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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does anyone know if we get less benefits if we have money in savings? i deposited my tax refund last month (about $1200) and now im worried that made my benefits go down
CalFresh doesn't count your savings or bank account balances when determining eligibility or benefit amounts in most cases. Assets/resources are not counted for most households. Your benefits are primarily calculated based on income, household size, and allowable deductions. A tax refund also doesn't count as income for CalFresh purposes. So your deposit shouldn't have affected your benefits at all.
UPDATE: I finally got through to my county office this morning! Turns out there were TWO problems: 1. They miscalculated my income based on that one week I worked extra hours (they thought that was my regular pay) 2. Somehow my utility deduction got removed during my SAR7 processing The worker fixed both issues and said I should get the correct amount (plus back benefits for this month) within 10 days. She also updated my case notes to prevent this from happening again. For anyone else with suddenly lower benefits, definitely call and speak to a real person! The worker told me several people have had similar issues this month because of changes to their processing system.
see i TOLD everyone it was a system problem!!
HA! I knew it! ALWAYS CALL AND QUESTION THESE THINGS! They make "mistakes" constantly and most people just accept the lower amounts without fighting back. GOOD FOR YOU for advocating for yourself!!!
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Just got off the phone with them! Used that Claimyr service someone suggested and got through in about 20 minutes instead of hours. Filed the claim and they said because the transactions were so obviously fraudulent (NY while I'm in CA), I should hear back within 10-15 business days. Fingers crossed! Also filled out the police report online and got a confirmation number to add to my claim.
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I heard from my cousin in sacramento that they're gunna do somthing for the summer months only bc of kids being home from school needing more food. not sure if its true tho
That's likely referring to the Summer EBT program, which is different from emergency allotments. Summer EBT provides additional benefits for families with school-aged children who would normally receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year. It's a federal program that California does participate in. The benefit is typically $120 per eligible child for the summer period, loaded onto either your existing EBT card or a separate card.
UPDATE: I finally got through to a CalFresh worker this morning (after trying different times of day). They confirmed there are NO plans for emergency allotments in California for 2025. However, the worker was very helpful about the Medical Nutrition Deduction! She sent me the CF 31 form and explained exactly what documentation I need. Apparently, I can claim the price difference between regular foods and gluten-free alternatives as a medical expense. She did say I need to track these expenses for at least a month before submitting the form. Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions!
That's great news about the Medical Nutrition Deduction! One additional tip: create a simple spreadsheet showing the regular product price vs. gluten-free price for each item. This makes it much easier for the worker to quickly verify and approve the deduction amounts. And take photos of price tags in stores when possible - these can serve as additional evidence of the price differentials.
So glad you got through! When you track those expenses, don't forget to include EVERYTHING - gluten-free bread, pasta, flour, crackers, cereals, etc. It all adds up! And definitely save all receipts and take pictures like the other person suggested.
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I used that Claimyr service that someone mentioned above after spending days trying to get through. It actually worked! Got connected to a real person in about 20 minutes who set up the PIN for both my kids' cards. Worth checking out if you're desperate like I was.
Oh that's good to know it actually worked for someone! I'm going to try the website first but if that doesn't work I'll probably try Claimyr. These benefits are just sitting there unusable right now.
Just an update for everyone struggling with P-EBT PIN issues - the Department of Social Services just posted that they're aware of the system problems and are working to increase capacity. They recommend trying during off-peak hours (before 8am or after 7pm) and say the online portal at ca.p-ebt.us should be working more consistently than the phone line. They've also extended the activation period by 60 days, so cards won't be deactivated if you can't set up the PIN right away. Hope this helps reduce some stress for parents trying to access these benefits.
Thank you SO much for sharing this update! That's a huge relief to know they extended the activation period. I'll try the website and off-peak hours as suggested.
Seraphina Delan
I went through the EXACT same confusion! Called the P-EBT number 17 TIMES over three days!!! Finally got someone who told me they're only loading quarterly but couldn't even tell me WHEN the next quarter payment would be! The whole system is designed to make it impossible to get help. And the website is completely useless - just shows balance but nothing about future payments or if you're even still eligible. Why can't they just send a simple letter explaining when payments will come???
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Anna Kerber
•right?? its like they dont want us to know on purpose
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Seraphina Delan
•EXACTLY!!! And when you call the main EBT number they say "we don't handle P-EBT" and transfer you to another line that never answers! It's a giant runaround!
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Niko Ramsey
Just to clarify one additional point that might be causing confusion - P-EBT 3.0 is separate from CalFresh, even though both use EBT cards. If you receive regular CalFresh benefits, those will continue to be deposited monthly according to your regular schedule. The P-EBT benefits for school children are on the quarterly schedule I mentioned earlier. If you're having trouble reaching someone, you might try contacting your local school district's nutrition services department rather than the state P-EBT hotline. They often have more direct information about which students are enrolled in the program.
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Roger Romero
•That might be where the confusion is coming from! Some of the parents might be talking about their regular CalFresh when they mentioned February deposits. We don't get regular CalFresh, just the P-EBT for the kids, so we're on that quarterly schedule. Thanks for helping clear this up!
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