That's a good point! If you recently reported increased expenses on your SAR7 (like higher rent, childcare costs, or medical expenses), your regular benefit amount could increase. This isn't a special supplement though - it's just a recalculation of your regular benefits based on your updated expenses. Always make sure to report any increases in your household expenses on your SAR7 or at recertification, as these can help qualify you for higher benefit amounts.

Yes, that's exactly what's happening. Your sister applied for D-CalFresh (Disaster CalFresh), which is separate from regular CalFresh. To qualify, applicants need to: 1) live in an approved disaster area county, 2) have experienced a disaster-related expense or income loss, and 3) apply during the specific 7-day application period. It's not automatic - even if you already receive regular CalFresh benefits, you need to submit a separate D-CalFresh application. Additionally, there are different income limits for D-CalFresh compared to regular CalFresh, so some people who don't normally qualify for CalFresh might be eligible for D-CalFresh after a disaster.

Wait, what?! I haven't received anything about an SAR7 yet. I thought the SAR7 was semi-annual, not quarterly? Now I'm confused and extra worried.

The previous commenter is mixing up programs or terminology. In California, CalFresh uses a Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) system, which means the SAR7 form is due once every six months, not quarterly. What you likely have coming up is your Quarterly Report (QR) verification, which is different from the SAR7. You're correct that you haven't missed anything if you only received notice about your April appointment.

Will do! I'll check back in after the 7th and let everyone know what happened. Thanks for all the support everyone!

That's a really smart idea! I'll definitely do that. Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm sorry you had that experience. System upgrades can definitely cause temporary issues, but the 4.0 cards are being implemented to reduce fraud and protect everyone's benefits long-term. If you experience any delays this time, request expedited assistance and mention that you have children with no food. Counties are required to address emergency food needs within 24 hours.

That's not entirely true. I was able to get the permanent homeless assistance BEFORE becoming homeless. You just need the right documentation and to specifically ask for the prevention assistance. The problem is their ridiculous affordability requirements for the new place.

Thank you for all these resources! I'll start making calls to these organizations tomorrow as well. The 80% income rule does sound really tough in this rental market, but hopefully we can find something that qualifies.

Congrats on your baby! Just FYI adding a household member usually increases your benefit amount. Did you get more after they processed the change?

This is actually how CalFresh is designed to work. Benefits decrease as income increases, typically by about 30 cents for every additional dollar earned. So a $315 raise might reduce benefits by around $95. It's not meant to be unfair, just that the program provides more assistance to households with greater financial need.

not OP but my county supposedly has this callback thing but it NEVER works! i requested callback 3 times last week and never got called back once! such a broken system smh

Great to hear you got it resolved! This is a good reminder for everyone to keep copies of all verification documents you submit and follow up if you see unexpected changes to your benefits. The system isn't perfect, but persistence usually pays off.

Lucky you got a competent worker! Last time I finally got through the person had NO IDEA what they were doing and gave me completely wrong information about income reporting requirements. Had to call back and start over. EXHAUSTING.

Thats smart with the text updates! My county never tells us ANYTHING. Just have to keep checking the card balance like crazy people.

I'm pretty sure I listed her as mandatory since we definitely shop and cook together. But maybe they did use old income info... she was making a lot more at her previous job than she gets on unemployment. I'll specifically ask about that when I call tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

Yes! Finally got through yesterday. Turns out they had accidentally counted my sister's previous income FROM HER JOB along with her unemployment! So they had us at like $5,500 household income instead of $3,900. They fixed it and our benefits are going up to $780 next month, plus they're giving us back pay for this month's shortage. Tell your friend to check if they did something similar!

That's partially accurate. When law enforcement identifies a compromised card reader at a specific location, the system may flag all cards used there during the affected timeframe. It's an imperfect system, but it's actually prevented millions in fraud. The better approach would be notifying clients before cancellation, which they're working to implement.

Thanks for checking! I ended up using that mobile payment option that someone mentioned above - was able to set it up through BenefitsCal and use my benefits at Safeway yesterday with just my phone! The new physical card should arrive next week according to the customer service rep I finally reached. The whole situation is still frustrating but at least I have access to my benefits now.