Can't reach California CalFresh? Claimyr connects you to a live DSS agent in minutes.
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Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the DSS
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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!
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Does anyone know if homeschooled kids qualify for any of this? My children were homeschooled during 2021-2022 and we were on CalFresh, but I haven't received anything. Not sure if I should be expecting cards or not.
Unfortunately, homeschooled children generally don't qualify for the school-aged P-EBT benefits unless they were enrolled in a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program. However, if any of your children were under 6 as of August 1, 2021, AND your household received CalFresh between August 2021-August 2022, those younger children would qualify for the under-6 benefit regardless of schooling status.
Update: Just wanted to share that I checked my son's P-EBT card balance today and there was an additional $147 added! Must be for his COVID absences in January. So it does look like they're automatically adding those funds if your school reported the absences correctly. Still nothing extra on my daughter's card, but that makes sense since she wasn't school-aged. Thanks everyone for your help understanding this complicated program!
nice!! i just checked mine and nothing extra yet. gonna call tomorrow
That's excellent news! Thanks for updating us. For everyone's information, the state is processing the COVID absence supplements in batches through July 2025, so some eligible families may not see those additional funds for several more weeks. If you don't see anything by August, that would be the time to pursue the appeals process.
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Has anyone had issues using their P-EBT cards once they got them? I finally received my kids' cards but when I tried to use one at Food Maxx yesterday, it kept getting declined even though I activated it and set the PIN. The balance tracker on the P-EBT website shows funds available but the cashier said it wasn't working... super embarrassing with a line of people behind me!
That's so stressful! I haven't received mine yet but now I'm worried about this too. Did you try calling the number on the back of the card?
Yes, I called and after 45 minutes on hold they told me sometimes it takes 24-48 hours after activation for the card to work properly at all stores. So I'm going to try again tomorrow. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up so you don't end up in the same embarrassing situation!
Just a reminder to everyone waiting for P-EBT cards: when they arrive, they're valid for one year from the issue date. Any unused benefits will remain on the card until the expiration date. Don't feel rushed to spend all benefits at once. Also, P-EBT benefits are completely separate from regular CalFresh benefits. Accepting and using P-EBT will not affect your CalFresh eligibility or benefit amounts in any way. Some clients worry about this, but they are entirely separate programs. If your address has changed since you provided information to your child's school, you should contact the P-EBT hotline to update your address to ensure the cards are sent to the correct location.
Thanks for this info! Quick question - can these P-EBT benefits be used anywhere regular EBT is accepted? Or are there different restrictions?
Yes, P-EBT cards work exactly like regular EBT cards in terms of where they can be used. They can be used at any store that accepts CalFresh/SNAP benefits, including grocery stores, farmers markets, and many online retailers that participate in the EBT program (like Amazon and Walmart). The same purchase restrictions apply - food items only, no hot prepared foods, alcohol, non-food items, etc.
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When I got my notice about the increase I thought it was a scam at first lol. But then I got my increased amount last week no problem. Maybe it depends on which county you're in? I'm in Alameda.
I'm in San Bernardino County. Maybe they're rolling it out by county? At least now I know I'm not the only one experiencing this. I'll give it another week before I start making calls.
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UPDATE: Called my county worker this morning and they confirmed there's been a bunch of reports about the EBT system showing phantom PIN changes from 11/30! Apparently it was a system update that incorrectly displayed as PIN changes to users. My benefits were deposited normally today and I can access them with my PIN. So relieved!!! Still glad I changed my PIN just to be safe though. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
Thanks for updating! This is really helpful information. I'm going to share this with other clients who might be seeing the same thing. Glad everything worked out with your benefits.
phew!!! glad ur money is safe!!
QuantumQuasar
ALSO another thing they dont tell u is that u HAVE TO activate the card within 30 days of getting it or they can deactivate it!!! happened to my cousin last year and was HUGE headache to fix. the activate number is on sticker on card
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•Is that really true?? Omg I got mine last week and haven't activated it yet because the instructions said funds wouldn't load until July 15th! Running to find it now!
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Miguel Castro
Just to prevent panic: You don't have to activate P-EBT cards within 30 days of receiving them. The cards remain valid for one year after issuance. You should activate them when you receive them, but there's no 30-day deactivation policy. What can happen is if you report a card lost/stolen and then find the original, the original will be deactivated 30 days after reporting it lost. The confusion might be from the regular EBT card policy, which does require contact with the card within 365 days to keep it active. P-EBT follows different rules.
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QuantumQuasar
•well all i know is my cousins kids card stopped working and when she called they said it was cuz she didnt activate it fast enough. maybe the worker was wrong but thats what they TOLD her. better safe than sorry!!!!
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