The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Department of Education (CDE) are excited to announce that the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) application deadline has been extended to July 15, 2020.
Application Processing
Families that have already applied for P-EBT benefits who are still awaiting an eligibility determination do not need to apply again. CDSS will continue to review and process all applications received between May 22 and July 15 through the end of July to ensure that as many children as possible are verified for P-EBT eligibility and able to receive benefits. As of this week, P-EBT cards have been issued to over 3 million P-EBT eligible children across the state. The CDE continues to provide data to the CDSS for those children deemed eligible during the months of May or June.
The extension of the P-EBT deadline does not change P-EBT eligibility requirements. Children must be eligible for free or reduced-price school meals and be attending a school that participates in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs.
New Client Inquiry Form
To support family access and customer service, the CDSS has launched a secure client inquiry online form to take the place of the general P-EBT inbox. This will allow families to securely submit case information so that the CDSS can better assist in resolving their inquiry. An email address is not required for submission, but is highly recommended. Families will be required to provide a phone number so that a CDSS customer service representative can respond to their inquiry.
The new client inquiry form is available online at https://inquiry.pebt.dss.ca.gov. The form will also be linked on the CDSS P-EBT web page.
Updated Outreach Materials
Phase three outreach materials, including updated flyers in English, Spanish, and Chinese are available now online at www.cdss.ca.gov/pandemic-ebt.
Contact Information
For more information about P-EBT, you may visit the CDSS P-EBT web page at https://www.cdss.ca.gov/home/pandemic-ebt.
For a list of Frequently Asked Questions related to P-EBT, please visit the CDE Pandemic EBT Frequently Asked Questions web page at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/pandemicebtfaqs.asp.
Families that require assistance with their P-EBT card can call the P-EBT Customer Service Center at 877-328-9677 or submit an online inquiry at https://inquiry.pebt.dss.ca.gov.
For updated information about COVID-19 emergency feeding, please visit the CDE COVID-19 School and Child and Adult Day Care Meals web page at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/schoolmeals.asp. This page is updated each Friday with new information.
Thank you.
Nutrition Services Division
California Department of Education