Why are both P-EBT cards showing $210 when one child was homeschooled? (Different payment amounts expected)

The P-EBT program can be really confusing because the benefit amounts change based on the school year and different phases of the program. For the most recent distribution (which I believe you're asking about), the $210 might actually be correct for both kids, and here's why: The current P-EBT issuance includes a standard summer benefit of $120 for all eligible children PLUS additional benefits based on COVID-related absences or virtual learning for the previous school year. The additional $90 could be the minimum benefit amount for qualifying absences. Your daughter was in virtual school all year, which absolutely qualifies her for P-EBT benefits. Your son had a COVID absence in November which, if properly reported by the school as COVID-related, would qualify him for at least the minimum monthly benefit for that month. The confusing part is that I would have expected your daughter to receive more than just $210 total if she was virtual all year - that seems low. You're right to question this.

the ppl at the pebt phone line dont know ANYTHING i swear!!! i called 5 times about my kids cards and got 5 different answers. my neighbor's kid got $438 and they were in regular school but had like 3 covid absences. the whole system is messed up. maybe your online school didnt report right?? did u get anything in writing about the amounts??

The P-EBT benefit calculation can be incredibly complex, and the phone representatives often don't have complete information. Here's what I understand from the most recent P-EBT guidelines: 1. The $120 summer benefit is standard for all eligible children 2. The school-year benefit is calculated differently for virtual vs. in-person students 3. For virtual students, benefits should typically be issued for each month they were in virtual learning 4. For in-person students, benefits are only issued for months with qualifying COVID-related absences Based on this, you're absolutely right that your daughter should likely receive more than your son. For a student who was virtual all year (assuming a 9-month school year), the total could be around $120 (summer) + approximately $45-70 per month of virtual learning. I recommend taking these steps: 1. Wait until the cards arrive to confirm the actual loaded amounts 2. Contact your daughter's virtual school to verify they properly reported her status to the state for P-EBT purposes 3. If the amounts are still incorrect after receiving the cards, request a benefit review P-EBT is administered separately from CalFresh, but you can sometimes get better information by contacting your county CalFresh office directly instead of the general P-EBT helpline.

My kids got different amounts on their cards so something doesn't add up with yours. My son who did hybrid schooling got $378 and my daughter who missed 3 weeks for covid got $210. Wait till the actual cards come before panicking tho cause the phone ppl are usually wrong lol

Ugh I've been trying to get through to someone about my kids' P-EBT cards for THREE DAYS and keep getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Someone told me about this service called Claimyr that helped them actually reach a human at the P-EBT department without the crazy wait. It's at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 I used it yesterday and got through in like 20 minutes instead of waiting all day. The person I talked to actually knew about the different payment tiers and explained why my daughter's amount was higher than my son's. Might be worth trying if you need actual answers about the calculations.

I think the confusion is because there are different phases of P-EBT and the rules have changed for each one. P-EBT 4.0 works differently than previous versions. In the newest version, kids who were in virtual school don't automatically get benefits for every month unless the virtual learning was specifically because of COVID. If your daughter chose virtual learning for other reasons, she might only qualify for the summer benefit plus maybe one month. Also, are you sure both amounts are final? Sometimes they load the summer portion first ($120) and then add the school year portion later. So the extra $90 might just be the first month's payment with more to come. Definitely wait until you actually receive the cards before assuming anything. The P-EBT phone reps are notoriously confused about the rules themselves.

BTW any1 know if p-ebt counts as income for calfresh??? i got a letter saying i have to report all these new cards as income on my SAR7 and im freaking out that ill lose my regular ebt!!

UPDATE: I received both cards today (they came earlier than expected). My daughter's card (virtual school all year) has $480 on it, and my son's card (only missed school in November) has $210. So the rep on the phone was definitely wrong! Seems like the system is working correctly after all - my daughter got benefits for multiple months of virtual learning, not just the same amount as my son. Thanks everyone for your help!