CalWORKs P-EBT cards not showing up in system - my kids are 'missing' according to tier 2 agent

Yes, this happened to me back in November! The P-EBT system and CalWORKs systems don't always talk to each other correctly. What worked for me was getting a letter from the school confirming my kids were enrolled in the free/reduced lunch program and sending it directly to the P-EBT office. Make sure the letter has your kids' full names, DOB, and your current address. I faxed mine in and called back a week later - suddenly they were "found" in the system. Their cards arrived about 3 weeks after that.

omg the SAME THING just happened 2 me last week!!! tier 2 said my son wasnt even in there system but hes been getting free lunch for 2 years already!!! so messed up. im still waiting to hear back from anybody

This is a common issue with P-EBT cards right now. The problem happens because data from schools sometimes doesn't transfer correctly to the state database. Some key things to try: 1. Contact your school district's nutrition services department (not just the school) 2. Ask them to verify your children are properly coded in their system for free/reduced meals 3. Request they resend your children's eligibility data to the state 4. Get something in writing confirming their eligibility Also, P-EBT is separate from your regular CalWORKs benefits, so your caseworker probably can't help with this specific issue. The school district needs to fix the data problem first.

The whole P-EBT system is BROKEN!!!!! My kids haven't gotten cards in 6 months and nobody can tell me why. I've called 15+ times and get different answers every time. One agent says they're coming, another says there's no record, another says we need to reapply. HOW CAN WE EVEN TRUST WHAT THEY SAY ANYMORE?? They don't care that families are struggling to feed their kids. The tier 2 agents are just as useless as the regular ones. What happened to all that money they were supposed to be giving families?

Have you tried using Claimyr to reach someone higher up? I was struggling with the same P-EBT issue for my grandson who lives with me, and regular phone calls got me nowhere. I used claimyr.com and they got me connected to a supervisor who actually found my grandson in the system despite the tier 2 rep saying he wasn't there. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE - it basically keeps dialing for you and holds your place in line. The supervisor was able to issue my grandson's card on the spot when I finally got through.

my daughter didnt get hers either and then it just showed up in the mail 3 months later with no warning. never even got through to anybody on the phone. just wait it out maybe?

Quick update: For those struggling with P-EBT issues, make sure you're distinguishing between CalWORKs (Cash Aid) and P-EBT. Though they're both assistance programs, they're completely separate systems. Your CalWORKs eligibility doesn't automatically guarantee P-EBT cards - the school data is what matters for P-EBT. OP, something else to consider: check if your children's names are exactly the same in school records as they are in your CalWORKs case. Even small differences (like using a nickname at school or a hyphenated last name being entered differently) can cause them to not match up in the system.

anybody know if the p-ebt is the same as the calfresh? my neighbor says were supposed to get both but i only get calfresh on my ebt card

@OP any updates? Were you able to get this fixed? I'm dealing with the same issue and going in circles with these people!