My 1-year-old and P-EBT 3.0 eligibility with CalFresh - confused about new cards arriving
I'm super confused about how P-EBT 3.0 works with CalFresh. My family started receiving CalFresh benefits in October 2024 (about 3 months ago). Yesterday, my 7-year-old son received a P-EBT 3.0 card in the mail, which caught me off guard because he wasn't even in school during the pandemic - he would have been like 3 years old then! Now I'm wondering if my 1-year-old should get one too? She's obviously not in school at all. Do all kids in CalFresh households automatically qualify for these new P-EBT cards regardless of age or school status? The letter that came with my son's card was super confusing and didn't explain much. Has anyone else with really young children received these cards?
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Ethan Moore
P-EBT 3.0 works differently than previous rounds. Children under 6 who are in CalFresh households during the eligible months can qualify, even if they weren't in school during the pandemic. The cards are being sent out in phases based on different criteria. Your 1-year-old should eventually receive a card too if your household was receiving CalFresh during the eligible period (summer 2024). The eligibility is based on CalFresh enrollment, not school attendance for the youngest children.
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Aisha Mahmood
•Thank you so much! That makes more sense. Do you know how long it might take for my 1-year-old's card to arrive? Is there a way to check if she's going to get one?
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Yuki Kobayashi
my kids got their cards at totally diffrent times even tho they all in same household!! one got it last week other 2 got it yesterday. they sending them out weird
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Aisha Mahmood
•Oh that's good to know! I'll just keep checking the mail then. Did all your kids get the same amount on their cards?
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Carmen Vega
The distribution process for P-EBT 3.0 is unfortunately very confusing. Based on the latest guidelines, children under 6 in CalFresh households qualify for P-EBT benefits if they were part of an active CalFresh case during the benefit period. Your 1-year-old should receive a card, but the rollout schedule varies by county and even within households. You can expect it within the next 4-6 weeks. Important: You should activate your 7-year-old's card even if you're waiting for the other one. Each card needs to be activated separately with the child's information.
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QuantumQuester
•wait so kids that WERENT even in school during pandemic are getting these cards now?? thats completely different than the first 2 rounds. no wonder the system is so backed up and confusing!
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Andre Moreau
Had the EXACT same situation happen to me! My 8yo got a card last week but my 2yo hasn't gotten anything. I called the P-EBT hotline (877-328-9677) and was on hold for TWO HOURS before someone finally answered. They said younger kids are in a later phase of distribution and could take up to 8 weeks after the older siblings get theirs. The whole thing is super confusing!
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Zoe Stavros
•Instead of waiting on hold for hours with the P-EBT hotline, you might want to try Claimyr to reach a CalFresh worker directly. They can confirm if your child is in the system to receive a card. I used it last month when I had a similar issue with missing benefits and got through in 15 minutes instead of waiting all day. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works. I found it super helpful when dealing with these distribution delays.
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Jamal Harris
not to contradict what everyone is saying but my neighbor's kid is 2 and they DON'T get calfresh and they still got a P-EBT card??? make it make sense lol. i think the whole system is just randomly sending cards at this point. probably should just wait and see what comes in the mail.
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Carmen Vega
•Your neighbor's child might have qualified through another program like Medi-Cal. P-EBT 3.0 eligibility includes children in Medi-Cal households in certain circumstances, not just CalFresh. The eligibility criteria expanded from previous versions of the program.
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QuantumQuester
THIS IS WHY THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN! They're sending cards to kids who weren't even alive during the pandemic, meanwhile my teenager who actually MISSED SCHOOL during COVID still hasn't gotten his renewed card. It's always different rules and nobody can explain it properly. I'm done trying to understand the logic behind any of these programs.
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Ethan Moore
•I understand your frustration, but P-EBT 3.0 is designed to address food insecurity that continued after the acute phase of the pandemic. Children under 6 in CalFresh households qualify because the program recognizes that younger children in low-income families faced ongoing nutritional challenges due to the economic impact of the pandemic. Your teenager should still receive benefits if they qualify - the cards are being distributed in phases through March 2025.
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Aisha Mahmood
Thanks for all the responses everyone! I feel a lot better knowing it's normal for the cards to arrive at different times. I'll just keep checking the mail for my 1-year-old's card. I activated my son's card yesterday and was surprised by the amount on it! For anyone else wondering, there was $391 loaded on it for summer 2024 benefits.
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Andre Moreau
•That's exactly the amount my kid got too! I think it's $120/month for June, July, and part of August. Did anyone get a different amount? I'm wondering if it's the same for all ages.
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Yuki Kobayashi
make sure u spend the money!!! they expire after like a year if u dont use them i think
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Carmen Vega
•That's partially correct. The P-EBT benefits won't expire for one year from the date they were issued. However, if the card remains inactive (never activated) for 274 days, it will be canceled. So make sure to at least activate the card within that timeframe, even if you don't use the benefits immediately.
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