$20 CalFresh increase for 2025 is a joke with these food prices - anyone else frustrated?

yep got the same notice yesterday... $20 more for my household of 3. they claim its bcuz of 'rising food costs' but its like throwing a cup of water on a house fire lol. ive been buying more dried beans and rice just to get through the month. my kids are sick of eating the same things but what choice do we have?? the worst is when the benefits run out with like 10 days left in the month and ur just scrambling.

The $20 increase is part of the annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2025. It's actually calculated based on the Thrifty Food Plan which the USDA updates periodically. While it does feel insufficient, there are other factors that determine your benefit amount that might help: 1. Make sure ALL your expenses are being counted - housing costs, utilities, childcare, and medical expenses for elderly/disabled household members can all increase your benefit amount 2. If your income is around $19/hr at 35 hours, make sure your semi-annual report (SAR7) accurately reflects any overtime or reduced hours 3. Check if you qualify for the Utility Allowance, which can significantly increase benefits If your situation has changed significantly, you can request a recalculation mid-certification period. It won't change the basic COLA amount, but could help with your overall benefit calculation.

be grateful for what u get some people dont get ANYTHING. $20 is $20 more than u had before so just be thankful the government gives u anything at all. my grandma raised 5 kids on way less with no govt help at all just saying

I understand your frustration with the minimal increase. The COLA for CalFresh is determined at the federal level through SNAP, not by California specifically. Here's what you can do to maximize your benefits: 1. Request an Income Deduction Review - if your work hours fluctuate, they should be using an average 2. If anyone in the household has medical expenses over $35/month (even over-the-counter medications count), make sure those are reported 3. Apply for CalWORKs if you have children under 18 - this could provide additional financial support 4. Check with your local food banks which often have special distribution days for working families Also, if you're having trouble reaching your county worker to discuss recalculation options, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that gets you through to a live CalFresh worker without the usual wait. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. I used it when I needed to get verification issues resolved and got through in minutes instead of hours.

I feel this so hard. Been on CalFresh for 3 years now and the benefits never seem to keep up with actual grocery store prices. What helped me was finding out which farmers markets near me accept EBT AND do the Market Match program where they double your benefits up to $10. So I spend $10 EBT and get $20 worth of fresh produce. Makes a huge difference! Also check if your area has any discount grocery stores - we have one that sells close-to-expiration items for like 50% off regular supermarket prices. Between those two things I've been able to stretch my benefits almost a full extra week each month.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! i been saying this for YEARS! they give us these tiny increases that dont even cover REAL inflation while the politicians eat steak dinners on our tax $$$. the REAL inflation on food is like 15-20% not the 3% they CLAIM. its all designed to keep us dependent but not actually help us get ahead. AND GUESS WHAT when you start making juuuust a little more money they SLASH your benefits so your actually WORSE OFF! its a TRAP to keep people poor!!!!!!!

Quick correction to something I'm seeing in this thread - the "benefit cliff" where you lose more in benefits than you gain in income has been partially addressed in California. The Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) for CalFresh now allows income fluctuations up to 130% of the Federal Poverty Level before requiring reporting. This means small raises shouldn't immediately impact your benefits mid-certification period. Make sure you know your household's IRT (it should be on your approval notice) and only report income changes that exceed that threshold before your regular SAR7 or recertification.

UPDATE: I called my county office (took forever but finally got through) and they explained that the $20 increase is just the federal adjustment but I might qualify for more based on my specific circumstances. The worker reviewed my case and found that they hadn't been applying the correct utility allowance for my area. They're recalculating my benefits and said I should get about $45 more per month plus some retroactive benefits for the past 3 months! Still not enough with these crazy food prices, but better than just the $20. If anyone else is frustrated, definitely call and ask for a full review of your deductions!

I'm dealing with the same frustrating situation! Got the notice about the $20 increase and honestly laughed because it's such a slap in the face. I'm a single mom working part-time while going to school, and my teenage son eats me out of house and home. What really gets me is that they base these adjustments on some theoretical "Thrifty Food Plan" that clearly wasn't designed by anyone who actually shops for groceries in 2025. I've started meal prepping like crazy and buying everything in bulk when it's on sale, but even with coupons and shopping at multiple stores for the best deals, we're still running short by the third week of every month. The farmers market tip someone mentioned sounds promising though - going to check if any near me do the Market Match program. It's wild that we have to become expert strategists just to feed our families on what's supposed to be adequate assistance.