Has anyone received P-EBT 4.0 benefits for school-age kids yet? Mine still showing pending

I'm in Orange County and my kids' P-EBT 4.0 benefits just posted yesterday! They said the rollout would be staggered throughout May and June, depending on your county and school district. Some counties are faster than others with processing the school data. If your kids definitely qualify for free/reduced lunch, you should be getting it, but might need to wait a bit longer. You can also check the status on the BenefitsCal portal - they added a new section specifically for tracking P-EBT.

my kids havent got it either and theyre definitely on free lunch program. the whole system is so messed up lol. last year took like 3 extra months to get ours after everyone else i know got theirs

This P-EBT 4.0 rollout is a DISASTER compared to previous years. I work for a community resource center and we're getting HUNDREDS of calls about this. The truth is, they're way behind schedule. The official line is "staggered rollout through May and June" but internally we're hearing it could stretch into July for some counties. Here's the real problem: school districts were late submitting the eligibility data to CDSS, and now they're scrambling to process everything. Some counties like Orange and San Francisco are prioritized (as usual) while the rest of us wait. If you're on regular CalFresh too, they sometimes process those households last because they figure you already have some food assistance. It's totally backwards logic.

You might want to try using Claimyr to get through to someone at your county office who can check your specific status. I was in the same situation last week - nothing showing up on my EBT card and the regular CalFresh number just kept disconnecting me after 45 minutes on hold. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an actual person at my county office in about 10 minutes. The worker was able to see in their system that my kids' P-EBT benefits were approved but stuck in processing. They expedited it and the money showed up two days later. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

Just to clarify something important: P-EBT 4.0 is different from regular CalFresh. P-EBT is specifically for kids who qualify for free/reduced lunch during summer when school meals aren't available. The eligibility is determined by your child's school, not your regular CalFresh eligibility. If your children are certified for free/reduced lunch for the 2024-2025 school year, they should receive P-EBT 4.0 benefits. The current projected timeline is: - May 2025: Initial distribution begins (some counties) - June 2025: Main rollout period - July 2025: Final distribution for remaining counties The benefit amount for P-EBT 4.0 is $193 per eligible child for the summer period. This is a one-time payment, unlike regular CalFresh which comes monthly.

I got my kids PEBT but it was only for 1 of my 3 kids even tho theyre all at the same school on the same lunch program??? Makee NO sense!

Update: I decided to try Claimyr like someone suggested above. I was skeptical but it actually worked - got connected to a real person at my county office in about 15 minutes! The worker checked and said my kids' P-EBT benefits are scheduled for the second wave of distribution in early June. She said there was nothing wrong with our case, just that our district is in the later processing group. I'm still frustrated about the timing but at least now I know what's happening and can budget accordingly. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions!