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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!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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This is a common concern but nothing to worry about. Here's how the CalFresh EBT system works: 1. Your benefits are automatically loaded based on your case number's last digit (determines your issuance date) 2. PIN changes only affect how you access those funds, not the issuance 3. The security breach notification was important to address, so you did the right thing changing your PIN Your benefits should load on schedule tomorrow. If for any reason they don't, it would be unrelated to your PIN change. You can always check your balance and transaction history at www.ebt.ca.gov or through the ConnectEBT mobile app.
Is the ConnectEBT app reliable now? I tried using it last year and it kept crashing on my phone.
The app was updated in early 2025 and has improved significantly. They fixed most of the crashing issues and added the ability to change your PIN directly in the app. Some users still report occasional connection problems, but overall it's much more stable than the previous version.
Wait, there was a security breach?? I didnt get any notice about this! Should I change my PIN too? How do I know if I was affected? Now I'm worried...
Security notices are typically specific to certain counties or groups of cardholders. If you didn't receive a notice, your account may not have been part of the affected group. However, it's always good practice to change your PIN periodically. You can call the number on the back of your EBT card and follow the automated system to change it at any time.
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Catholic Charities has emergency food assistance and they're usually open until 6pm. They don't ask about your religion or anything. Also check with Shepherd's Pantry in Glendora, they're open Thursday evenings until 7:30pm. Just wondering tho... if ur getting CalFresh on Saturday why don't u have food now? Did they reduce ur benefits or something? My caseworker told me benefits are supposed to last the whole month. Not judging! Just wondering if you should ask for an increase if it's not enough for your family size.
Thanks for the Catholic Charities suggestion! Will definitely try there. To answer your question - we normally make it through the month, but my oldest two kids had friends stay over last weekend (unexpected) and they went through our remaining food way faster than planned. Plus prices keep going up but my benefit amount stays the same. We get $1,020/month for 5 people which sounds like a lot but with four growing kids it goes really fast. I've tried asking about an increase but was told that's the maximum for our household size.
Oh yea teenagers eat SO MUCH! My nephew stays with us sometimes and omg he eats more than my whole family combined lol. That makes sense. Good luck!
Just following up - were you able to find food assistance? If you're still struggling, you could try Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena. They provide meals and I believe dinner is served around 6pm. You don't have to be homeless to access their services.
Thank you for checking back! I was able to go to Friends In Deed yesterday and got enough to get us through until Saturday. They were really nice and didn't make me feel bad about needing help. I'm going to start putting aside a small emergency food stash for the future so this doesn't happen again. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!
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idk if anyone said this yet but you should also file a police report!! my cousin had this happen and they wouldn't refund her until she brought in a police report number
This varies by county. Some counties require a police report for EBT theft claims over a certain amount (usually $400+), while others don't. It never hurts to file one though, as it creates an official record of the theft. You can usually file non-emergency police reports online now in most California cities.
UPDATE: I called the county office using that Claimyr service someone mentioned, and actually got through to a real person! They confirmed my claim is in process and should be resolved within 10 business days. The worker also referred me to two local food banks that can help with emergency food assistance while I'm waiting. One of them has a special program for families with CalFresh theft issues. Going there tomorrow morning. Still super stressed but at least we won't go hungry while waiting for the refund. Thanks everyone for your help!
thats good!! make sure u keep checking ur balance everyday tho... sometimes they don't tell u when they refund it
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The whole system is DESIGNED to confuse you so you don't get what you're entitled to!!! They train those workers to deny whatever they can and hope you don't know your rights. I went through FOUR different workers before finding one who actually knew how to apply all the deductions correctly. The first ones kept 'forgetting' to include my housing costs!!! DEMAND to speak to a supervisor if they don't help you correctly. Don't let them bully you!!!
idk i think most of the workers actually try to help but their just overwhelmed with so many cases. my worker actually called me last month to make sure i knew about the child care deduction cuz she noticed i had young kids and was working. not all of them r bad.
Since several people have mentioned the childcare deduction - here's how it specifically works for CalFresh: - 100% of childcare costs are deductible (no cap) - This includes afterschool care, summer programs, babysitters, daycare - You need proof of payment (receipts, canceled checks, provider statement) - The deduction is applied BEFORE calculating your net income With $1,250/month in childcare, that could realistically bring your CalFresh up from $100 to possibly $300-400 for a family of 3, depending on your total household income. Call your county office, specifically ask for an 'income recalculation with childcare expenses.' Be persistent. If you get a worker who doesn't seem knowledgeable, politely ask to speak with a senior eligibility worker who can review these calculations.
Thank you so much for this specific information. I definitely have all the receipts since we pay through an app that tracks everything. I'm going to call first thing tomorrow morning and ask specifically for an income recalculation with childcare expenses as you suggested. I'm feeling much more hopeful now that we might be able to get a more reasonable benefit amount.
Romeo Barrett
With that specific information, I can now provide a more informed response. If you're seeing two separate CalFresh deposits of different amounts, here are the most likely explanations: 1. Supplemental benefits for a specific county program (some counties have additional food assistance) 2. Correction for previous underpayments being distributed monthly 3. Split issuance due to a case specific situation 4. You may have two separate CalFresh cases (rare but possible if household members were split and later rejoined) You absolutely need to contact your county office for clarification. If this second payment isn't permanent, you need to know before it stops. When you file your next SAR7 or recertification, this might trigger a review that could end the second payment if it's not supposed to be continuing.
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Haley Stokes
•Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. I've been so stressed about this all day. I'm going to try that Claimyr service tomorrow to get through to my worker because my SAR7 is due next month and I don't want anything to mess up my benefits. I'll update here when I find out what's going on!
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Issac Nightingale
dont freak out too much, i bet its just back benefits they owe u for something... my friend got extra payments for like 6 months cuz they miscalculated her childcare deduction and had to pay her back slowly... just make sure when u talk to ur worker u ask how long it will last so u can budget!!
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