I'm curious how someone could steal from your EBT card if you still have it? Was your card skimmed maybe? There's been a lot of reports about skimming devices being placed on ATMs and card readers. Thieves can copy your card information and PIN that way. Make sure when you get your new card, you always check the card reader for anything suspicious before inserting your card.

UPDATE: As of March 2025, California has enhanced protection for EBT theft victims. Under the new rules, counties must process theft claims within 10 calendar days (not business days), and replacement benefits should be issued within 5 days of approval. You're entitled to get back any benefits stolen within the 90 days prior to your report. The county should issue emergency replacement benefits if the theft causes immediate food insecurity. Make sure to specifically mention food insecurity for your children when filing your claim.

weird that it was chicago. when my moms got hacked last year it was from florida. maybe they target california ebt cards specifically??

UPDATE: Just got back from the welfare office. Took 3 hours but they helped me file the EBT-2259 form and said they'll expedite the investigation. They also gave me a referral to a local food bank to help us get through until the benefits are restored. Apparently this is happening A LOT right now - the worker said they're getting dozens of similar reports every week. They think scammers are using card skimmers at stores to steal card info and PINs. Everyone BE CAREFUL with your EBT cards!!

UPDATE FOR EVERYONE: The California Department of Social Services just announced new expedited procedures for EBT theft as of March 2025. They now have a 3-day emergency replacement process when children or disabled household members are involved. The replacement is temporary pending investigation, but it helps bridge the gap. You MUST file both the police report and EBT-2259 form to qualify.\n\nOP, make sure to specifically mention this new policy when you speak with your county worker. Many workers may not have been trained on it yet. The policy memo number is ACL 25-32 if they need to look it up in their system.

I cannot thank you enough for this information!!!! I finally got through using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above, and when I referenced the policy memo number, the worker actually put me on hold to look it up. When she came back she confirmed I qualify for emergency replacement! They're processing it today and said funds should be available within 48 hours. I'm going to show my landlord the case number and hopefully that buys me enough time. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

my sister works for the county and she told me they were doing updates to the calfresh system this week so maybe thats why none of us can see pending benefits this month lol but don worry it should still come

UPDATE: My benefits just appeared as pending this morning (Dec 31)! Looks like it was just delayed by a few days. Thanks everyone for the helpful responses and calming my nerves. Hopefully this helps anyone else experiencing the same issue.

This happened to me back in June!!! I had to go to a food bank for the weekend. Which was humiliating because I already get CalFresh but the volunteers were nice. The most frustrating part is that when benefits finally came back Tuesday, they acted like it was no big deal. Like we're just supposed to magically find food for 4 days with no warning???

Quick update for everyone in this thread - I just got a text alert from the CalFresh office stating benefits delayed by the system outage will be deposited by Monday 9am, even though offices are closed for Labor Day. They're prioritizing getting benefits loaded before resolving other systems issues. Hope this helps ease some stress for the weekend.