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Everyone has given you great advice about getting diapers, but I also wanted to mention - if you're tight on food budget because of spending so much on diapers, you might qualify for more CalFresh benefits than you're currently receiving. When they calculated your benefits, did you make sure to report all your medical expenses related to your daughter's condition? These are deductible for CalFresh purposes and can increase your benefit amount. When it's time for your next SAR7 or recertification, bring documentation of all medical expenses (including travel to medical appointments, special dietary needs, prescriptions, etc.) and make sure your eligibility worker counts them as deductions. This won't help with diapers directly but might give you more food benefits to offset some of your other costs. Also, don't forget to check with her medical specialists - sometimes they have access to foundation grants specifically for families in situations like yours.
Wow, I had NO idea we could count medical expenses for CalFresh! We're spending about $400/month on her medications and special foods that insurance doesn't fully cover, plus all the gas driving to specialists in the city (about 70 miles each way). Our recertification is actually next month so this is perfect timing. Thank you so much for this information!
my church does diaper drive every month maybe check local churches?? they might have programs
my kid's card came with wrong name on it!! they spelled his last name wrong and now i gotta go thru this whole process again smh the system is such a mess
hey did ur kids get the same amount on their cards or different? my caseworker said something about an allotment per person but i didn't really understand how they calculate it
CalFresh benefits are calculated for the entire household, then typically loaded onto the primary cardholder's EBT card. If additional household members have their own cards, they're usually all linked to the same account and share the total household benefit. The calculation is based on household size, income, and eligible deductions. Each person doesn't get a separate "allotment" - instead, the total household benefit is what matters. You can give each person access to whatever portion of the total you want by requesting separate cards, but they all draw from the same monthly benefit amount.
UPDATE: I was able to get through to my worker using that Claimyr service and you were all right - the July 23 date was my recertification deadline, not a payment date. The worker let me complete the recertification over the phone and said my benefits should continue without interruption! She also explained that the emergency allotments ended in 2023 and told me about some local food banks I can use if needed. Thank you all so much for your help!
I see this happen ALL THE TIME. The notices can be confusing. For everyone reading, here's a quick guide: - Regular benefits: Issued between 1st-10th based on case number - SAR7: Due twice a year (6-month intervals) - Recertification: Once per year - Income changes: Must report within 10 days if you go over your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) The COVID emergency allotments gave everyone the maximum benefit for their household size regardless of income, but that ended in February 2023. Many people are still adjusting to the lower benefit amounts.
thx for explaining this so clearly! i was confused about this too tbh
ok so i just got off the phone with ebt customer service and they confirmed this is real! i had to wait on hold for 55 minutes just to talk to someone. they said there are multiple fake apps out there right now and they're working with the fraud department to shut them down. stay safe everyone!!
Thank you for confirming! The county worker I spoke with seemed really worried about how many people are falling for these scam apps. She said they target people through Facebook groups and even sometimes through texts claiming to be from CalFresh.
Giovanni Colombo
I bet they messed up the semi annual report (SAR7)!!!! They ALWAYS do this!! Did you fill out a SAR7 recently? If anything is missing or unclear on that form they just SLASH your benefits without even trying to contact you first. Happened to my sister last month - they claimed she didn't report some income but she DID, they just lost the paper!!! The whole system is designed to cut people off I swear!
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Dmitry Volkov
•While frustrating, it's important to note that counties are required to attempt contact before reducing benefits for incomplete reporting. They should send a form requesting the missing information with at least 10 days to respond. If OP didn't receive such a notice, that's grounds for appealing the reduction and requesting restored benefits.
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Amara Okafor
Update: I FINALLY got through to a caseworker today! Turns out there were TWO issues - 1) They were calculating my income based on a single high-earning week where I worked overtime rather than averaging my fluctuating income, and 2) They didn't record our rent increase at all because I reported it through the online portal instead of submitting the official 'Change of Address/Rent' form (even though our address didn't change, just the rent amount). The worker said they'll recalculate everything and I should see an increase in next month's benefits. They're also investigating whether we can get supplemental benefits for this month since the error wasn't our fault. Thanks everyone for the advice - especially about requesting the detailed calculation breakdown, that was what finally got them to look deeper into our case!
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