EBT benefits be used anywhere regular EBT is accepted? Or are there different restrictions?
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Aaron Boston
•Yes, P-EBT cards work exactly like regular EBT cards in terms of where they can be used. They can be used at any store that accepts CalFresh/SNAP benefits, including grocery stores, farmers markets, and many online retailers that participate in the EBT program (like Amazon and Walmart). The same purchase restrictions apply - food items only, no hot prepared foods, alcohol, non-food items, etc.
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