UPDATE: My benefits came through at 12:10am!! Just got back from the grocery store with ACTUAL FOOD! Thanks everyone for the help. For anyone else wondering, at least in my county (Alameda), they definitely hit around midnight of your assigned day and there's no "lock" - I was able to use them immediately!

So glad you got your benefits and could get some real food! Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this - if you're ever in a similar situation waiting for benefits, most food banks don't require any paperwork and can help immediately. The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has locations throughout the Bay Area, and many churches have weekend food pantries too. Also, if you download the "Too Good To Go" app, some grocery stores sell discounted food that's near expiration for really cheap. It's helped me stretch my budget between benefit deposits before!

Following up on your progress - were you able to submit the theft claim through BenefitsCal or get through to someone on the phone? If you're still having trouble, I'd recommend documenting everything (screenshots, dates/times of calls, names of anyone you speak with). Also, there's a misconception I want to clear up: California law now requires counties to replace cash benefits stolen through electronic theft (like skimming or hacking) once every six months up to the full amount. This is different from food benefits, which have different replacement rules. Don't let anyone at the county tell you that cash benefits can't be replaced - that policy changed with AB 1880 and was further expanded in 2024.

That's such great news! I'm so glad you were able to get through and get at least partial emergency replacement. 60% is better than nothing while you wait for the full investigation. For anyone else reading this thread dealing with similar issues, this shows that persistence really does pay off. The key takeaways seem to be: - Keep calling until you get through to your actual county office (not just the general EBT line) - Ask specifically about emergency/expedited replacement due to hardship - Document everything and take screenshots of fraudulent transactions - Don't give up even if the first person you talk to isn't helpful Hope you get the remaining 40% back quickly! This whole situation is so stressful but you handled it really well.

lol they never mail those things i swear. i got approved back in may & had to physically go to the office 3 times before someone gave me my card!!! the system is broken af

I feel your pain! I went through the exact same thing last year and it took forever to resolve. Here's what finally worked for me: I called the EBT customer service line (1-877-328-9677) instead of the county office. They were able to see that my cards had been "returned to sender" multiple times due to an address issue I didn't even know about. They expedited a new card with corrected info and I had it in 3 days. Also, if you have a trusted friend or family member, you might be able to have the card sent to their address temporarily - just make sure to update your address properly in the system first. Don't give up, that $1,875 is rightfully yours!

Just a final update - my benefits were loaded this morning! Full amount plus the retroactive payment for the missed month. And I set up text alerts for ANY new notices in my BenefitsCal account. Thanks again everyone for your help when I was in crisis mode.

So happy to hear you got your benefits restored! This thread is super helpful - I'm bookmarking it in case I ever run into this issue. The Claimyr service sounds like a game changer for actually getting through to someone who can help. I had no idea about setting up text alerts in BenefitsCal either, definitely going to check my notification settings now. Thanks for sharing your experience and keeping us updated!

Thanks everyone for the help! Mystery solved - turns out my benefits DO come on the 7th of each month since my case number ends in 7. I checked my EBT account and the money was already there, I just didn't notice. Feeling silly but relieved. Will mark the 7th on my calendar from now on!

Glad you got it figured out! This is such a common confusion and honestly the state should do a better job explaining this upfront. Pro tip: if you ever need to budget around your CalFresh benefits, knowing that the 7th is your day makes meal planning so much easier. You can also set up text alerts through the EBT app to get notified when your benefits are loaded each month. That way you don't have to remember to check manually!