Hey Jacob! Just wanted to add that as someone who works with families navigating these programs, you're absolutely right to be confused - the terminology across different benefit programs can be really overwhelming. The good news is that for CalFresh specifically, your 2 and 4 year old grandchildren will definitely qualify as household members regardless of school or daycare enrollment. The application might have been asking about childcare needs for other programs like CalWORKs or childcare subsidies, but that won't affect their CalFresh eligibility. One tip: when you do speak with your county worker, ask them to walk through which programs you might be eligible for with the kids in your care. Sometimes they can do a "one-stop" screening that checks you for multiple benefits at once. With your retirement income and two young children to care for, there might be additional support available beyond just CalFresh. Also, don't stress too much about the paperwork - custody documents are excellent proof that the children live with you. That's actually stronger documentation than most people have when they apply!

Just want to echo what everyone else has said - your grandkids definitely qualify for CalFresh regardless of school or daycare! I went through something similar when my nephew came to live with us last year (he was 3 at the time). The county worker explained that the only children who have education-related requirements for CalFresh are college students between 18-49. For little kids, they just count toward your household size and increase your benefit amount. One thing that really helped me was calling the CalFresh hotline at 1-877-847-3663 instead of trying to reach my specific county worker. The state hotline folks were way more knowledgeable about the actual program rules and could answer my questions right away. They can also check the status of your application and see if anything is missing. Sounds like you're doing everything right - those custody papers will be perfect documentation. Hope you hear back from your county soon!

I'm going through the exact same thing and this thread has been SO helpful! My benefits dropped from $740 to $268 for my family of 4, and I was completely panicking thinking something was wrong with my case. Now I understand it's because the emergency allotments ended and we're back to income-based calculations. Reading everyone's experiences, I'm realizing I probably need to check my deductions too. I pay $1,200 in rent and about $400 in childcare, plus I have high utility bills since we're in an older apartment with no insulation. My caseworker never asked about most of these expenses when I first applied last year. Has anyone had success getting their benefits recalculated after providing missing deduction information? I'm nervous about calling because every time I've tried to reach my worker it takes hours on hold, but it sounds like it could be worth hundreds of dollars per month if they're missing my expenses.

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm a single parent with one child and my CalFresh benefits went from $535 to $194 after the emergency allotments ended. I had no idea what was happening and thought there was an error in my case. Reading everyone's experiences, I'm realizing the emergency allotments were essentially giving everyone the maximum benefit regardless of income during COVID, and now we're back to the regular income-based calculation. That explains the huge drop! I'm definitely going to call my caseworker to verify my deductions. I pay $875 in rent and $250 for after-school care, but I don't think they have the childcare amount in my file. Based on what others have shared here, it sounds like missing deductions could be costing me $50-100+ per month in benefits. Thank you to everyone who explained the difference between emergency allotments and maximum benefits - the terminology was so confusing! And thanks for the tips about checking deductions. It's reassuring to know this benefit reduction happened to everyone, not just my case specifically.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions in this thread! As someone new to navigating CalFresh, I was completely panicking when I couldn't log into BenefitsCal yesterday for my initial application follow-up. Reading through all your comments made me realize this was a system-wide issue and not me doing something wrong. I tried the incognito browser tip and the mobile app suggestion, and while it's still slow, I was finally able to check my application status this morning. It's honestly overwhelming how complicated these systems can be when you're already stressed about food security, but seeing how this community supports each other with practical tips and reassurance gives me hope. I'll definitely bookmark that status page @Sadie Benitez mentioned and keep all the alternative submission methods in mind for future deadlines. Thank you all for making this process a little less scary for newcomers like me!

This has been such a helpful thread! I've been dealing with the same login issues since Wednesday and was getting really anxious about my upcoming recertification deadline. It's such a relief to know this is a widespread system problem and not something I messed up on my end. I tried the incognito browser trick mentioned by @Abigail Patel and it worked much better than my regular browser - still painfully slow but at least functional. Also really appreciate @Sean Flanagan sharing the alternative submission methods and @Sadie Benitez finding that official status page. It's frustrating that we have to become tech support experts just to access our benefits, but I'm grateful for this community sharing workarounds and keeping each other informed. Definitely going to keep that dedicated technical support phone number handy for future issues!

So glad you were able to get your card deactivated and a new one issued right away! That's exactly the right first step. Just wanted to add that while you're waiting for the CF 303 to be processed, you might also want to document everything - like take photos of your transaction history showing the fraudulent charges, keep copies of all forms you submit, and write down the names of any workers you speak with and when. This creates a paper trail that can really help speed things up if there are any issues with your claim. Also, some counties have special emergency food vouchers they can issue while fraud claims are being processed, so it's worth asking about that too. Hoping you get your benefits restored quickly!

I'm so sorry this happened to you - EBT card theft is unfortunately becoming way too common and it's especially stressful when you have kids to feed. I went through something similar last year and wanted to share a few additional tips that helped me: First, when you call to check on your CF 303 status, ask them to email you confirmation of when they received your form and what the expected processing timeline is - this gives you something in writing to reference. Second, if you haven't already, consider signing up for text alerts for your EBT balance so you'll know immediately if there are any suspicious transactions in the future. And finally, while you're waiting for the benefits to be restored, don't forget that many food banks don't require any paperwork or long waits - you can usually just show up and get emergency food assistance the same day. Wishing you the best and hoping your benefits get restored quickly!

As someone who's been helping folks navigate CalFresh for a while, I just want to say you're asking all the right questions! Don't feel silly about not knowing this stuff - the system really isn't intuitive for newcomers. One thing I didn't see mentioned yet: if you ever have issues with your card being declined even though you think you have benefits, sometimes there's a 24-48 hour delay between when benefits are "issued" and when they're actually available to spend. This is rare but can happen, especially around holidays or weekends. Also, make sure you're using your card at authorized retailers - not all stores accept EBT, and some that do only accept it for certain items. The fact that you're being proactive about learning how to check your balance and budget carefully shows you're going to do great with managing your benefits! Welcome to the CalFresh community.

Just wanted to add something that helped me a lot when I first started with CalFresh - you can actually text your EBT card number to 511-227 to get your balance sent back as a text message! It's super quick and you don't need internet or an app. Just text your 16-digit card number and you'll get your current balance and last transaction info within a few seconds. Really handy when you're out shopping and want a quick balance check without having to ask the cashier or find a machine to check it on. This feature isn't widely advertised but it's been a lifesaver for me!