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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!
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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!
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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.
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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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i had someting similar happen but it was only $400 not as bad as yours... my county worker told me theres a statewide EBT app now that lets you lock your card when your not using it which i didnt know about before. also always use the machines inside the store never the atm's outside their easier for scammers to mess with. sorry this happened to you its so awful!!!!
Several people have mentioned this app now - I'm so angry that none of the workers ever told me about it before! Could have saved me from this whole nightmare. I've already installed it and set up the card freeze option. Thank you!
Just to follow up - make sure when you go to your county office tomorrow that you specifically request both: 1. AB 1784 benefit theft reimbursement claim 2. Expedited CalFresh benefits application (CF 285) Bring as much documentation as you can: ID, any income verification, rent/utility bills, and information about the theft (dates, police report if you filed one, case number from your fraud call, etc.). Having everything organized will speed up the process significantly. For immediate food assistance, many school districts also offer emergency meal programs for families with children, separate from regular free/reduced lunch programs. Worth checking with your children's schools as well.
This is incredibly helpful. I'll organize everything tonight and be at the office when they open. And great idea about the school meals - I'll call my kids' school counselor too. I can't thank you enough for all this information!
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Ethan Moore
when i got my kids cards i thought it was a scam lol. didnt even activate them for like 2 weeks until my sister told me it was legit. feels weird getting beneffits when we didnt apply for nothing but hey free food is free food
GalaxyGazer
•same! i was super suspicious too!
Nia Harris
One more thing - make sure you set unique PINs for each card when you activate them. These are technically your children's benefits (even though you manage them as the parent). I've seen cases where parents set the same PIN for all cards and then had issues with account security later on. And keep track of which card belongs to which child - they look nearly identical!
Sean Kelly
•Thank you - I wouldn't have thought of that. Going to label the cards with their names and set different PINs.
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Yara Khoury
ALWAYS check your EBT balance weekly!!! These scammers are getting more sophisticated and targeting benefit recipients like crazy in 2025. My coworker just had her entire month's worth of CalFresh stolen and she didn't notice for two weeks. By then most of the money was gone and she had a harder time proving fraud. Protect yourselves!!
Zainab Yusuf
•This is excellent advice. I recommend to all my clients to set a weekly reminder to check their EBT balance through the official BenefitsCal app or by calling the number on the back of their card. Never use third-party apps or links from text messages to check your balance - these are often scams designed to steal your information.
CyberSiren
i heard theres a new law in california that makes it easier to get benefits back after fraud but not sure when it takes effect? anyone know if thats true or just a rumor??????
Zainab Yusuf
•You're referring to Assembly Bill 1518 which was passed last year. It streamlined the EBT theft claim process and made it easier to get replacement benefits. It's already in effect! It requires counties to provide provisional credits within 10 days of a verified fraud claim while they investigate. It also created better fraud detection systems and improved card security features for new EBT cards.
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Caden Turner
The P-EBT system IS pretty unfair. My sister gets CalFresh and her kids automatically got P-EBT cards with like $1,200 on them last year, while my kids who aren't on any benefits but still need food got nothing. And I'm paying the same taxes that fund these programs! I think they should either expand eligibility or create something for families just above the cutoff. There's so many working families struggling with food costs that get zero help.
You make a valid point about the "cliff effect" where families just above income limits get no assistance. This is actually a recognized problem in public benefits design. Some states have started implementing sliding scale benefits that gradually phase out rather than having a hard cutoff, but California hasn't fully adopted this approach for food assistance programs yet. It would make much more sense.
Melissa Lin
try the calfresh again! i got denied then my friend told me to apply again and tell them about all my bills and i got approved the 2nd time. make sure u tell them EVERYTHING u pay for
I'm definitely going to reapply with all this new information about deductions! Seems like there's a lot more to it than just reporting income. Really appreciate everyone's suggestions.
GamerGirl99
i heard ur supposed to wiggle the card reader thing before u put ur card in. if it feels loose it might be a skimmer. also check ur balance on the app before AND after u shop so u notice rite away if somethings wrong
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Eduardo Silva
•good idea! i wiggle atms but never thought about the ebt machines at stores
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Amina Diallo
Thank you everyone for all the helpful replies! I just changed my PIN and downloaded the EBT app. Going to be much more careful about where I use my card from now on. I'll stick to the Safeway near me and Food Co rather than the corner stores. Still worried but at least I know what to do if something happens. Seems like Sacramento isn't immune after all. 😟
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Leila Haddad
•Smart precautions! One more tip: when your benefits get deposited each month, consider making larger purchases right away rather than leaving your full balance on the card for longer periods. While this isn't completely foolproof, it can minimize losses if your card information is compromised later in the month.
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