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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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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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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.
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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 work with a local assistance organization, and we're seeing tons of these cases right now. That June 3rd skimming operation hit hundreds of people across multiple counties. Here's what you need to know: 1. Yes, it can take up to 30 days by law (actually, up to 90 days if they need to investigate further). 2. The state has been overwhelmed with fraud claims, which is causing delays. 3. While waiting, you can: - Apply for emergency replacement benefits (separate from your claim) - Contact your county supervisor's office for help expediting - Reach out to local food banks (every county has emergency food assistance) - File a complaint with CDSS if it exceeds 30 days Also, make sure you've changed your PIN and are checking your balance daily. These skimmer groups often hit the same cards multiple times.
i changed my pin but how do u apply for emergency replacement benefits?? nobody told me about this!!
You need to contact your county CalFresh office and specifically request "emergency replacement benefits due to EBT theft hardship." This is different from your theft claim. These are issued under disaster/emergency provisions and can be approved within 3 days if you have less than $100 in resources and minimal income available. Bring ID and proof of the theft (like a copy of your police report and EBT transaction history showing the unauthorized transactions).
UPDATE: I finally got through to someone helpful at the county office! They told me my claim was approved yesterday and the funds should be on my card within 24-48 hours. They also said they're prioritizing households with children under the expedited process. For anyone else waiting - keep calling and specifically ask for your claim to be reviewed for expedited processing if you have children or vulnerable household members. Will update again when the money actually appears on my card.
That's great news! Thanks for updating us. How did you get through to an actual helpful person? I'm still trying to get mine expedited.
I actually tried that Claimyr service that someone mentioned above and got connected to a worker who could actually see my full case file instead of just basic status info. Made a huge difference! The regular EBT customer service line was useless - those people can't actually do anything for theft claims.
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i dont get why they make u wait so long when its obvious fraud??? like how would u buy food in nevada and california in the same hour lol. the whole system is messed up and they dont care about us. my friend had her benefits stolen twice and second time they accused HER of fraud and cut off her benefits for 6 months!!! be carful what u say to them
This is misinformation that could scare people from reporting legitimate theft. EBT theft investigations don't result in fraud accusations against the victim unless there's evidence they participated in the fraud. While the system has many problems, reporting theft won't get your benefits cut off. The second theft may have triggered additional security questions, but a 6-month disqualification only happens after an administrative hearing with evidence of intentional program violation. Please don't discourage people from reporting theft - it's the only way to get replacement benefits.
UPDATE: Called using that Claimyr service someone recommended below and FINALLY got through to a supervisor after trying for days! She said I qualify for emergency replacement benefits under AB 1168 and they can issue provisional benefits while investigating. Should have them within 3 business days! Also filed police report which will help the investigation. Going to food bank tomorrow to get through until replacement comes. THANK YOU all for advice - might have gone hungry for weeks without your help! Will update when benefits actually arrive.
So glad you got through! This is exactly why it's important to know your rights and keep advocating. Many caseworkers aren't fully trained on the newer EBT theft provisions. Make sure to document everything - names of who you spoke with, reference numbers, and follow up if the provisional benefits don't arrive as promised. And definitely change your PIN regularly going forward as a precaution.
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UPDATE: I finally got through to my county worker! The EBT-2259 form wasn't on their website but the worker emailed it to me. I filled it out and submitted it along with the police report. They said I should get emergency replacement benefits within 3 business days since I have kids, then the full claim will be processed in 7-10 days. Thank you all for the advice - especially about mentioning the emergency situation with my kids. Will update again when I get the benefits back.
Great! Make sure to keep checking your EBT balance daily. Sometimes they don't actually notify you when they load the replacement benefits. And definitely change your PIN immediately after you get the new benefits.
One more tip - when this happened to me, I started using the BenefitsCal app's "freeze card" feature. You can instantly freeze your EBT card after you use it each time, then unfreeze it only when you're at the store and ready to use it again. It's inconvenient but better than getting all your benefits stolen again.
I had no idea this feature existed! Just downloaded the app and found the freeze option. Will definitely use this from now on. Thanks for the tip!
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wait is this different than calfresh? i get calfresh but didnt get any new card
Yes, P-EBT is completely different from CalFresh. P-EBT 4.0 is specifically for families with children who qualified for free/reduced school meals during the 2022-2023 school year AND who had COVID-related absences during that period. It's separate from regular CalFresh benefits. If your children meet those criteria, they should be getting cards, but the rollout is happening in phases through June 2025.
Update: I finally got through to someone at the P-EBT hotline! Apparently, our cards were mailed out last week and should arrive any day now. The rep said they're doing distribution based on the first letter of the child's last name within each county. My county is among the last batch. For anyone else still waiting, hang in there - they're definitely still sending them out.
thx for update! hope mines coming soon too. did they tell u how much ur kids will get?
Tyrone Hill
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO KEEP US CONFUSED AND UNDERPAID!!! They intentionally make the process complicated so fewer people get the benefits they deserve. I had to fight for months to get my correct benefit amount after they 'lost' my verification documents THREE TIMES. And now they just cancel extra benefits with barely any notice???
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Natalie Khan
•for real!! so true. my friend had to submit her pay stubs like 5 times last year cuz they kept saying they never got them even tho she uploaded them online with confirmation numbers and everything
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Rudy Cenizo
UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at my county office! They confirmed what several of you said - the extra supplement ended in May. The worker actually was really helpful and went through all my expenses with me. Turns out I've been undercounting my housing and childcare costs. She said my regular benefits should increase by about $80/month after she processes the updated information, which doesn't completely replace the supplement but helps a lot. Thanks everyone for your advice!
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
•That's great news! So glad you were able to get some of the benefit back through proper expense reporting. This is exactly why it's so important to report ALL qualifying expenses. For anyone else reading this thread, remember that even things like child support payments and certain educational expenses can count as deductions for CalFresh calculations.
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