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This might sound stupid but are you sure you're checking on the right day? My sister thought her benefits were cut but she was just checking too early. CalFresh benefits get deposited on different days based on the last digit of your case number. Mine's a 7 so I get mine on the 7th of each month. When do yours normally come in?
I work with CalFresh recipients and wanted to explain why your benefits may have been reduced. The most common reasons are: 1. Increased income (even small increases can impact benefits) 2. Change in household composition 3. Unreported income discovered during verification 4. Missing or incomplete SAR7 information 5. Expenses like rent or utilities not fully reported To maximize your benefits, make sure you're reporting all allowable expenses on your SAR7 or recertification application. This includes: - Full rent/mortgage amount - Utilities (if not using the standard utility allowance) - Child care expenses - Medical expenses over $35/month for elderly or disabled household members - Court-ordered child support payments Regarding the timing of benefits, they're issued from the 1st-10th of each month based on the last digit of your case number. There are no supplemental payments tied to specific events like the Super Bowl. If you believe your benefits were incorrectly calculated, you can request a state hearing within 90 days of receiving your Notice of Action.
Thank you for all this information! I'm thinking #1 and #5 might be my issues. I got a small raise last summer (about $1.25/hour) but I'm actually working fewer hours now. And I definitely haven't been reporting my full rent because sometimes I pay less in cash. I'll make sure to update everything on my next report.
The exact transition dates for each county should be posted on the California Department of Social Services website under "EBT System Modernization" by the end of February. San Bernardino is currently scheduled for Phase 3, which would be around August-September 2025. If you're moving between counties, make sure to update your address immediately when you move so your new card goes to the right place. Also, if you're moving to a county in a different phase of the rollout, you might experience a slight delay or get your card earlier than expected.
my sister said we gotta activate the new cards when they come or we cant get our benefits. does anybody know if that's true?
Yes, that's correct. When you receive your new EBT 3.0 card, you'll need to activate it by following the instructions included with the card. There will be a transition period where both your old and new cards will work, but after the cutoff date (which varies by county), only the new card will access your benefits. Make sure to activate your new card as soon as you receive it to avoid any interruption in accessing your benefits.
I used to work in cyber security and this is a HUGE problem now. These scammers target benefit programs specifically because they know the system is slow to respond and many families can't wait. One trick I learned is to transfer benefits to a separate EBT account if your county allows it - keep minimal funds on your main card and move money over as needed.
btw has anyone heard about that bill they were trying to pass to make EBT skimming reimbursement faster? whatever happened with that?
SB-583 passed last year, which requires counties to provide provisional credits within 10 days for skimming victims while investigations are pending. However, the implementation has been inconsistent across counties. If your benefits were stolen, specifically mention this law when speaking with your county worker, as some may not be fully trained on the new requirements yet.
Savannah Glover
ACTUALLY I just remembered!!! There IS a way to get extra food help for Easter break specifically! Many school districts run a Spring Break meal program where kids can pick up free breakfast and lunch even when school is closed. Check your school district website or call your kids' school office and ask about spring break meals! Might not be money on your EBT card but it does help with food costs when kids are home.
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Ella Cofer
•Thanks for this suggestion! I'll definitely look into it. Every little bit helps these days.
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Felicity Bud
I think the biggest confusion is that there are several different food programs with similar names. Just to clarify: 1. P-EBT (Pandemic EBT) - This was specifically for COVID and is gone 2. Summer EBT - This is newer and some states have it 3. Regular CalFresh/SNAP - Your normal monthly food benefits 4. School Meal Programs - Free/reduced lunch at school It gets confusing because they all help with food but work differently. The holiday extras were technically called "Emergency Allotments" and those are definitely discontinued nationwide.
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Ella Cofer
•This breakdown is super helpful, thank you! I definitely got all these programs mixed up. I'll focus on making sure I'm getting the maximum regular CalFresh benefits we qualify for and check out that Summer EBT program someone mentioned.
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