P-EBT card confusion - told it was mailed then told no card exists?

This exact same thing happened to me last month with my son's P-EBT card! First person said it was mailed January 28th, then supervisor said no record existed. I ended up having to contact our school's nutrition services office who had to verify his eligibility AGAIN even though he's been getting free lunch all year. They had to submit something to the county, and magically 3 weeks later his card arrived. The whole system is a mess - nobody seems to know what's going on.

yep happened to me too. first person said card sent, second said nothing in system. i gave up calling and then the card randomly showed up like 6 weeks later. no explanation.

This is a common issue with the P-EBT program specifically. The challenge is that P-EBT cards are processed through a different system than regular CalFresh EBT cards, even though they're both food benefits. The first-level customer service reps often see preliminary records in the processing queue that show a card has been generated for mailing, but supervisors typically have access to the confirmed mailing database which only updates after the card has actually been sent. Your best approach is to: 1. Contact your child's school nutrition services office to verify they've submitted your child's eligibility 2. Request they provide you with the confirmation code of that submission 3. Call the P-EBT hotline again with that code and ask them to specifically check both the pending and processed databases 4. If they still can't find it, ask for a "transmission verification" which forces them to check with the school directly P-EBT cards for the 2025 school year are being issued in batches by district and age group, so it's possible yours is still in the queue even though others have received theirs.

I went through something similar with my kids' P-EBT cards. The system is SO frustrating! I was calling that P-EBT hotline every other day and either couldn't get through or got different answers each time. After two weeks of this, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual supervisor who could help. It basically holds your place in line and calls you back when a real person is available. I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8) and was skeptical but desperate. It actually worked - I got through to someone who could see both systems and confirmed my kids' cards were in the queue but had been held up because of a name mismatch between school records and what was in their system. They fixed it on the spot and we got the cards 10 days later. Their website is claimyr.com if you're interested. Saved me hours of frustration.

anyone else notice how the p-ebt benefits are way less this year?? my kid got almost $200/month last year and now its only like $125. they said its because of inflation adjustment or something but that makes no sense cause food prices went UP not down!!

The P-EBT system is separate from regular CalFresh and has SO many problems. I've been working with families navigating this exact issue for months now. Here's what's actually happening: there are three separate databases that don't sync properly: 1. The school district eligibility database 2. The state P-EBT processing queue 3. The actual mailing/card issuance system When you call, first-level reps only see system #2, supervisors see system #3, and almost nobody can access system #1 directly. This creates exactly the situation you described. The fastest solution is to get a "three-way verification" where they conference in someone who can check all three systems simultaneously. However, getting this service requires speaking to a specific department that handles cross-system verifications. When you call the P-EBT hotline, specifically ask for the "Database Reconciliation Team" or "Cross-System Verification Unit." Be prepared to provide: - Child's full name as it appears on school records - Date of birth - School name and district - Student ID number if you have it - The approximate date you were told the card was mailed This should resolve the discrepancy. If the card was actually mailed but not received within 15 business days, they can issue a replacement.

i gave up on p-ebt completely. too much hassle for benefits that dont even cover a weeks worth of food tbh

UPDATE: I finally got this resolved! Called using the advice about asking for the Database Reconciliation Team, and they found my daughter's application was stuck between systems due to a TYPO in her birthdate (they had entered 2018 instead of 2017). They fixed it immediately and said her card should arrive within 7-10 business days. They also said this is happening to lots of families right now because they switched computer systems in January and lots of records got jumbled. If anyone else is dealing with this, definitely ask to speak with that specific team!