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Just to follow up - once you report your pregnancy (after 7 months along) and after your baby is born, make sure to update your CalFresh case. For a household of 3 in 2025, the maximum CalFresh benefit is around $770/month instead of $425. Also, since housing costs affect CalFresh benefits, if your rent does increase, report that too! Higher rent can sometimes qualify you for higher CalFresh benefits because it reduces your "net income" in their calculations. This is called the "excess shelter deduction.
Wow, that would be almost double what I get now! I had no idea the rent increase might actually help with getting more food benefits. This gives me hope that we might be able to make things work. Thank you so much for all this information!
I was in a similar situation last year and ended up applying for everything at once through BenefitsCal.com - you can apply for CalFresh, CalWORKs, and Medi-Cal all in the same application. Made things way easier than doing separate applications. The CalWORKs Housing Support Program ended up being what saved us from eviction.
That's really encouraging to hear! I'm going to apply through BenefitsCal tonight. Can I ask how long it took to get approved for the Housing Support Program after you applied for CalWORKs? I'm hoping they can help before my rent increase kicks in next month.
@Ella Harper It took about 3-4 weeks from when I submitted my CalWORKs application to when they approved me for the Housing Support Program. But here s'the key - I had to specifically ASK about it during my eligibility interview! The worker didn t'mention it automatically. Once I asked, they fast-tracked the housing assistance part because I was facing eviction. Make sure to mention your urgent situation pregnant (+ rent increase + toddler when) you apply - they have emergency procedures for cases like yours.
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UPDATE: My benefits are back! Logged into the app this morning and everything is showing correctly now. For anyone else with this issue, looks like it was just a temporary glitch with the app display. Thanks everyone for your help!
Great news! Thanks for updating us. This confirms it was indeed related to the system maintenance they've been doing. Glad it resolved quickly for you!
mine too!! everything back to normal 👍
So glad to see this got resolved! This is actually pretty common during WIC system updates - I've seen this happen in Orange County too. For future reference, the CA WIC program usually posts updates about planned maintenance on their main website (mywic.ca.gov), so you can check there if you see weird app behavior. Also worth noting that even when the app shows zero, your physical WIC card should still work at authorized stores during these glitches. The card connects to a different part of the system than the mobile app display.
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This is so frustrating! I'm also new to CalFresh and had the exact same panic when I couldn't log in earlier tonight. I thought maybe I missed some paperwork or deadline since I just got approved last week. Thank goodness for this thread - now I know this is a regular occurrence and not something wrong with my case. I was planning to do my first big grocery trip with my benefits tomorrow so I really needed to check my balance. Going to save that customer service number from the back of my card in my phone for next time this happens. Really wish they would give us some kind of heads up about maintenance windows!
Welcome to CalFresh! I totally get that panic - I had the same reaction when I first started using the benefits and couldn't access the system. It's really common for the EBT website and app to go down during high-traffic times, especially around the 1st and 15th when most people's benefits get loaded. Don't worry, your benefits are still there even when you can't see them online! For your first grocery trip, you can always ask the cashier to check your balance when you swipe your card, or call that customer service number before you go shopping. Hope your first shopping experience goes smoothly tomorrow!
I'm pretty new to this community but wanted to chime in since I had the same exact experience tonight! I was trying to check my balance before heading to the store tomorrow morning and kept getting error messages. Reading through all these comments has been super helpful - I had no idea this was such a regular thing. It's reassuring to know it's just system maintenance and not an issue with my benefits. I'll definitely be saving that customer service number and taking screenshots of my balance like some of you suggested. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips!
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Same thing happened to me! Got an extra $160 loaded today and was so confused. Really glad @Emma Taylor called to confirm it's legit - I was about to drive to the county office myself but those wait times are brutal. This extra money is going to help so much with groceries this month, especially with how expensive everything has gotten lately. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, makes me feel way less anxious about using the funds!
I'm so glad I found this thread! I just noticed an extra $205 on my EBT card this morning and was completely panicked that it was some kind of system error. Reading everyone's experiences and especially the detailed explanation from @Oliver Fischer about the CFAP program has been such a huge relief. I was literally about to not buy groceries today because I was scared to touch that money! This community is incredible - thank you all for sharing your stories and helping newcomers like me understand what s'happening with our benefits.
Just wanted to add my experience - I got an extra $142 this morning and was totally freaking out! Like others mentioned, I didn't get any advance notice which made it really confusing. After reading through all these comments I feel so much better knowing it's the CFAP supplement and not some system glitch. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to call their county offices and share what they learned. This extra help is going to make such a difference for my family this month - grocery prices have been absolutely brutal lately. Thanks to this amazing community for always looking out for each other! 🙏
Ruby Knight
UPDATE: I checked the portal and my daughter IS approved!! Thank you all for the help. Says the card should be mailed next month. Such a relief!
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Diego Castillo
•Great news! Make sure you activate it right away when it arrives - the instructions will come with the card. And keep it even after you use all the benefits because they sometimes add more later in the year!
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Felix Grigori
That's awesome news Ruby! So glad you were able to get it sorted out. The P-EBT portal is definitely the way to go - saved me so much stress when I was trying to figure out my son's benefits last year. Once you get the card, you'll be able to use it just like a regular EBT card at grocery stores. The $48 per month really does add up and helps a lot with the grocery budget. Hope your card arrives quickly!
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TillyCombatwarrior
•This is such great news Ruby! I'm so happy you got it figured out. I'm actually new to this whole P-EBT thing - my kids just started getting free lunch this year and I had no idea about these benefits until I saw your post. Definitely going to check that portal tonight to see if we qualify. Thanks everyone for all the helpful info, especially about the website and phone number. This community is amazing!
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