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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!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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!
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!
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!
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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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!
Amara Okafor
Just following up - were you able to get emergency benefits issued? If they're still giving you the runaround, specifically ask for an "Immediate Need" issuance while your theft claim is being processed. This is a separate process from the reimbursement claim. You're entitled to expedited benefits in emergency situations like this. If the regular county line isn't helpful, try calling the main CalFresh customer service line at 1-877-847-3663 (1-877-FOOD). Make sure to document the time and date of every call, who you spoke with, and what they told you.
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GalaxyGlider
•UPDATE: I went back today and specifically asked for the "Immediate Need" issuance as you suggested. Completely different experience! The supervisor I spoke with processed an emergency benefit replacement for 60% of my stolen amount that should be on my new card within 3 days. She also expedited my theft claim and said the remaining amount should be restored within 10 business days. Thank you all so much for the advice - I would have been completely lost without your guidance!
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Nia Davis
I'm so glad you got the emergency benefits sorted out! This is exactly why we need to share this information - too many county workers don't mention the "Immediate Need" option or emergency replacement benefits. For anyone else reading this thread who might face EBT theft, save this post! The key phrases are "Immediate Need issuance" and "emergency replacement benefits" - these are separate from your regular theft claim reimbursement. Don't let them tell you to just wait weeks with no food assistance. You're entitled to help while your case is being processed. Really happy this worked out for you and your family!
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Nia Williams
•This is such valuable information! I'm new to this community but I can see how much you all help each other through these terrible situations. I'm bookmarking this entire thread - hopefully I'll never need it, but it's good to know what to ask for if EBT theft ever happens to me or my family. The fact that county workers don't automatically mention these emergency options is really concerning. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and helping GalaxyGlider get through this crisis!
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