Troubleshooting
When I try to link my child's P-EBT case to my CAFÉ account, it cannot find the case. What do I do?
First, please try the following:
- If you have already received your child’s P-EBT card, please make sure you are entering their first and last names exactly as they appear on the card.
- Please make sure you are entering the child’s date of birth in the correct format. It must include the slashes (/) and be entered as MM/DD/YYYY.
- Make sure you are entering the child’s ENTIRE local student ID number, not just the last 4 digits. (For tips about where you might find your child’s local student ID, see our FAQs here.)
- Be sure to select the child’s school name from the dropdown menu. If you type it in manually and there are any differences in spelling, it will trigger an error and will not find your child’s case.
If you have done all of the above and the system still cannot locate your child’s P-EBT case, one or more of the following reasons may apply:
- The student’s PEBT card is in queue for mailing. Due to the large volume of cards, a weekly limitation is in place on the number of new cards that can be mailed out to the public. Please allow 4-6 weeks from the date that the school submits the student’s correct information to receive the P-EBT card.
- The student’s information has been submitted by the school with errors that would prevent the P-EBT card from being mailed out. (Example: Date of birth is missing or in the wrong format, or the mailing address is incomplete). We are actively working with schools to correct these errors to allow for the P-EBT card to be mailed out.
- The school has notified DCFS of a change in address for a P-EBT card that has already been mailed out to the original address. Please allow 6-8 weeks for a card to be resent to a new address from the date DCFS is notified of an address change.
- The school has not submitted the student’s information to DCFS for P-EBT.
- The student did not qualify for P-EBT because, according to school attendance records, they were learning fully in-person between August 2020 through May 2021.
- The student did not qualify for P-EBT because their school does not participate in the National School Lunch Program or the student is not eligible for free or reduced-priced meals.
My child’s school confirmed they submitted all required information. How long before I can see and link my child’s P-EBT case in the Parent Portal? When would my child receive their card?
Once a school submits all required information correctly, your child’s case can be linked in the Parent Portal 1-2 weeks from the date DCFS approves the submission. At first, your child’s case will appear with a status of “Awaiting Issuance.” That means the child is in line for benefits to be issued. The status will change to “Eligible” once the child’s card/benefits are issued (within 1-2 weeks). A P-EBT flyer will be arriving by mail, followed by the card. Please allow 30 days from receipt of the flyer for the card to arrive.
I changed my address with my child’s school. How long before I see the change in the Parent Portal? If my child’s card was sent to the old address, when will we receive the replacement card?
Once a school verifies the change of address and formally submits a change, the update will appear in the Parent Portal in 1-2 weeks from the date DCFS received the change. Updates of this kind are run weekly and appear in the Parent Portal on Wednesdays. A new replacement card would be issued the next day and may take up to 30 days to arrive by mail.
What do these benefits status messages mean? What is "awaiting issuance"?
Once you have linked your child’s P-EBT case, you will see a benefits status of either “eligible” or “awaiting issuance.”
- “Eligible” means the benefits have been issued.
- “Awaiting issuance” means the child’s case is in process, but benefits have not yet been issued.
My child received P-EBT benefits for a hybrid learning style when they were actually fully virtual. The school confirmed there was an error and submitted the corrected information to DCFS. How long before I see the change in the Parent Portal? When would my child receive the additional benefits?
Changes in learning style will be processed after all benefits for the 2020-21 school year have been issued. Learning style updates will start reflecting in the Parent Portal beginning in mid-August. The benefits will be issued and available on cards within days of the change appearing in the portal.
My child hasn’t received any P-EBT benefits (or received benefits in the first issuance but not in the second issuance, even though they were still hybrid/virtual). My school confirmed my child is eligible and said they submitted all the information to DCFS. When will my child receive their benefits?
If the information submitted to DCFS contains a data error, the school must correct the data and resubmit the information to DCFS. Once a school submits all required information correctly, the case can be processed. Updates of this kind are run weekly, and the change will appear in the Parent Portal on Wednesdays. The benefits will be issued and available on cards within days of the change appearing in the portal.
My child received benefits for one or two months, but not the other month that was supposed to have been issued, even though they were hybrid/virtual during that time (e.g., We got benefits for November and December, but not January, even though we were still hybrid/virtual). My school confirmed my child is eligible for benefits for the missing month and said they submitted the corrected information to DCFS. When will my child receive their benefits for the missing month?
Once a school has submitted all required information correctly, the additional benefits can be processed. Updates of this kind are processed weekly, with the change appearing in the Parent Portal on Wednesdays. The benefits will be issued and available on cards within days of the change appearing in the portal.
I logged into my CAFÉ account earlier, but now I can't get back in. What happened?
It’s important to log out of your account when you are finished with your CAFÉ session. Failure to log out could temporarily freeze the account and prevent you from logging in until the system resets at midnight. If this has happened to you, please wait until the next day (after midnight) and try to log in again.
