Can't reach California CalFresh? Claimyr connects you to a live DSS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the DSS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the DSS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
For those still waiting, there's a specific timeline for P-EBT 4.0 distribution in California. Cards are being mailed between March and June 2025, with different counties prioritized in different waves. If your children qualified for free or reduced-price meals during the 2023-2024 school year, you should receive a card. If you don't receive one by early July, you can request a replacement through the P-EBT Portal at ca.p-ebt.org or by calling the P-EBT Hotline at 877-328-9677. Just be aware the hotline has extremely long wait times currently.
Is it based on when you applied for free lunches? My kids were approved back in September and I got the card already, but my neighbor applied in January and hasn't gotten theirs yet.
It's not directly tied to when you applied for free/reduced lunches, but rather to when your eligibility data was processed and transmitted to CDSS from your school district. Some districts submit their data earlier than others, which can affect distribution timing. The system also processes cards in batches rather than individually, which explains why people in the same area might receive cards at different times.
UPDATE: Got my card today!!! For anyone still waiting, it was in a very plain white envelope that honestly looked like junk mail. $1,482 for my two kids - such a relief. Thanks everyone for the support and info!
So happy for you! Make sure you activate it right away and create a PIN. And just FYI, the benefits do expire eventually (usually after about a year), so don't forget to use them!
Join the conversation
my worker told me they can only count rent thats under the 'reasonable accommodation' amount for your area, maybe thats why they put a lower number?? idk if thats true tho
That's not correct for CalFresh. You might be thinking of Section 8 housing which does have reasonable rent standards. For CalFresh, they should count your actual rent amount as verified by your lease, regardless of what the market rate is in your area. There's no cap on the shelter deduction other than the maximum shelter deduction limit, which is currently around $640 for most households.
Update us when you get this resolved! For anyone else reading this thread with similar issues, always remember to keep copies of EVERYTHING you submit to CalFresh, and always get receipt numbers for documents you upload through BenefitsCal or bring to the office in person. Document management is often where these problems occur.
Will do! I'm calling first thing tomorrow and bringing all my documents to the office if they can't fix it over the phone. I've learned my lesson about keeping copies of everything!
Join the conversation
This is a common issue that's actually mentioned in the CalFresh FAQ that nobody ever reads (including me until I had problems lol). When you register for EBT Edge, the verification system checks against the information in the CalFresh database, not just your card information. Here are the exact things that must match: - Name (exactly as it appears in the system, including middle initials if used) - Date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY format) - Full EBT card number - Current address including exact ZIP+4 code (not just the 5-digit ZIP) - Case number (which may not be the same as your card number) Also, if anyone in your household has accessed your benefits (like an authorized representative), that can temporarily lock mobile registration. I recommend calling your county office directly and asking them to verify all your information is correctly entered in the system and that there are no flags on your account preventing mobile registration.
wait we have a case number thats different than the card number? where do u even find that???
Your case number should be on any official correspondence from the CalFresh office, including your approval notices and Semi-Annual Reports (SAR7). It's usually 10 digits long. However, some counties allow you to register using just your card number - it depends on how your county has configured their system.
UPDATE: I finally got it working! For anyone with the same problem - I had to call my county office directly (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and it actually worked great). Turns out there was a flag on my account because of my legal name change 6 months ago. Even though they had updated my name, they hadn't removed some verification flag that was blocking the mobile app registration. The worker removed the flag while I was on the phone, and I was able to register for EBT Edge immediately after hanging up. Thanks everyone for your help!
That's great! Glad it worked out. It's almost always some weird technical thing in their system rather than us doing something wrong.
SEE THIS PROVES MY POINT!!! It's THEIR system errors not us!!!! But we get blamed for doing it wrong!
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
when i applied last year for me n my kids they just wanted proof they lived with me thats it. no school stuff for the little ones. only my teenager needed school verification cuz he was 16. your county is probably just backed up mine takes foreeeever to call back too
That's reassuring! Did they accept things like medical records or bills with their names on it as proof they lived with you? I have the custody papers but not much else with their names yet since they just moved in.
they took the school records for my older one and for the little one they just accepted the doctor paperwork from her checkup that had my address. i think custody papers will definitely work! thats actually better proof than what i had
Honestly the whole system is designed to confuse people and make it hard to get help. I've been on and off CalFresh for 4 years and STILL get confused about what requirements are for which program. It's not your fault for being confused because they make everything so complicated on purpose! But yes like others said - your grandkids qualify no matter what for CalFresh. There's no requirement about school or daycare for little kids. That's probably some other program's rule that got mixed up in all the paperwork they throw at us.
While I understand your frustration, I don't think the system is intentionally designed to be confusing. It's more that different programs were created at different times by different legislation, and they don't always work together smoothly. But I do agree that better integration between programs would help everyone. The county workers themselves often specialize in just one or two programs and may not know all the details about others, which can lead to confusion when people have questions about multiple benefits.
Join the conversation
does anyone know if u can use these p-ebt cards at target??? my kid loves their snack section but not sure if they take it
Yes, you can use P-EBT at Target as long as you're purchasing eligible food items. P-EBT follows the same purchasing rules as regular EBT/CalFresh. Just be aware that you can only buy food items - not household items, clothing, electronics, etc. Target's registers automatically separate which items are eligible when you swipe the card.
Just a tip - I recommend creating a separate PIN for the card than what they initially assign. Sometimes the default PINs can be easy for others to guess if they know your child's information. You can change the PIN by calling the number on the back of the card. I also put a little sticker on mine to differentiate it from my regular EBT card since they look similar!
That's a smart idea about changing the PIN and marking the card. I'll definitely do that! Thanks for the suggestion.
Ellie Lopez
ive used claimyr before too when my benefits got messed up...worth every penny cuz i was on hold for HOURS before i found it...got a callback in like 30 min
0 coins
Lauren Wood
•Does it actually work? I'm always suspicious of services that claim to beat government systems. Might try it though because I've literally never gotten through to a real person at my county office.
0 coins
Grace Thomas
anyone know if they'll give backpay for the missed month? i'm in the same boat and even if i get it fixed i already had to borrow money for groceries this month
0 coins
Hunter Brighton
•Yes, they should provide retroactive benefits if the discontinuance was their error or if you resolve the issue within a certain timeframe. Make sure to specifically ask about this when you speak with your worker. It's called "restoration of benefits" and you're entitled to it if you were eligible during the missed period. Keep documentation of everything, including when you submitted paperwork.
0 coins