P-EBT cards for kids just arrived - $180 per child in San Jose - is this normal?
I just checked the mail today and found two P-EBT cards for my 5 and 7 year old kids. Each card has $180 loaded on it. We're in San Jose, CA. This is our first time getting these benefits and I wasn't expecting them at all! I know CalFresh and P-EBT are different programs, but I'm not sure if this is even right or what I'm supposed to do with them? Should I activate them? Do I report this somewhere? My kids get free lunch at school already - is this related to that? Really confused about where this came from and if everyone with school-age kids gets this or just certain families.
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Zara Mirza
Yes, this is legitimate! P-EBT 4.0 benefits started rolling out this month for eligible children. The cards are connected to the National School Lunch Program, so if your kids qualify for free/reduced meals, they qualify for P-EBT. Each eligible child gets their own card with their name on it. The $180 per child is for the first benefit period of the 2024-2025 school year. You should definitely activate them - the funds can be used for any SNAP-eligible food items at grocery stores, farmers markets, etc. The same places that accept EBT/CalFresh.
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Sean Kelly
•Thank you so much! I was worried it might be some kind of mistake. Do I need to report this anywhere or will it affect our other benefits? We don't actually receive CalFresh, just the school lunch program.
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Luca Russo
my kidz got these 2 but one only had $120 on it?? the other had $180 like yours. cant figure out y different amounts, maybe cuz different schools?? my youngest is in headstart not regular school yet
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Zara Mirza
•The different amounts are usually because of attendance or enrollment differences. HeadStart kids often get a different calculation than K-12 students. Also, if one child had any absences during the benefit period, they might receive a reduced amount. You can call the P-EBT hotline at 877-328-9677 for specifics about your case, but be prepared for long wait times.
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Nia Harris
This benefit is separate from CalFresh and won't affect any other benefits you receive. P-EBT is a federal program administered through the states to help families with food costs for eligible children. You don't need to report it for any other benefit programs. If you have trouble activating the cards or have questions about eligibility, you can call the P-EBT helpline, but honestly it's nearly impossible to get through most of the time. I've had better luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with actual representatives - they have a service that calls and waits on hold for you, then connects you when a person answers. Saved me hours when I had issues with my kids' cards. They have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8
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GalaxyGazer
•Omg thank u for this tip! Been trying 2 reach someone about my kids' cards for a week!!
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Mateo Sanchez
I HAVENT RECEIVED ANYTHING FOR MY KIDS YET AND THEY QUALIFY FOR FREE LUNCH!!! This is so frustrating!! Does anyone know if they send them out in batches or something? Should I call somewhere? My neighbor got them last week but nothing in our mailbox yet. I'm worried they got lost or stolen!
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Zara Mirza
•They definitely send them out in batches - I've seen families in the same school get cards weeks apart. The rollout for this P-EBT 4.0 is scheduled over several weeks. If your kids definitely qualify for free/reduced lunch and you haven't received anything by the end of July, then I'd recommend calling. Just make sure your mailing address is current with your children's school.
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Aisha Mahmood
Make sure you keep those cards even after you use up the current funds! If they continue the program or authorize more benefits (which they often do), they'll reload the same cards rather than sending new ones. I threw away my kids' cards after using them last year and regretted it when they announced new benefits. Had to go through the whole replacement process which took almost 2 months.
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Sean Kelly
•That's really good to know - I would have probably done the same thing! Do you happen to know if these expire? Like do we need to use the $180 within a certain timeframe?
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Aisha Mahmood
•The benefits typically stay on the card for at least a year from the issue date. So you don't need to rush to spend them, but I wouldn't wait forever either. The exact expiration should be printed in the materials that came with the card, or you can check the balance/expiration by calling the number on the back of the card.
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Ethan Moore
when i got my kids cards i thought it was a scam lol. didnt even activate them for like 2 weeks until my sister told me it was legit. feels weird getting beneffits when we didnt apply for nothing but hey free food is free food
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GalaxyGazer
•same! i was super suspicious too!
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Nia Harris
One more thing - make sure you set unique PINs for each card when you activate them. These are technically your children's benefits (even though you manage them as the parent). I've seen cases where parents set the same PIN for all cards and then had issues with account security later on. And keep track of which card belongs to which child - they look nearly identical!
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Sean Kelly
•Thank you - I wouldn't have thought of that. Going to label the cards with their names and set different PINs.
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