I'm so glad you asked this question because I was in the exact same situation a few months ago! Everyone here is absolutely right - CalFresh benefits are completely confidential and protected by federal privacy laws. They will NOT show up on any employment background check. I was terrified when I had to do a background check for my current job at a distribution center while receiving CalFresh. I even called the county office to double-check, and they confirmed that benefit information is never shared with employers or background check companies. It's against the law for them to disclose it. The background check only looked at criminal history and verified my previous employment - nothing about benefits at all. I got the job and my supervisor has no idea I was on CalFresh when I started. Just make sure when you start working that you report your income changes right away. I used the online portal through BenefitsCal which was way easier than trying to call. Also, don't assume you'll lose all your benefits immediately - depending on your rent and other expenses, you might still qualify for reduced benefits even with the warehouse wages. You've got this! Take that job with confidence knowing your privacy is completely protected. Congratulations on the opportunity! 🎉

Hey Nia! I wanted to add my voice to everyone else's - you're absolutely in the clear! I just went through this exact same worry when I applied for a job at FedEx last month. I was so paranoid that my CalFresh benefits would somehow show up on the background check, but they didn't at all. The background check only looked at my criminal record (clean thankfully!) and verified the employment history I put on my application. Nothing about benefits, nothing about government assistance - it's completely separate and protected information. What really helped ease my mind was understanding that CalFresh participation is protected under the same privacy laws as medical records. Employers literally cannot access that information even if they wanted to. The background check companies don't have access to it either. Since you're going to be working at a warehouse, just heads up that the physical work might affect your appetite and food needs! I found I was eating more when I started my job, so don't be surprised if your food budget needs adjusting even with the new income. Congratulations on the job opportunity - you should feel really proud of yourself for landing it! Take that background check with total confidence. Your CalFresh info is locked down tight! 💪

I'm so sorry you're going through this! As someone new to this community, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone sharing their experiences here - it's been incredibly helpful and reassuring to know I'm not alone. My EBT card was also cancelled yesterday with no warning, and I had nearly $200 in benefits that my family needs for groceries this week. I was completely panicked until I found this thread and learned about the security breach affecting 35,000 cards. The lack of communication from the system is just unacceptable - they should have notified all of us before cancelling our cards! I'm definitely going to try calling the EBT line at 8am tomorrow and specifically mention the security breach to request expedited shipping like so many of you have successfully done. This community has provided more useful information in one thread than any official communication I've received. Thank you all for supporting each other when the system has completely failed us!

I'm new to this community but dealing with the exact same situation! My card was cancelled this morning without any warning - I was trying to buy groceries for my kids and it just wouldn't work. I had no idea what was happening until I found this thread. Thank you so much @Ethan Campbell for explaining about the security breach affecting 35,000 cards - that finally gives me some answers! It's absolutely ridiculous that they would cancel our cards without any notification when people depend on these benefits to feed their families. The embarrassment at the store checkout was awful. I'm definitely going to try calling the EBT line at 8am tomorrow and mention the security breach specifically to get expedited shipping like others have done successfully. This community has been more informative than any official communication - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and tips during this frustrating situation!

UPDATE: I went to the office this morning and brought all my paystubs. Asked for an "immediate need recalculation" like you all suggested. The first worker said I'd have to wait, but I asked to speak to a supervisor and mentioned the "expedited mid-period action" that someone here recommended. The supervisor was actually super helpful! They reviewed my case right there and saw I had consistently reported my NET income correctly on previous reports. They're correcting the error and issuing the rest of my benefits within 3 business days!! Thank you all SO MUCH for your advice. It really made a difference knowing exactly what to ask for!

This is such a perfect example of why we need better advocacy resources! Maya, I'm so glad you got this resolved quickly thanks to everyone's advice here. It's really sad that you have to know the "magic words" like "expedited mid-period action" to get proper help, but this thread shows how powerful community knowledge sharing can be. For anyone else dealing with similar issues - screenshot Maya's update and the specific terms that worked! Having that language ready can make all the difference when you're stressed and trying to advocate for yourself at the county office.

Just to add one more reassuring voice here - I've had to replace my CalFresh EBT card three times over the past year (I'm really bad about keeping track of it, embarrassingly), and every single time my PIN stayed exactly the same. The first time I was terrified just like you, but now I know the system keeps your PIN with your account automatically. You should be totally fine using your old PIN tomorrow! Also, since you mentioned your benefits just loaded today, that's perfect timing - your $345 should definitely be available on the new card. One small tip: when you use it for the first time tomorrow, the card reader might take just a second longer than usual to process, but that's totally normal for new cards. Don't panic if there's a brief pause! You're going to do great.

I'm new to CalFresh and this thread has been so helpful! I haven't had to deal with a replacement card yet, but reading everyone's experiences makes me feel much more prepared if it happens. It's really frustrating that this basic information isn't explained clearly in the official materials - like, why wouldn't they just tell you "your PIN stays the same unless you specifically request a reset" when they send the replacement card? Anyway, I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating the system!

I'm also navigating my first CalFresh application and this thread has been such a goldmine of information! I had my phone interview three days ago and submitted all my verification documents the same day. Like everyone else, I've been obsessively checking BenefitsCal and it's still showing "pending" which has me on edge since I'm down to my last few dollars for groceries. Reading Dmitry's update about getting approved even when the online system hadn't updated yet is incredibly encouraging! It really shows that calling to check status is worth the wait time. I'm definitely planning to call first thing tomorrow morning with my case number ready - seems like that early timing makes all the difference. Also want to thank everyone who shared food assistance resources, especially the Food Forward app mention and the LA Regional Food Bank locations. It's amazing how this community supports each other through these stressful situations. The insider perspective from Charity about typical processing times was so valuable too - knowing most decisions happen within a week of complete documentation is much more realistic than just hearing "up to 30 days." For anyone else going through this right now, you're not alone! The uncertainty is the hardest part, but seeing these success stories gives me hope that we'll all get through this process soon. 🙏

I'm also going through my first CalFresh application and this entire thread has been incredibly helpful! I submitted my verification documents after my phone interview about 4 days ago, and like everyone else, I've been checking BenefitsCal constantly - still stuck on "pending" which is driving me crazy when I'm trying to make my last $15 stretch until payday. Dmitry's success story about calling and discovering he was already approved even though the online system hadn't updated is so encouraging! It really shows the importance of following up rather than just waiting and hoping. I'm definitely going to call first thing tomorrow morning with my case number ready - seems like that 8am timing when they first open is crucial for getting through without hours on hold. Thank you to everyone who shared food assistance resources while we wait - I downloaded the Food Forward app that Chloe mentioned and found three pickup locations near me! Also called 211 yesterday and got a whole list of local food pantries I didn't even know existed. It's amazing how this community looks out for each other during these stressful times. The insider tips from Charity about having your case number ready and mentioning food insecurity were especially valuable. For anyone else in this waiting phase, you're definitely not alone - the uncertainty is awful when you're already worried about having enough to eat, but seeing these success stories gives me hope we'll all get through this process soon! 🙏