5 hours on hold with CalFresh - is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

lol welcome to calfresh hell. ive been on hold 7+ hours before and then they just disconnect. its like they dont want ppl to get their benefits 🙄

I've been dealing with this same issue for YEARS and it's getting worse! Last month my recertification was approved but my benefits didn't load. Took me 4 days of calling to reach someone. They told me there was a "system glitch" that affected multiple accounts but wouldn't have known unless I called! RIDICULOUS! The system is designed to make people give up! 🤬

This is unfortunately very common with the CalFresh phone system, especially during the first week of the month when benefits are issued. A few tips that might help: 1. Try calling right when they open (7:30am in most counties) 2. If your issue is urgent (no food in house), make sure to mention that immediately if you do reach someone 3. Check your last Notice of Action to see if there was any pending verification they needed 4. Look on your BenefitsCal account to see if there are any alerts or messages 5. Sometimes benefits are delayed 1-2 days for technical reasons even when approved Did you receive any notices in the mail recently? Sometimes there's a verification request that gets missed and they hold benefits while waiting for documents.

omg same thing happened 2 me last month!! try calling the EBT card number instead of the county number. sometimes they can tell u WHY the benefit didnt load even if they cant fix it. saved me hours of waiting

You might want to try Claimyr, it saved me so much time with CalFresh. It holds your place in line and calls you back when a worker is available to talk. I was skeptical at first but after being on hold for 6 hours one day I gave it a try. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. It literally saved my sanity last month when I had a similar issue with benefits not loading.

The current wait times are absolutely unacceptable, but unfortunately normal. I work with a food bank and hear this complaint constantly. Here's what I recommend: 1. If you're in immediate need, go to your local food bank while you sort this out (happy to help find one near you) 2. Try contacting your county worker directly via BenefitsCal messaging system - sometimes they respond faster than phone 3. Check if your county has a "case problem form" on their website you can submit 4. If your benefits were approved but not loaded, this is often a technical error that needs manual override Most importantly, document everything - dates/times you called, any reference numbers, names of workers you speak with. If your benefits were approved but not issued, they should be able to expedite payment once you reach someone.

This is exacty why I stoped using calfresh even though im eligable. The system is so broken I litterly couldnt afford to spend 4-5 hours on hold every month when something went wrong. And something ALWAYS went wrong with my case. Good luck hope you get thru to someone eventualy!!!

UPDATE: Just got off the phone after finally reaching someone. They're experiencing a statewide system issue affecting benefit loading for certain cases processed between the 25th-30th last month. The worker said benefits should appear within 24-48 hours without further action needed. If anyone else is having this problem, apparently it's affecting thousands of people right now.

This is such a relief to hear about the system issue! I was starting to panic thinking something was wrong with my case. For anyone still waiting on hold, you might want to hang up and just wait the 24-48 hours since it sounds like they can't manually fix it anyway. I'm going to set a reminder to check my balance tomorrow morning. Thanks everyone for the support and tips - this community is honestly a lifesaver when dealing with these CalFresh nightmares! 🙏

I'm so glad you found this thread! I was in a similar situation last month and this community really helped me through it. Just to add one more tip - if your benefits do load in the next day or two but you're still struggling to get food for your kids right now, many school districts have weekend food backpack programs or emergency food pantries that can help bridge the gap. You shouldn't have to choose between feeding your family and missing work to sit on hold for hours. The system is broken but we're all here to help each other navigate it! 💪

I'm so sorry you're going through this - the 5 hour wait times are absolutely ridiculous but unfortunately very common, especially during the first week of the month. Since @Natasha Romanova mentioned there's a statewide system issue affecting people whose cases were processed between the 25th-30th, you might want to hang up and just wait the 24-48 hours they mentioned rather than staying on hold longer. In the meantime, definitely look into local food banks or your kids' school food programs like others suggested. The system is completely broken but at least knowing it's a widespread technical issue and not something wrong with your specific case should give you some peace of mind. Hope your benefits load soon! 🙏

