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
just 2 add something else - if ur in a food desert area (not many grocery options nearby) u might get more consideration. my friend has a small market in south LA and they got approved faster cuz they were in an area with limited food options. might be worth mentioning if thats ur situation!!
I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience from when I helped my family's deli navigate this process last year. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that California specifically has some additional state-level requirements beyond the federal USDA ones. You'll also need to register with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and they have their own inspection process. They're pretty strict about food handling certifications and will want to see that your grocery section meets state food safety standards separately from your restaurant operations. Also, if you do decide to expand your grocery section to meet the 50% requirement, consider focusing on items that have good shelf life and turnover - things like pasta, rice, canned goods, and basic household staples. These tend to be easier to manage inventory-wise than fresh produce, especially when you're primarily running a pizza business. The whole process took us about 4 months from application to approval, and that was with everything going smoothly. But it has been worth it for bringing in new customers who appreciate having a local option that accepts their benefits.
Join the conversation
This is absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating. As someone new to this community, I had no idea this kind of internal fraud was happening with CalFresh benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences - the missing funds, the runaround from workers, the impact on families trying to put food on the table - it's clear this goes way beyond just one bad actor. I'm not in Fresno County myself, but this makes me want to check my own EBT transaction history just in case. Are there warning signs we should all be looking for regardless of which county we're in? Things like unexpected benefit reductions, mysterious "system errors," or workers being evasive when we ask questions about our cases? It sounds like the advice here about documenting everything and being persistent is crucial. Thank you to everyone sharing resources and legal information - this community support is exactly what people need when dealing with government agencies that don't always have our backs.
Welcome to the community, Savannah! You're absolutely right to be concerned - this could be happening in other counties too. Some red flags to watch for: unexplained drops in your monthly benefits, workers who can't clearly explain benefit calculations, getting vague answers about "system updates" or "recalculations," and especially if you notice EBT transactions at stores you've never visited. I'd recommend everyone check their transaction history monthly, not just when problems arise. It's scary how easy it was for this worker to manipulate the system for months before getting caught. The fact that so many people here had suspicions but were dismissed by workers is really telling about how these schemes can continue unchecked.
Great question about warning signs! I've been dealing with CalFresh in a different county for about 2 years now, and reading this thread makes me realize some weird things that happened to me might not have been innocent "mistakes." Like when my worker told me I had to resubmit income verification even though nothing changed, then my benefits got cut by $80 for three months before they "found" my paperwork again. At the time I just thought it was typical government incompetence, but now I'm wondering if something shadier was going on. Definitely going to pull my transaction history this week and look for anything suspicious. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's making me realize we need to be way more vigilant about monitoring our accounts instead of just trusting the system works properly.
This whole situation is absolutely disgusting. As a single parent relying on CalFresh to feed my two kids, reading about this theft makes me sick to my stomach. I'm not in Fresno County, but I'm definitely going to check my transaction history going back several months now. What really gets me is how the workers dismissed people when they reported discrepancies. "You probably just forgot you spent it"?? Are you kidding me? Those of us on food assistance know EXACTLY where every dollar goes because we have to make it stretch. We don't just "forget" spending $200+ at a grocery store. I've noticed my benefits seemed lower than expected a couple times over the past year, but like others here, I was told it was due to "system calculations" and felt too intimidated to push back. Now I'm realizing I should have been more persistent. Does anyone know if there's a way to request an audit of your case worker's activity? I want to see if the same person has been handling my renewals and recertifications, and if there are any unexplained changes to my file. This fraud case proves that having system access doesn't mean someone is trustworthy. Thank you to everyone sharing resources and legal advice here. We need to stick together and hold these agencies accountable when they fail to protect our benefits.
Join the conversation
Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I just downloaded the ConnectEBT app and got it set up successfully. Had to try twice because I didn't enter my name exactly as it appears on the card the first time (missed my middle initial). The balance is showing correctly now. I'll check out the Providers app too since it sounds like it has that farmers market feature. Really appreciate all the warnings about scam apps - definitely going to be careful!
Glad you got it working! One more tip: make sure to set up the low balance alerts in the ConnectEBT app settings. It'll send you a notification when your balance gets below whatever amount you specify, which is super helpful for budgeting.
That's a great tip, thank you! Just set it up to alert me when I get below $25.
