this is y the system is SO BROKEN!!! calfresh should cover diapers & formula!!! how r we spsd to feed are babies??? the income limits r a joke nobody can live on what they say is "too much money" smh

Just wanted to follow up - were you able to get the supplies you needed? The Sacramento Crisis Nursery that someone mentioned is an excellent resource. Also, for future reference, you mentioned you're over the income limit for CalWORKs by just $75. If your situation changes at all or you have any additional expenses that might count as deductions, it's worth reapplying. Sometimes even small changes in circumstances can make you eligible.

To clarify some confusion I'm seeing in the comments: there is absolutely NO minimum age requirement for including children in your CalFresh household. Even a 1-day-old newborn should be counted. The confusion sometimes happens because some parents think babies don't count until they eat regular food, but CalFresh eligibility is based on household membership, not eating patterns. LA County should have specifically asked about ALL household members when you applied. When you call to add your baby, if they try to give you any difficulty about backdating the change, ask to speak with a supervisor and cite the CalFresh handbook section 63-402.1 which defines household composition.

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else in a similar situation - I'm also in LA County and had to add my daughter when she was 6 months old. The worker I spoke with was really helpful and processed the change within 2 days. My benefits went from $194 to $465 for a household of 2. One thing that helped me was having all my documents ready before I called: baby's birth certificate, proof of my income, and receipts for childcare expenses. Also, don't let them tell you that you need to wait for your next recertification - household composition changes should be processed immediately! Good luck mama, your baby definitely deserves to be counted for those benefits.

I'm in the same boat - last name starts with D and still waiting! My neighbor got hers yesterday (also D name - Davidson) so they're definitely going out now. I called the P-EBT line this morning right at 8am like someone suggested and actually got through after about 25 minutes on hold. The rep told me that cards are still being processed for D names through the end of this week, and if we don't get them by Monday to call back. She also mentioned that some people's cards got delayed because their address in the system didn't match what the school had on file. Might be worth double-checking that your address is current in your kids' school records just in case!

I'm also waiting for my D last name card! Reading through all these comments has been really helpful - I didn't know about the address matching issue or that some districts submit data faster than others. I'm going to check with my kids' school tomorrow to make sure our address is current, and I'll try calling right at 8am like Marcus suggested. It's so stressful when you're counting on these benefits and the system seems so disorganized. At least it sounds like D names are still being processed this week, so hopefully we'll all get our cards soon!

Glad you got it figured out! This is exactly why it's so important to keep track of any changes you report to your county office. The processing delays can be really frustrating - sometimes it takes months for them to update your benefits even for something as straightforward as a rent increase. For future reference, if you report changes and don't see them reflected in your benefits within 30 days, it's worth following up. The retroactive payments are nice when they finally come through, but it would be so much better if they just processed things on time in the first place!

This whole thread is so helpful! I'm new to CalFresh and honestly had no idea about all these different reasons why benefit amounts can change. I was getting stressed thinking I might be getting "extra" money by mistake and would have to pay it back later. It's reassuring to know that retroactive adjustments for things like rent increases are totally normal. I'm definitely going to set up my BenefitsCal online account so I can track my notices better. Thanks everyone for explaining how this all works!

make sure u call early in the morning when they open! thats the only time u can get thru without waiting for hours

Just wanted to add that you can also check your benefit details online through your BenefitsCal account or the ebtEDGE app. It should show your monthly benefit amount and any back payments separately, which might help you understand the $1790 before you call tomorrow. Also, even though the card has your son's name on it, you as the parent/guardian can still use it legally to purchase food for your household. But definitely get it corrected for future reference!