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Miguel Hernández

Why haven't I received my daughter's P-EBT payment? Last distribution for P names missing

I'm completely confused about this P-EBT situation. My daughter's name starts with P and we received all the previous P-EBT payments just fine, but we're still waiting on that final payment they announced for 2025. It's been over 3 weeks since they said the last batch was being sent out. Everyone I know with kids whose names start with other letters got theirs already! I checked my EBT account balance online and nothing new has been added. Has anyone else with children whose names start with P having this issue? I called the P-EBT hotline twice but just got the automated message both times. How long should I wait before really worrying about this? We're counting on that $535 for groceries this month.

same here!! my son's name is Parker and nothing yet. my neighbor got hers last week and her kid's name starts with M. makes no sense why they do it alphabetical anyway

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That's so frustrating! Did you try calling the hotline too? I wonder if there's a delay just for the P names or if something went wrong with our cards specifically.

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The P-EBT distributions for 2025 are being released in waves based on the first letter of the child's name, but there have been some delays with the P-R group specifically. According to the last update on the CDSS website, they encountered a technical issue with that particular batch. They're supposed to be released by the end of this week. If you don't receive it by next Monday, you should contact your county office directly rather than the P-EBT hotline, which is overwhelmed right now. Make sure you have your child's student ID and date of birth handy when you call.

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This is BS. They always have "technical issues" with certain groups. Last year they did the same thing with my kids (names start with R) and we waited 6 weeks longer than everyone else. They should just deposit all the money at once instead of this alphabet nonsense.

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Just to clarify something important - P-EBT is different from regular CalFresh benefits. P-EBT goes onto either a special P-EBT card or your existing EBT card (depending on how you set it up), but it's administered by a different department than regular CalFresh. The county CalFresh workers often don't have much information about P-EBT issues because it's handled at the state level through the Department of Education. That's why the hotline is usually the only way to get help with P-EBT specifically.

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Thanks for clarifying! I've been using the same EBT card for both, so I just assumed they were all managed the same way. That makes it even more confusing to know who to contact when there's a problem.

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I work for a food assistance nonprofit and we've been hearing about this P-EBT delay for the P-R names a lot this week. If you need emergency food assistance while waiting for your P-EBT to arrive, please check with your local food bank. Many have special distributions right now because they know families are waiting on these delayed payments. You don't need to prove eligibility if you're a P-EBT recipient - just mention the delay when you go.

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Thank you for this information! I might need to check out our local food bank if this payment doesn't come through soon. It's good to know they're aware of the situation.

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When you do try to contact someone about this issue, I'd recommend using Claimyr to get through to a real person instead of the automated system. I was having a similar issue with my daughter's P-EBT card (her name starts with Q) and was getting nowhere with the hotline. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me through to a real human at the state office in under 10 minutes. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. They managed to verify that my daughter's payment was actually processed but had been sent to an old address, so they're reissuing it now.

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does this really work? ive spent HOURS trying to get thru to anyone about my sons pent card being lost. might try this if it actually works

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It definitely worked for me! I was skeptical too, but after spending 3 days trying to get through on my own, I was desperate. The service connected me to a specialist who could actually see my daughter's P-EBT case in their system and fix the address issue right away.

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update: i just got my sons p-ebt payment today!!!! check your accounts everyone with P names!!!

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Just checked and ours came through too! What a relief! Thanks everyone for the help and information!

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That's great news that the P names are finally coming through! I'm a single mom with two kids whose names start with P and we've been waiting anxiously too. Just checked our EBT balance and still nothing, but hopefully it'll hit our account in the next day or two. This whole alphabetical system really does cause unnecessary stress for families who are depending on these benefits. At least now I know it's not just us and that the payments are actually being processed!

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