Hey Isabella! Welcome to CalFresh! Just wanted to add that if you're planning to shop at farmers markets, you should also look into the Market Match program that Omar mentioned. Many California farmers markets will match your CalFresh spending dollar-for-dollar on fresh fruits and vegetables, so you can get double the produce for your money. You can find participating markets on the Ecology Center website or ask at your local farmers market. It's an amazing way to stretch your benefits and get really fresh, healthy food!
This is such valuable information, Aaron! I had no idea about the Market Match program. That sounds like an incredible way to get more fresh produce. I'll definitely check out the Ecology Center website you mentioned. As someone just starting with CalFresh, learning about programs like this that can help stretch my benefits is really helpful. Do you know if the match has a weekly or monthly limit, or is it per visit to the market?
Join the conversation
I've been lurking here for a while but wanted to jump in since I just went through this exact situation with my sister-in-law who moved here from Nevada a few months ago. What really worked for us was keeping it simple and transparent from the start. We charged her $425/month broken down as $275 for housing and $150 for her share of utilities, groceries, and internet. This amount gave her a good shelter deduction for CalFresh (she qualified for about $250/month in benefits) while being genuinely affordable for her once she found part-time work. For the agreement, we just typed up a one-page document that said "Monthly household contribution: $425 covering shared housing costs, utilities, internet, and household expenses." We both signed it and dated it - nothing fancy, but it satisfied CalFresh verification requirements perfectly. Tax-wise, our CPA said since we're basically just cost-sharing and not profiting, there's no rental income to report. The key was being able to show our actual housing costs exceed what she pays us. One practical tip: help her gather ALL her documents before applying - birth certificate, Social Security card, any ID she has, and bank statements. Having everything ready made her interview go super smoothly. The worker was actually really helpful once she saw we had our paperwork organized. The whole process was way less stressful than I expected! Your niece is going to do great with family support like this.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It's incredibly helpful to hear from someone who just went through this process. The $425 breakdown you used is right in line with what everyone else has suggested, and knowing that it resulted in $250/month in CalFresh benefits gives me a concrete idea of what to expect. I really like how you structured your agreement - simple but specific enough to satisfy verification requirements. It's reassuring to hear that the CalFresh worker was helpful rather than suspicious about the family arrangement. I was worried they might be skeptical, but it sounds like being organized and transparent actually makes their job easier too. The document gathering tip is super practical - I'll definitely make sure we have everything ready before she applies rather than scrambling during the interview. Having everything organized upfront seems to be a theme in all the successful stories people have shared here. Thanks for the encouragement! This community has been so helpful in breaking down what seemed like a complicated situation into manageable steps.
I'm new to this community but reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational! As someone who might face a similar situation in the future with family members, I really appreciate how everyone has shared their real experiences rather than just theoretical advice. The consensus around $400-500 monthly seems solid, and I love how several people broke down exactly what that covers (housing share, utilities, etc.). The distinction between "household expense contributions" vs "rent" for tax purposes is something I never would have thought about but makes total sense. One question I have after reading through everything - for those who've been through this process, how long did it typically take from application to actually receiving the first CalFresh benefits? I know there's the expedited 3-day option for very low income situations, but what about more typical cases where someone has found part-time work? Also, did anyone run into issues with benefit amounts changing significantly during the first review period once employment income was more established? Just trying to understand if there are any surprises to plan for down the road. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical, real-world guidance that makes all the difference when navigating these systems!
Sophie Duck
i herd they might do a P-EBT 5.0 for last school year too (2023-2024) but not sure if its true. anybody know?
0 coins
Emma Olsen
•There are rumors, but nothing official has been announced about a P-EBT 5.0 program yet. The federal authorization for the program was extended, but each state has to apply for and implement it separately. California has typically been pretty good about participating in these programs, but there's always a significant delay between the school year and when benefits are actually issued. If your children qualify for free/reduced lunch, it's worth keeping your address updated with their school district so you'd receive any future P-EBT cards if they do get approved.
0 coins
GalacticGuardian
Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble activating your P-EBT 4.0 card, you can also try activating it online at ebtedge.com rather than calling. I had the same issue with long hold times, but the website worked immediately. You'll need your card number and some basic info like your ZIP code. Also, don't worry if the card looks different from your regular EBT - the P-EBT cards often have different designs but work at all the same places. The benefits are retroactive for the 2022-2023 school year, so even though it's 2025 now, you're not missing out on anything by just receiving it!
0 coins