Can't reach California CalFresh? Claimyr connects you to a live DSS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the DSS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the DSS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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its annoying but the EBT rules r super strict!! my neighbor got her benefits cut for 6 months for letting her mom use her card!! they check the times and locations of purchases and if they see its impossible for u to be shopping (like if ur at work) they investigate!! not worth the risk!!
seriously?? how do they even know where ur supposed to be? thats creepy af that they track u like that
They don't actively track your location, but if there's ever an investigation, they can look at purchasing patterns and times. If there's evidence suggesting the cardholder couldn't have been making the purchases (like being at a documented work shift during purchase times), that can trigger fraud concerns. It's not about tracking - it's about protecting the integrity of the program.
Thanks everyone for the helpful info! I talked to my son last night and it turns out he only gets CalFresh (food benefits) not cash aid. He didn't realize I wasn't supposed to use his card even for buying food for his kids. We're going to fill out that form to make me an authorized representative this weekend. Really appreciate all the advice and saving us from potential trouble!
That's great news! Just a quick tip - when he adds you as an authorized representative, you'll still use his EBT card and PIN, but now it will be legally documented that you have permission to shop for his household. Make sure to keep all receipts too, just as a good practice.
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did they ask for exakt $ amount of food u lost? my friend in stockton had a fridge die and they made her list everything item by item and it was a huge pain
They asked for an approximate total but didn't make me list every item. I showed them my receipt from FoodMaxx which had most of the groceries on it ($356) and then estimated another $70 for the stuff I had leftover from previous shopping trips. They seemed fine with that approach.
Glad to hear you got help! For anyone else reading this in the future who's dealing with a similar situation - the most important things to remember are: 1. Report within 10 days of the food loss 2. Get that CF 303 form filled out completely 3. Provide as much documentation as possible 4. If it's a widespread disaster, check if D-CalFresh has been activated And if you're having trouble getting through on the phone, services like Claimyr can help you reach a live person instead of waiting on hold for hours. That 10-day window is critical and can't be missed!
EXACTLY!! And remember the county WILL try to deny you if they can find any reason! I always tell people to submit everything IN WRITING too so they can't claim they "never received your call" - which happened to me before. The system is RIGGED against us!!
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my sister works for the county and she said theres NO extra calfresh in april!!! dont wait for money thats not coming!! if u need food help try calling 211 they can tell u where food banks are in ur area
To clarify for everyone in this thread: The CalFresh program in California for 2025 includes: 1. Regular monthly benefits (issued 1st-10th based on case number) 2. Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR7 every 6 months) 3. Annual Recertification (complete SAWS2 form) There are NO scheduled supplemental or extra payments in April 2025. Any additional amounts received are typically case-specific adjustments. If you believe you should be receiving different benefit amounts, you should: - Check your most recent Notice of Action letter - Review your account on BenefitsCal.com - Contact your county worker with specific questions Misunderstandings about "extra" payments are common, especially since the pandemic emergency allotments ended years ago.
ok but when do they review our benefits for inflation?? everything costs way more now than last year!!!
CalFresh benefit amounts are adjusted for inflation every October 1st based on the USDA's Thrifty Food Plan calculations. This happens automatically - you don't need to do anything. The last adjustment was October 1, 2024, so the next one will be October 1, 2025.
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Update us on what happens! I've been through this before and eventually got my benefits replaced, but it took persistence. Remember to stay calm when talking to workers (even though it's SUPER frustrating) because they're more likely to help if you're not yelling. Bring all your documentation with you again just in case they claim to be missing something.
I'll definitely update! Going back tomorrow morning when they open. Will try to stay calm but honestly I'm at my breaking point. Will bring every piece of paper I have related to this.
have you checked the BenefitsCal portal? sometimes they update the status there before they call you. might say if they're still waiting on something
Just checked and there's nothing there about my theft claim! Just shows my regular monthly benefit was issued on the 1st (which was then stolen). So frustrating.
Victoria Brown
I work as a benefits counselor (not for the county), and I'm seeing this issue CONSTANTLY in 2025. The reality is that county offices lost a lot of staff after COVID and never fully recovered. That said, you still have rights. Here's what you should do: 1. Request expedited service if your household income is very low compared to your rent/utilities (sounds like you qualify) 2. Call the county AND submit a message through BenefitsCal specifying that you're facing a food emergency 3. If no response in 2 business days, contact your county Board of Supervisors office 4. You can also file a formal Civil Rights complaint if you believe the delay is discriminatory in any way Remember that when your benefits are eventually approved, they should be backdated to your application date. Make sure they don't just start from the approval date.
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KaiEsmeralda
•Thank you for this detailed response. I did check my BenefitsCal account again, and I see my application status is still listed as 'Pending' with no other details. I'll follow your steps starting tomorrow morning. And yes, I'll make sure they backdate the benefits to when I applied - that would make a huge difference for us.
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Laura Lopez
Quick update? Did you get anywhere with this? I'm curious because I'm having the exact same issue but with Alameda County and wondering if any of these strategies actually worked for you.
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KaiEsmeralda
•YES! Finally got it resolved yesterday! I used the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above to get through to a real person, and then I specifically mentioned I needed 'expedited service' and was experiencing a 'food emergency' (using those exact terms). The worker pulled up my case right away and discovered it had actually been assigned to someone who went on medical leave! They reassigned it on the spot and processed my approval within an hour. Benefits should be on my EBT card by tomorrow. They're also backdating it to my application date like they're supposed to.
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