Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here! I'm a single mom with two kids and got my QC review letter last week - I was literally shaking when I opened it because I thought they were going to take away our benefits. But reading all of these real experiences has been such a huge relief! It's so helpful to hear that the reviewers are actually pretty understanding and that this is just a routine thing, not them trying to catch us doing something wrong. I've been on CalFresh for about 8 months now and it's honestly been a lifeline for my family. The thought of losing it over some paperwork issue was terrifying. But now I feel much more prepared and less anxious about the whole process. This community is incredible - where else can you get this kind of honest, real-world advice? Thank you Emily for asking the question we were all too scared to ask, and thank you to everyone who took the time to share their stories! 💙

Reading through all these experiences has been so reassuring! I'm actually going through a QC review right now (got my letter two weeks ago) and was terrified at first. Like so many others have said, that initial letter really does make it sound like you're being investigated for fraud when it's actually just a routine check. My interview is scheduled for tomorrow and I've been gathering documents all week. One thing I learned from this thread that I want to share - when I called to schedule, I mentioned I was missing one pay stub from a job I had briefly a few months ago, and the reviewer said they could work with bank statements or even a letter from the employer instead. They really do seem to understand that life isn't always perfectly documented! Thanks Emily for starting this conversation and to everyone who shared their stories. It's made such a difference in my stress level knowing what to actually expect. I'll try to update after my interview tomorrow in case it helps the next person who finds this thread! 🙏

This thread is making me laugh because I literally had this EXACT experience just three weeks ago when I first got CalFresh! I saw "EBTWM" and my immediate thought was "great, the website is broken on my first day." I actually screenshot it and sent it to my sister asking if she thought it looked like an error message because those four letters seemed so random and technical. I spent way too long googling things like "EBTWM California broken" and "EBT website not working" before I finally found a forum post that explained it was actually the official name. It's honestly wild that so many of us have had this identical moment of confusion - you'd think by now someone would have realized that "EBTWM" sounds more like a computer virus than a benefits portal! But I'm so grateful for communities like this where we can all share our "wait, what does that even mean?" moments and help each other figure out these unnecessarily complicated systems.

This whole discussion is so relatable! I'm about 3 weeks into my CalFresh journey and just tried the online system for the first time yesterday. When I saw "EBTWM" my brain immediately went "nope, something's definitely broken here" and I actually closed the tab and tried searching for what I thought would be the "real" CalFresh website. It's honestly kind of hilarious how universal this experience seems to be - like they accidentally created the most confusing acronym possible! You'd think after thousands of people getting confused by those four letters, someone would suggest adding a simple subtitle or just calling it "My CalFresh Portal" or something actually human-friendly. But reading everyone's stories makes me feel so much better about my own moment of "what the heck is this supposed to be?" Thanks for starting this thread - it's exactly what I needed to see!

This thread is such a perfect example of why community support is so crucial for navigating the EBT system! I've been using CalFresh and CalWORKs benefits for over 2 years now and I've experienced this exact scenario probably 4-5 times. The first time it happened, I was absolutely terrified - you immediately assume the worst when your benefits suddenly don't work. What's really helped me is keeping a running list in my phone notes of all these backup options everyone has shared: grocery store cashback, pharmacy withdrawals, Dollar stores, credit union ATMs, etc. I also learned to follow a few CalFresh advocacy groups on Facebook and Twitter because they sometimes post heads-ups about planned maintenance when they hear about it from their contacts at DSS. It's ridiculous that we have to rely on word-of-mouth and community knowledge to work around system issues, but I'm so grateful places like this exist where we can share solutions and reassure each other that these outages are normal (if frustrating) occurrences. For anyone new to the system reading this - save this thread! These tips will definitely come in handy again.

I'm going through this exact same issue right now! Just tried three different ATMs this evening and all giving me "system maintenance" errors, but my card worked fine at Target earlier today for groceries. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - I was starting to panic that something was wrong with my benefits. The grocery store cashback trick is genius and I'm definitely trying that tomorrow morning. It's so frustrating that they don't give us any advance notice about these maintenance windows, especially when we depend on cash access for basic needs like rent and utilities. Thank you all for sharing your workarounds and experiences - this community knowledge is invaluable for navigating all the quirks of the EBT system that nobody officially tells us about!

My application took 18 days but that was because I had to send in additional verification of my self-employment income. If you have standard employment with regular paystubs it's usually faster. Thye finally aproved mine when I went to the office in person and sat there until someone could help me lol

If you're really struggling with food while waiting, don't forget about food banks and pantries! Most don't require any paperwork or income verification - you just show up. Use findhelp.org or call 211 to find ones near you. Also, WIC might be faster to get approved if you qualify (they serve pregnant/breastfeeding women and kids under 5). Some churches and community centers also do free meal programs. I know it's not the same as having your own EBT card but it can help bridge the gap while you're waiting for CalFresh approval. Hang in there - it's frustrating but you'll get through this! 💪

Hi Bucky! As someone who's also navigating the CalFresh system in California, I really appreciate you asking this question. The responses from everyone here have been incredibly helpful and informative. From what I'm gathering from the community's shared knowledge, it sounds like California's ABAWD waiver is still in place through January 2026, which is great news for your upcoming recertification. But I absolutely agree with everyone's advice about calling your local CalFresh office to get official confirmation - especially since policies can sometimes vary slightly by county. One thing I've learned from being part of this community is how valuable it is to ask specific questions when you call. Based on the great suggestions here, you might want to ask not only about current ABAWD requirements, but also what documentation you'll need for recertification and whether they provide advance notice about future policy changes. As someone still learning to navigate these systems, I'm really grateful for communities like this where people share their experiences and knowledge so generously. It makes such a difference to have this kind of support when dealing with important benefits questions. Wishing you the best with your recertification process - sounds like you're being really proactive by asking these questions ahead of time!

Hi Bucky! As someone who recently moved to California and started receiving CalFresh benefits, I've been following this thread with great interest - your question is one I've had myself! From everything I've read here and my own experience calling my local office a few weeks ago, it does seem like California's ABAWD waiver is still active through January 2026. When I spoke with an eligibility worker about my own situation, they confirmed the waiver was in place and mentioned that California has been committed to maintaining it given the ongoing economic challenges many people face. What I found really helpful during my call was being specific about my concerns, similar to what you're asking here. The worker was able to walk me through exactly what my current requirements were and what documentation I'd need for future recertifications. Everyone's advice about getting official confirmation directly from your local CalFresh office is spot-on. I was initially nervous about calling, but the staff were really patient and knowledgeable. Having your case number ready definitely helps speed up the process too. This community has been such an incredible resource for someone new to navigating these systems - the collective knowledge and willingness to help is amazing. Best of luck with your recertification next month!