try calling riiiiight when they open in the morning! thats what i did and actually got thru to a human being for once lol

Good idea! I'll try calling right at 8am tomorrow.

I had something similar happen with CalFresh last year but it was because I started a second job. They didn't charge me with fraud but I did have to pay back some benefits which they took out of my monthly amounts until it was paid off. The county worker was actually pretty nice about it and said it happens all the time. Just make sure you keep your pay stubs for verification!

Just as a follow-up note for anyone reading this thread in the future - the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) is really important to understand. California uses Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) for CalFresh, which means you normally only have to report changes twice a year on your SAR7 form. The ONLY changes you must report within 10 days during your SAR period are: 1. If your income goes above your IRT 2. If you move 3. If someone moves in/out of your household 4. If you're an ABAWD (Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents) and your work hours drop below 20 hours per week Knowing these rules can save you a lot of stress about what needs to be reported when.

i think yr neighbors lying to u... there isnt any $10 extra that i know about... CalFresh always playing games with our benefits lol

I had the EXACT same issue!!! I was so confused because my mom got the extra $10 but I didn't get anything. I spent TWO DAYS trying to get through to someone at the county office. When I finally talked to a worker, they explained that my mom gets the maximum benefit amount already (she's a household of 1 with very low income), but I don't get the maximum for my household size (I'm a household of 4). The worker said that if there's an emergency declaration in MY county, I'd actually get a bigger increase (like $200 more) to bring me up to the maximum. But since I'm in Riverside County, we don't have the emergency declaration active right now anyway. It's so confusing how CalFresh does these things without clearly explaining to everyone! They should send letters explaining who gets what and why.

did u try calling the EBT customer service number? its different from the county office. sometimes they can tell u if ur card was mailed and when

UPDATE: Finally got my EBT card today! The USPS app actually showed it was coming yesterday, so that was super helpful. For anyone else waiting for their card - it comes in a very plain white envelope that could easily be mistaken for junk mail. Thanks everyone for all your help and suggestions!

btw if ur ever super low on ur ebt before ur reload date u can call and ask for emergency benefits sometimes they give u some esp if u have kids

One more thing to note - if the 8th falls on a weekend or holiday, your benefits should still load on that day. CalFresh deposits don't get delayed like some other government payments. Just want to make sure you know that for future months!

That's great news! One more tip - when you get your new card, immediately register it on the EBT mobile app and set up text alerts for ALL transactions. That way you'll know instantly if there's any suspicious activity. Glad the county came through with the expedited replacement!

so happy 4 u!!! gonna try that special phrase next time they mess up my benefits too lol

That makes sense in theory, but in practice it's a disaster! I've been stuck in line so many times while people struggle with their EBT cards at checkout. If reducing stigma was really the goal, they could have designed it to ACTUALLY WORK like a chip. Instead they created more problems and drew more attention to EBT users who are fumbling with their cards.

i went to target yesterday and their self checkout has a sticker that says \

Just to follow up on the SAR7 issue - even if your form shows as "received" in the system, there are a few things that commonly cause processing delays: 1. Income verification didn't match what you reported 2. Changes in household composition (someone moved in/out) 3. Changes in expenses that weren't fully documented 4. System glitches where the form is received but not assigned for processing For your immediate food needs, remember you can also contact local food banks while you get this sorted out. The CalFresh issues can often be resolved with retroactive benefits once you reach someone, but that doesn't help in the short term when your family needs to eat.

Quick update - I just talked to my friend who works for the county (different department, but still). She said that right now they're especially swamped because of the mid-year review process and staffing shortages. She suggested trying to call on Thursday afternoons because that's when they're least busy in her experience. Also, did you check if your recertification period ended? Sometimes the SAR7 gets confused with the annual recertification, which is a different form (SAWS 2) and might be what's actually needed.

Just wanted to update everyone - I called the P-EBT customer service department to ask about the high call volume issues. They confirmed they're experiencing an unprecedented number of calls due to the new summer P-EBT issuance that just went out to about 400,000 households in California. They're adding additional staff to handle calls but recommend: 1. Calling between 7-8am or 6-7pm 2. Having all info ready (card number, child DOB, zip) 3. Making sure you're calling the specific P-EBT number, not the regular EBT line They also mentioned that the new card PIN setup can be done through the ConnectEBT app for P-EBT cards issued after March 2025. If you received your card recently, check if your card number starts with 5077 18XX (these newer cards can use the app for activation).

UPDATE: Success! I tried calling at 7:01am this morning and got through immediately! The whole process took less than 5 minutes once I had someone on the line. My benefits are now active and I can see them in the ConnectEBT app. For anyone still struggling, definitely try right when they open at 7am. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice!

does anyone know if they can see WHO spent the money?? like can they check cameras at the store to catch the person? its so frustrating these thieves target people who already struggling

Urgh this exact thing happened to my sister last month and they made her wait 15 days for replacement!!! Its ridiculous. Make sure you ask for emergency food vouchers while waiting. Good luck!