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Moving from TN to CA - Will CalFresh do a home inspection of my food storage?
I recently moved to California from Tennessee and just applied for CalFresh after canceling my SNAP benefits in TN. I'm currently staying with my godmother while I get settled. When I told her I applied, she completely freaked out! She says years ago when her daughter applied for food stamps, someone from the state came to their house and inspected their kitchen and food storage areas. My godmother is now paranoid they'll show up wanting to see what food we have in the house. I've never experienced anything like this in Tennessee and told her I think she's overreacting, but now I'm second-guessing myself. Does CalFresh actually do home visits to check your food? Would they come inspect my godmother's kitchen even though she's not on my case? I'm stressing because she's threatening to withdraw her offer to let me stay if it means government inspectors coming around.
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CalFresh benefits not deposited after recertification approval - can't reach worker for weeks!
Hey everyone, I'm in such a bind right now. I completed my CalFresh recertification back on January 20th, 2025 (well before the deadline). According to my BenefitsCal account, everything was approved, but I still haven't received my February benefits that were supposed to load on the 7th. My EBT card shows nothing! I've been desperately trying to contact my caseworker since February 8th - left 7 voicemails, called the main county line at least 4 times, and even asked to speak with a supervisor. The receptionist just keeps telling me "they have up to 15 days to process it" but we're WELL past that now! I'm currently out of state for a family emergency so I can't just go to the office in person. My kitchen is basically empty and I have a 4-year-old to feed when we get back home. Has anyone dealt with this before? Any suggestions for how to actually get someone to respond? I'm at my wits end!
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So glad you got it figured out! The system errors happen way too often. Did they say anything about giving you an extra month of benefits since they messed up so bad? sometimes they do that if you ask
No, they didn't mention anything about extra benefits as compensation. Should I call back and ask about that? I wasn't sure if that was something they even did. The stress of not knowing how I'd buy groceries when we get back home was pretty intense.
You can definitely ask about supplemental benefits for the administrative delay! It's called "restorative payments" or "replacement benefits" and they're supposed to provide them when their error causes you to miss benefits you were entitled to. Document the stress and any additional costs you incurred (like having to buy expensive convenience store food, etc). Some counties are more willing to approve these than others, but it's worth asking since this was clearly their system error, not anything you did wrong.
Multiple P-EBT cards for same child - CalFresh Summer EBT mixup?
I'm confused about these Summer EBT cards that just arrived for my kids. Both my daughters (8 and 11) each received TWO separate cards with their names on them. Each card seems to have the full $120 benefit amount for summer 2025. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm hesitant to use both cards for each child since it seems like a mistake, but I also don't want to throw away benefits they're entitled to. Should I call the county office about this or is this actually how the program works now? I don't want to get hit with an overpayment issue later.
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just curious did both ur cards come in the same envelope or separate ones? my kids got theirs in different envelopes but on same day
They came in separate envelopes about 3 days apart. Each envelope had the normal card plus what seems like a duplicate. Very strange.
I had this exact same issue last month! My 7-year-old got two Summer EBT cards with $120 each. I called the P-EBT hotline (it took forever to get through) and they confirmed it was a system error. They deactivated one card and told me to destroy it. The rep said this happens when kids are in the system multiple times due to school changes or data entry errors. Definitely call - they were really helpful once I got through, and now I don't have to worry about getting hit with an overpayment later.
When are CalFresh school age P-EBT 4.0 benefits being released in 2025?
Does anyone know when the CalFresh P-EBT 4.0 benefits for school age kids are supposed to be issued this year? My kids' school is participating in the program, but I haven't heard anything about when the benefits will actually show up on our card. Last year they came in March but I'm hearing different things from other parents. Some are saying April now? My family really depends on this extra food assistance with groceries being so expensive lately. Called the county twice but got stuck in the automated system both times.
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i dont understand why they cant just put all the benifits on the same card!! i have a calfresh ebt card and a p-ebt card and now i got another card for the summer ebt program! its so confusing keepin track of all these different balances and cards!
I feel this so much! I literally have a sticky note on my fridge with which card is for what program and how much is supposed to be on each one. Would be SO much easier if they just consolidated everything.
For anyone wondering about eligibility: Your child must attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program AND must either: 1. Be approved for free/reduced meals through an application, OR 2. Attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school where all students get free meals, OR 3. Attend a Provision 2/3 school during the designated years Also, a quick note about the cards - if you got a P-EBT card for previous issuances (1.0-3.0), keep it! They'll reload the same card for 4.0. If you've lost your card, request a replacement NOW before the benefits are issued by calling the EBT Customer Service line at 877-328-9677.
Wait, if my child's school provides free lunch to ALL students (they said it's some special program), does that mean we automatically get the P-EBT without filling out any forms?
Yes, if your child's school provides free lunch to ALL students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), you should automatically qualify for P-EBT without needing to fill out a separate application! The school should have already submitted the student roster to the state for P-EBT processing. However, you might still need to make sure your contact information is up to date with the school and/or create a BenefitsCal account to receive notifications about when benefits are loaded. If you haven't received P-EBT benefits in previous years despite your school being CEP, I'd recommend calling the school office to confirm they participate in the program and have your current address on file.
CalFresh EBT amount decreased by $7 this month - why the random reduction?
Just checked my EBT balance and noticed I got $7 less this month compared to what I normally receive. No idea why this happened - I didn't report any changes in income or household size. My regular amount has been $347 for the past year, and suddenly it's down to $340 with no explanation. No notice in my BenefitsCal account either. Has anyone experienced random small decreases in their CalFresh benefits? Is this some kind of new calculation or fee I don't know about?
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Has the composition of your household changed at all? Even something like a household member turning a different age can sometimes affect the calculation. Also, did you recently receive any retroactive benefits from another program like SSI or Social Security? Sometimes that can trigger small adjustments.
No household changes and no other benefits started. Based on everyone's responses, I'm thinking it's probably one of those annual adjustment things. I'm going to check my notices section on BenefitsCal and if I don't find anything I'll contact my county worker. Really appreciate all the helpful responses!
I went through something similar a few months ago and it turned out to be related to the Maximum Allotment adjustments that happen federally. What helped me was calling my county office and asking them to walk through the benefit calculation step by step - they can see exactly what changed between your last issuance and this one. Also, if you have dependents, sometimes there are small changes to the dependent deductions that aren't always obvious. The $7 difference sounds frustrating but it's likely one of those automatic system adjustments everyone mentioned. Definitely worth getting the explanation though so you know what to expect going forward!
Ravi Kapoor
Update: Thank you all for your responses! I showed this thread to my godmother, and while she still insists "they used to do it back in the day," she's now convinced it won't happen with my application. I think I've calmed her fears enough that she's not going to kick me out, lol. My phone interview is scheduled for next week, so hopefully everything goes smoothly from here!
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Freya Larsen
Glad to hear it worked out! Good luck with your interview. Just be honest about your situation, have your verification documents ready, and you should be fine. The CalFresh workers are generally pretty helpful.
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Jacob Lee
Great to hear you got it sorted out! Your godmother probably was remembering something real from decades ago - the old welfare system was much more intrusive back then. But today's CalFresh is totally different. For your phone interview, just have your ID, proof of where you're staying (maybe a letter from your godmother), and any income documentation ready. Since you're new to California, they might ask about your move from Tennessee, but that's totally normal. The fact that you properly closed your SNAP case in TN before applying in CA shows you're doing everything right. Hope your interview goes smoothly and you get approved quickly!
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