I'm so glad you found some relief through this community! The CalFresh system really is frustrating and those wait times are just unacceptable. I've been through similar situations and it's maddening when you're just trying to feed your family. Since there's apparently a widespread system issue affecting benefits loaded between the 25th-30th, definitely try checking your balance tomorrow rather than calling back. Also wanted to mention that some counties have emergency food assistance programs separate from CalFresh that can sometimes provide same-day help if you're in crisis - might be worth checking your county's social services website. Hang in there, and I hope your benefits show up in the next day or two! 💪

I'm so sorry you had to go through that stress! The 5+ hour wait times are absolutely insane - I had a similar experience last year where I was on hold for almost 6 hours just to be told it was a "computer glitch." It's honestly heartbreaking that parents have to choose between missing work and getting their kids fed. Since others mentioned this seems to be a widespread system issue affecting benefits processed between the 25th-30th, I'd definitely recommend hanging up and waiting the 24-48 hours rather than burning another whole day on hold. Also, if you haven't already, try downloading the ebtEDGE app to check your balance - sometimes benefits show up there before you get any other notification. Really hoping this gets resolved for you quickly! The system is broken but at least you're not alone in dealing with it. 🙏

I'm so glad this thread helped you find some answers! The CalFresh system can be absolutely maddening, especially when you're dealing with kids who need to eat. It's awful that so many of us have to become experts at navigating a broken system just to get basic assistance. Since you mentioned you hung up after learning about the system-wide issue, that was definitely the right call - no point wasting more hours on hold when it sounds like they can't manually override it anyway. I'd also suggest taking screenshots of your approval notice and any error messages you see, just in case you need documentation later. The fact that this is affecting thousands of people shows how badly the system needs fixing, but at least you know it's not your fault! Hope your benefits show up in the morning! 🤞

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation! Those 5+ hour wait times are absolutely ridiculous but unfortunately seem to be the norm with CalFresh phone support. Reading through this thread, it sounds like there's a statewide system glitch affecting people whose cases were processed between the 25th-30th of last month, so you're definitely not alone in this. Since it's apparently a technical issue they can't manually override, hanging up and waiting the 24-48 hours they mentioned is probably your best bet rather than burning more time on hold. In the meantime, definitely check out local food banks or school food programs to help bridge the gap while this gets sorted out. The system is completely broken but at least now you know it's not something you did wrong! Hope your benefits load soon and thank you for sharing your experience - it helps all of us know we're not crazy for thinking these wait times are unacceptable! 🙏

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful to read through! As someone who's been dealing with CalFresh for about two years now, I can unfortunately confirm that these ridiculous wait times are becoming the norm rather than the exception. What really gets me is that they have an automated system that could easily tell callers "we're experiencing a statewide system issue affecting benefits processed between X and Y dates" instead of letting thousands of people sit on hold for hours not knowing what's going on. The fact that @Natasha Romanova had to wait who knows how long just to get that basic information is infuriating. For anyone else dealing with this - definitely try the ebtEDGE app like others mentioned, and if your county has a text alert system for benefits, sign up for that too. Some counties will at least text you when benefits are loaded even if they won't proactively tell you about system issues. @Amina Diop I really hope your benefits show up tomorrow morning! Keep us updated - and don't feel bad about using food banks in the meantime. That's exactly what they're there for and you've already paid into this system through your taxes. You shouldn't have to choose between feeding your kids and missing work because of their broken phone system! 💙

I'm so sorry you're going through this! Reading through all these comments, it sounds like you're dealing with the same statewide system issue that's affecting thousands of people whose cases were processed between the 25th-30th last month. The 5+ hour wait times are absolutely insane but unfortunately seem to be the "new normal" with CalFresh phone support. Since it's apparently a technical glitch they can't manually override anyway, I'd definitely recommend hanging up and just waiting the 24-48 hours they told @Natasha Romanova rather than burning another day on hold. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to hit up local food banks or check if your kids' school has weekend food programs - that's exactly what these resources are for and you shouldn't have to choose between feeding your family and missing work because their system is broken. The ebtEDGE app is definitely easier for checking your balance too. Really hoping your benefits load tomorrow morning! This community has been such a lifesaver for so many of us dealing with these CalFresh nightmares. Keep us posted! 💙