This is such a stressful situation! I had something similar happen with my regular CalFresh card last year. One thing I learned is that you should also file a report with your local police department for mail theft - having that police report number can actually help speed up the replacement process when you call EBT customer service. The police might not be able to do much about it, but at least it creates an official record. Also, if you have any security cameras or neighbors with cameras that might have caught someone taking mail from your box, mention that to the police too. Mail theft is a federal crime so they do take it seriously even if it doesn't always lead to arrests. I hope you get this sorted out quickly - it's so unfair that people steal from families who need these benefits!

I'm so sorry this happened to you! As someone new to navigating P-EBT, this is exactly the kind of situation I worry about. Reading through all these responses has been really eye-opening - I had no idea there were so many steps you could take beyond just calling the customer service line. The tip about taking a screenshot of your Informed Delivery email is brilliant, and I never would have thought to file a police report for mail theft. It's really unfortunate that this seems to be such a common problem. I'm definitely going to be extra vigilant when my family's P-EBT card is supposed to arrive. Thank you for sharing your experience and I hope you get everything sorted out quickly!

Based on everything you've shared, especially about changing from biweekly to weekly pay and the timing coinciding with your Medi-Cal update, I think we've identified some likely causes. Here's what I recommend doing: 1. Use Claimyr or keep trying to reach your caseworker 2. Ask specifically about your income calculation method in the system 3. Request they check if your payment frequency is correctly coded 4. Ask them to review any system notes from when you updated your Medi-Cal information 5. Request a written explanation of each benefit change If they can't resolve it immediately, follow the advice about requesting a state hearing. The good news is this sounds fixable, and you may be eligible for restored benefits once they correct the error.

I'm dealing with something similar but mine seems to happen around the same time each month rather than every 6 weeks. After reading through all these responses, I'm wondering if there's a widespread issue with how the system handles income calculations when people have non-standard pay schedules. @StormChaser - definitely try that Claimyr service that @Zainab Ibrahim mentioned. I've been meaning to try it myself since I can never get through either. Also, make sure to ask your caseworker to pull up your "income conversion method" in their system - that seems to be a key thing based on what @Miguel Castro said about weekly vs biweekly pay issues. One more thing - if you do get back benefits, they should include interest if the error was on their end. Don't let them shortchange you on that either!

Thank you for this clear explanation! I checked my transaction history and that's exactly what happened - my September benefits came at the end of August. I wish they would make this clearer when they do early deposits. At least now I know what to expect around holidays.

I'm new to CalFresh and this thread has been super helpful! I just want to add that if anyone else is confused about their deposits, you can also check your benefit letter or log into your county's online portal. Mine shows a calendar view of when my benefits will be deposited each month, which has been really useful for planning my grocery budget. Also, I learned that if you ever think there's an error with your deposit amount, you have to report it within 90 days or you might lose the right to get it corrected. Just thought that might be useful info for others navigating this system!

Just went through this same situation two months ago when I moved from San Diego to Sacramento! Here's what worked for me: I called the P-EBT hotline multiple times (like others mentioned, avoid Monday mornings), and when I finally got through, the rep told me something important that wasn't mentioned here yet - they can put a "temporary hold" on your card mailing if you call within 2 weeks of when your county's cards are supposed to be issued. This gives you extra time to sort out the address situation without losing the card to your old address. For LA County since you're in the November-December window, I'd call ASAP and ask about this hold option. Also, definitely set up informed delivery with USPS so you can track when government mail is coming to your address - it's been a lifesaver for knowing when benefit cards are actually being delivered.

One more thing that might help - if you're having trouble getting through to the P-EBT hotline, you can also try contacting your local county social services office directly. They often have a dedicated P-EBT coordinator who can help with address changes. In LA County, you can call 866-613-3777 and ask to speak with someone about P-EBT address updates. Sometimes the county offices have better availability than the state hotline, and they can make the same updates in the system. Also, keep a record of when you called and who you spoke with - if there are any issues later, having that documentation can really help with getting things resolved faster.