We haven't gotten ANY letter yet... starting to worry again 😕

Don't worry too much about not getting a letter yet! I'm in the same boat - last name starts with S and I have 2 kids (ages 9 and 11) who qualify for free lunch. No letter or benefits yet but based on what everyone's saying about the N-Z group being this week, we should hopefully see something soon. I called my kids' school yesterday and they confirmed both my children are still listed as eligible for free meals in their system, so at least I know we should be getting it. The waiting is definitely stressful though, especially when you see other families already getting theirs!

UPDATE: My benefits just loaded this morning right on schedule! The pending deposit never did show up in the app, but everything is working fine now. Thanks everyone for helping calm me down!

This is such a relief to read! I'm a new CalFresh recipient in Orange County and was having the exact same panic when my pending deposit didn't show up yesterday. I'm still learning how all this works and thought maybe I did something wrong with my paperwork. It's frustrating that the app is so unreliable - when you're depending on these benefits to feed your family, every little glitch feels like a crisis. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, it really helps newcomers like me understand that these technical issues are normal (even if they shouldn't be!).

So glad everything worked out for you! This is such a common confusion - the SAR7 form can make it seem like you need to report every little thing when really they only want major changes. I made a similar mistake my first year on CalFresh by reporting a $25 gift card my mom gave me for my birthday 🤦‍♀️ Your experience is actually really helpful for other people who might be overthinking their reporting requirements. And thanks for sharing how Claimyr worked for you - I've been seeing more people mention it lately as a way to actually reach county workers when the phone lines are impossible.

This is such a perfect example of how confusing the CalFresh system can be for people trying to do the right thing! I'm a newcomer here but I've been on CalFresh for about 6 months and I made similar mistakes early on - I reported my library card renewal and even a free bus pass I got through a community program because I thought "changes in resources" meant literally ANY change. What I've learned is that they really only care about things that affect your financial situation in a meaningful way. Discounts, memberships, and small perks are not what they're looking for. It's great that you got it sorted out and your benefits are back on track! Also really helpful to know about Claimyr - I've been struggling to reach my worker too and didn't know this service existed. Definitely bookmarking that for future reference. Thanks for sharing your experience and the resolution!

Also make sure your income is under the IRT (Income Reporting Threshold) or they'll cut you off! For a household of 3 in 2025 it's around $3,700 I think. Did you make more than your IRT in any month?

I'm a newcomer here but dealing with something similar! I'm self-employed doing home tutoring and my recertification has been pending for almost a month now. Reading through all these responses is really helpful - I didn't know about the 30-day processing timeframe or that I could request expedited services if my benefits expire. I've been panicking thinking I'd have to start over. Going to try sending a message through BenefitsCal today and document everything like Anastasia suggested. It's reassuring to know this delay is somewhat normal for self-employment cases, even though it's stressful when you have kids depending on these benefits.

Just an update on my situation - I finally got through this morning by calling right at 8am. Waited 25 minutes but finally talked to someone. Turns out they implemented some new verification system in January that flagged a bunch of accounts for "review" but they're behind on processing them. The worker manually pushed mine through. You should ask if yours got caught in the same verification backlog.

I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! My benefits were supposed to load on the 15th but nothing came through. I've been calling that same number for days with no luck. Reading through all these comments, it sounds like there's a widespread problem with their new verification system. I'm going to try calling at 8am tomorrow and also look into that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's frustrating but at least I know I'm not alone in this. @Emily Nguyen-Smith I hope you get your benefits sorted out soon, especially with kids to feed. This system is broken and they need to fix it ASAP.