Missing P-EBT cards for kids - only received 1 out of 3 expected

Same thing happened to me!!! I have twins in elementary and only got 1 P-EBT card. Called the hotline like 20 times and NOBODY PICKS UP EVER. So frustrating when you're trying to feed your kids and the system just ignores you. The school keeps saying 'not our problem' too.

P-EBT distribution for 2025 is being done in phases, so it's actually normal that you haven't received all cards at once. According to the CDSS website, they're sending them out based on the first letter of the student's last name. If your children have different last names, this could explain the gap. If they have the same last name, the other cards should arrive within 2-3 weeks of the first one. If it's been longer than that, you should contact your county social services office directly rather than the P-EBT hotline, which is overwhelmed right now.

my kid didnt get one either. school says its cause they didnt attend enough days last semester or something. might wanna check if all ur kids qualify the same way

I work with a community resource center and we're seeing this exact issue frequently with the 2025 P-EBT rollout. There are three common reasons for what you're experiencing: 1. Your other children's cards are scheduled in a later distribution phase 2. There's a mismatch between the school's records and CDSS data 3. The cards were mailed but got lost in transit Your best option is actually to contact your local CalFresh office directly. P-EBT is administered through the same department, and the local offices have more direct access to the system than the general hotline. Bring documentation showing all your children attend the same school and are on the free lunch program. Also, if you're having trouble getting through on phone lines, I highly recommend using the Claimyr service (claimyr.com). They'll wait on hold for you and call you back when a live person is available. My clients have had great success using their service to reach CalFresh workers about P-EBT issues. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 showing how it works. Saved one of my clients over 2 hours of hold time last week for a similar P-EBT issue.

Have you checked your mail carefully? My second child's P-EBT card came in a really plain envelope that looked like junk mail and I almost threw it away. It was completely different from the first envelope, which clearly said it was from CDSS.

I had the exact same issue back in January. Turns out there was a discrepancy in how my kids' names were recorded in the school database versus what was submitted to CDSS. For my kids who didn't receive cards, the school had them listed with their middle names included, but CDSS was looking for an exact match without middle names. I recommend going to your county's CalFresh office in person with your children's school ID cards or birth certificates, proof of enrollment, and something showing they're approved for free/reduced lunch. They can submit a correction request right there. It took about 3 weeks, but we eventually got the missing cards. Also, if you're already receiving regular CalFresh benefits, make sure the children are all correctly listed in your household on your case.

Just as a follow-up: If you find that you're unable to resolve this through your county office, there's also a P-EBT specific online portal where you can submit an inquiry about missing cards: cdss.ca.gov/pebt-info. You'll need your child's student ID number, date of birth, and the school information. The online system can sometimes be faster than waiting for call backs, especially for straightforward issues like missing cards for children who are definitely eligible.

my neighbor had this problem she said they fixed it by going to the school district office not the school itself. ask for the nutrition services department they have direct access to the eligible student lists they submit to the state for pebt

I'm glad you're getting some good suggestions here. One last thing to know is that even if it takes time to get the additional cards, P-EBT benefits are retroactive to the eligibility date. So when your children's cards do arrive, they should have the full benefit amount they're entitled to, including for the months you were waiting. Don't worry about losing benefits during this resolution period.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My daughter got her P-EBT card last month but my son who's in the same grade at the same school still hasn't received his. I called our school's main office and they transferred me to the district's food services coordinator who was actually really helpful. She explained that sometimes there are delays when kids have different spellings of their names in different systems (like if the school uses "Michael" but the state records show "Mike"). She was able to verify both my kids were on the submitted list and gave me a reference number to use when I contact the county office. Definitely try the district food services department - they seem to know way more about the P-EBT process than individual school secretaries!