Will 5-day COVID quarantine from 2022 qualify my kids for P-EBT 3.0 in California?

Yes, your children should qualify for P-EBT 3.0 if they missed school due to COVID-19 during the 2022-2023 school year. P-EBT 3.0 specifically covers COVID-related absences for students who receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. Since your kids are on the free lunch program and had documented COVID absences, they meet the basic criteria. The 5-day minimum quarantine should be sufficient as the program recognizes any COVID-related absence. California is distributing these benefits in phases, so you might not have received them yet. Make sure your school has the correct address on file, as P-EBT cards are mailed directly.

Thank you so much! That's a relief. Do you know when they're supposed to send out the P-EBT 3.0 cards? We haven't received anything yet and it's already 2025. Also, do I need to apply somewhere or is it automatic if the school already reported the absences?

my kids were out for covid too but only for 3 days and we got the pebt card last month. check ur mail really good cause the envelope looks like junk mail kinda. no return address that says food stamps or anything. my kids got like $75 each i think.

The amount you receive is supposed to be based on the number of days missed, so 3 days would be less than a longer absence. The P-EBT 3.0 benefit is approximately $8.18 per day of eligible absence. Just wanted to clarify that for anyone reading who might be expecting a specific amount based on other people's experiences.

I'm in a similar situation and got conflicting information. I called the P-EBT hotline (833-979-3239) TWENTY-SIX times before getting through last week. The representative told me that for P-EBT 3.0, individual COVID absences had to be reported by the school to qualify, and they needed to be during specific periods when the school was offering remote learning options. But then my friend in San Diego said her kids got P-EBT for regular COVID absences! The whole system is so frustrating and inconsistent!!

That's not entirely accurate information you received. For P-EBT 3.0, California is covering COVID-related absences even if the school wasn't offering remote learning. The key requirements are: 1) The student must be eligible for free/reduced-price meals, 2) The absence must be COVID-related and excused, and 3) The school must have reported the absence properly. The confusion might be because P-EBT 2.0 had different rules than 3.0. If you're struggling to reach someone on the P-EBT hotline, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they helped me get through to a real person when I was dealing with my CalFresh and P-EBT issues. They have a good video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

Thanks for clarifying! I'm pretty sure the person I talked to was mixing up the different P-EBT programs. I'll check out that website - anything is better than calling that hotline over and over again!

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but P-EBT 3.0 is SUPER SPECIFIC about what counts. My daughter missed 2 weeks for COVID in 2022 and we got DENIED because her school wasn't doing any remote options that week!!! The whole system is a JOKE. They keep changing the rules and the websites never have current info. Good luck but don't count on getting anything!!

That's actually not correct for P-EBT 3.0 in California. The program specifically covers individual COVID-related absences during the 2022-2023 school year, whether or not remote options were available. You might be thinking of earlier P-EBT programs that had different requirements. If you were denied despite having documented COVID absences for a student on free/reduced lunch, you should request a review of your case. The CDSS has clarified that all excused COVID absences should qualify if properly reported by the school.

Well thats what they TOLD ME when i called!! They said only certain weeks qualified. Maybe the person i talked to didnt know what they were talking about. Typical government program, nobody knows the actual rules. 🙄

I've worked in the school district, and here's what I know: P-EBT 3.0 does cover individual COVID absences from the 2022-2023 school year, but there's a critical detail - the absence needed to be properly coded in the school's attendance system as a COVID-related absence. Many schools were inconsistent with how they coded these absences. If it was just marked as

That's really helpful information! I did provide the school with their positive test results, but I have no idea how they actually coded it in their system. I'll call the school office tomorrow to check. Do you know if there's still time to correct it if they didn't use the right code?

This is a common question about P-EBT 3.0. The official eligibility criteria for California's P-EBT 3.0 program includes COVID-related absences during the 2022-2023 school year for students who receive free or reduced-price school meals. The minimum qualifying period is not based on a specific number of days but rather on whether the absence was properly documented as COVID-related. Distribution of P-EBT 3.0 benefits began in late 2024 and is continuing into 2025 in phases. If your children's school properly reported their COVID absences and they're enrolled in the free lunch program, they should eventually receive benefits. The benefit amount is calculated at approximately $8.18 per day of eligible absence. You do not need to apply - if eligible, a P-EBT card will be automatically mailed to the address on file with the school.

wait do u know when theyre sending the last batch? my kids havent got theirs yet either and they missed like 8 days in october 2022 for covid

According to the most recent update from CDSS, the final phase of P-EBT 3.0 card issuance is scheduled to complete by March 2025. If you haven't received anything by early April, I'd recommend contacting your school to verify they properly reported the COVID absences, then reaching out to the P-EBT hotline.

Update: I called my kids' school and they confirmed they DID code the absences as COVID-related in their system! The attendance secretary said a lot of parents have been calling about this same issue. She said the P-EBT 3.0 processing is taking forever and they're sending cards out in batches by county. Our county apparently hasn't been processed yet, but she said we should get the cards eventually. Just wanted to update in case anyone else is in the same situation!

That's excellent news! Yes, they're processing by county and sometimes even by school district within counties. The fact that the school properly coded the absences is the most important part - now it's just a waiting game. Make sure your mailing address is current with the school, as the cards will go to whatever address was in their system.

good to know! my friends kid goes to a different school and got hers already but my other kid hasnt gotten anything yet. guess ill just wait longer

If anyone is still struggling to get information about their P-EBT benefits or having trouble reaching someone on the P-EBT hotline, I highly recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). The P-EBT and CalFresh phone lines are notoriously difficult to get through - I was disconnected 8 times before I found this service. They'll wait on hold for you and call you back when they reach a real person. Saved me hours of frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

Just tried this service today after seeing your post. THANK YOU!! Got through to a real person at the P-EBT hotline after trying for weeks on my own. Found out my kids' benefits are scheduled to be issued next month. Worth every penny not to deal with that awful hold system anymore.

fyi my neighbor works for the school district and she said if u got p-ebt before u should get the new one at the same card they dont send new ones unless u never had one before

That's partially correct. If you received P-EBT 2.0 benefits, the P-EBT 3.0 benefits will be loaded onto the same card. However, families who only received P-EBT 1.0 (from the 2019-2020 school year) will receive a new card for P-EBT 3.0. It's always good to keep your previous P-EBT cards just in case.