Thanks everyone for clearing this up! Sounds like my neighbor definitely got confused between the regular COLA increase and something COVID-related. I'll let her know so she doesn't keep spreading incorrect info. Even a small increase will help though - groceries have gotten so expensive this year.

Good idea to correct the misinformation. And you're right - even small increases help with today's food prices. If your circumstances have changed significantly (income decrease, new household member, higher housing costs), you can always report those changes to potentially increase your benefits beyond just the COLA adjustment.

For your immediate food needs while waiting for this to be resolved, please contact your local food bank. You can find the nearest one by texting your zip code to 898-211. Many food banks have emergency provisions specifically for situations like yours where CalFresh benefits are temporarily unavailable. Also, check if your children's school offers free meal programs that might help in the interim.

Just to follow up - once you get your new card, I strongly recommend enabling account alerts. You can set up text or email notifications for all transactions, low balance alerts, and even deposit notifications. This way you'll know immediately if there's suspicious activity in the future. You can set this up through the EBT cardholder portal or by calling customer service.

That's a relief to hear! I'm going to try Claimyr tomorrow morning. Did they charge you upfront or only if they get someone on the line? And I'll definitely re-upload clearer copies of everything. So frustrating that they couldn't just tell me that in the first place!

They charge when they connect you, not upfront. And yeah, the whole

EVERYBODY need to kno that worker lied to u!!!!! benefits CAN be replaced!!! my cosin got hers back after 6 weeks so dont let them tell u no!!!!!!

One more critical thing everyone should know: starting in March 2025, California implemented a new verification process for suspicious EBT transactions. If a transaction occurs far from your home ZIP code OR is unusually large, you should get a text message asking you to confirm it's legitimate. If you haven't set up your mobile number for these alerts, log into your BenefitsCal account and update your contact preferences immediately. Make sure to select "Fraud Alerts" in the notifications section. This won't stop all theft, but it can prevent large-scale draining of benefits if you respond quickly to deny suspicious transactions.

let us know what happens!! i always get nervous around reporting time cuz one mistake and boom no food

UPDATE: I used that Claimyr service someone recommended to reach a worker, and they confirmed my case was discontinued due to the missing SAR7. Good news though - they received the one I submitted yesterday and said they'll process it as a restoration within 3 business days! They also said they'll add a note to my file to send me text reminders for future SAR7 deadlines since I mentioned missing the notice. So relieved this is getting fixed!