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Has anyone actually received one of these supplements before? I always hear about these extra benefits but then nothing ever shows up on my card lol
Thank you everyone for all the information! I finally got through to someone at the county this morning. For San Bernardino County, they said our household will receive approximately $190 as a one-time supplement in August. It will be deposited on the same day as our regular benefits. For anyone else looking for this info, I had to specifically ask for the "August supplemental payment chart" and the worker was able to look it up. They don't have this information posted publicly apparently, but they do have internal charts that show the amounts based on household size and current benefit level.
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.
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.
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.
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.
i had the same thing last month but on the 5th (my day is the 4th). i just waited and it showed up the next day. no explanation or anything but at least it came. i think their system is just slow sometimes.
UPDATE: My benefits just loaded this morning! Looks like it was just delayed due to the system update AND the pending verification documents. I uploaded my pay stubs on BenefitsCal and also used that Claimyr service to actually talk to someone at the county office. They confirmed everything was fine with my case and the delay was just processing related. Thanks everyone for your help!!!
I was confused about this too and finally found some information in the FAQs section of the California CDSS website. According to their updates, the P-EBT for children under 6 years old follows a different issuance schedule than school-aged children. They're planning to distribute benefits to under-6 children in batches throughout March and April 2025. If your child received P-EBT benefits before, they should use the same card. If this is your first time, you'll get a new P-EBT card in the mail. The benefit amount will be $46 per eligible month for most children, though it varies based on school closure data in your area. Hopefully this helps! The communication around these benefits could definitely be clearer.
Giovanni Colombo
One thing nobody's mentioned yet - since she's had her ID stolen/kept by the ex-boyfriend, she should also ask about the CalFresh Identification Verification process. They can use alternative methods to verify her identity, including:\n\n- School records (if she can contact her school)\n- Prior benefit history if she was ever on benefits with your mother\n- Birth certificate requests (the county can help with this)\n- Collateral contacts (people who can verify who she is)\n\nThe county is required to help with this process. Don't let them turn her away just because she lacks ID. And if she's having trouble getting through to anyone on the phone, definitely try the Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier - getting a real person on the phone makes all the difference with these situations.
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StarSeeker
This is excellent advice. I'd also add that she should request an emergency replacement EBT card if she previously had one that the boyfriend is keeping. DPSS can cancel the old card and issue a new one on the spot at some offices.
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