Still waiting for P-EBT benefits for kids in independent study - CalFresh rep wasn't helpful

mine came last week for my kid who did homeschool/independent study. Make sure your address is updated with the school AND calworks/calfresh office. I think they get the info from both places somehow?? The cards for independent study are coming out later than regular school kids according to what i heard

Independent study students are eligible for P-EBT, but the distribution timeline is different than for traditional students. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is sending them out in phases, with independent study being in the later groups. According to the latest update, independent study P-EBT cards should be arriving through August 2025. You should definitely verify your mailing address is current with both your county CalFresh office and your child's school district. If your address has changed since you enrolled in the independent study program, that could be causing the delay.

my daughter did hybrd program (part independent study part in person) and we got P-EBT last week. its a blue card not the golden one like regular EBT. my friend whos kids did 100% independent study hasnt got hers yet so maybe its coming in stages??

THEY ARE NEVER TRANSPARENT ABOUT ANYTHING!!!! I called 5 times about my kids' P-EBT (they did online school all year) and got 5 different answers!!! One person said independent study doesn't qualify AT ALL which is WRONG. Another said they're being mailed in July. Another said August. NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING and they just make stuff up to get you off the phone!!!

If it helps, I went through something similar with the previous round of P-EBT. If you're really concerned, I'd suggest contacting both your county CalFresh office AND the independent study program coordinator. The schools actually submit the eligibility lists to CDSS, so your program coordinator might be able to confirm if your children were included. Have you tried calling the CalFresh county office directly rather than the P-EBT hotline? Sometimes the county workers have more specific information about local distribution timelines. I was having a terrible time getting through on phones until I tried Claimyr (claimyr.com). They wait on hold with the county office for you and call you back when a real person answers. Saved me hours of frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

Not sure if this helps but my nephew got his P-EBT card for independent study but only after my sister went directly to the school district office and filled out some additional paperwork. Apparently they needed extra verification for independent study students that the program was their primary education and not supplemental. Might be worth checking with your district office?

Update: I finally got through to someone helpful! Turns out there's a special verification form for independent study students that my kids' program was supposed to send us back in April. Going to the district office tomorrow to fill it out, but they said even with the delay we should still get the full benefit amount once processed. Thanks everyone for the advice!

So glad you figured it out! This is exactly why the system is so confusing - there are all these extra forms and requirements that nobody tells you about upfront. I'm dealing with something similar for my two kids who did independent study this year. Did they tell you if this verification form is something that needs to be done every year, or is it a one-time thing? I want to make sure I don't run into this same issue next time around. Thanks for sharing your update - it gives the rest of us hope that we can get this sorted out!