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UPDATE: I finally got through to my county worker today! Turns out they had calculated our rent but NOT included any utility costs at all. They also had my husband's old income which was higher because he was working overtime last month but isn't anymore. The worker said I qualify for a utility allowance of about $450 and she's updating our income information. She's going to recalculate our benefit amount and said it should be significantly more than $10/month. She's also backdating it to this month since it was their error. Thank you everyone for your help! I'll update again when I see the new amount.
Chloe Zhang
•thats great! always fight for what ur entitled to. the system counts on people not knowing their rights or giving up too easy
Eva St. Cyr
•This is exactly why reviewing your Notice of Action carefully is so important. They often miss deductions or use outdated information. Good job advocating for your family! For future reference, you can request a detailed breakdown of how your benefits were calculated anytime - it's your right as a CalFresh recipient.
FINAL UPDATE: Just wanted to share that after the recalculation, my benefits went from $10/month to $625/month! Such a huge difference. The worker explained that with our corrected income and proper utility allowance plus the standard deduction for a family of 5, we were entitled to much more. They'll be issuing the additional benefits for this month within 3 days. I'm so relieved and grateful for everyone's advice here. Don't give up if your benefits seem wrong!
That's wonderful news! This is a perfect example of why it's so important to understand how your benefits are calculated and to make sure all your deductions are properly counted. For anyone else reading this, remember that CalFresh should always include: 1. Standard deduction (varies by household size) 2. 20% earned income deduction 3. Shelter costs (rent/mortgage + utilities, either itemized or using the standard utility allowance) 4. Dependent care costs if applicable 5. Medical expenses over $35 for elderly or disabled household members If even one of these is missing, it can dramatically change your benefit amount.
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Grace Durand
This sounds so frustrating. When I transferred from Riverside to San Bernardino, they told me I had to spend down all my benefits before the transfer went through. No one explained this to your daughter? The whole point of the 2-card system during transfers is that you can empty the old one before activating the new one. Quick question - did your daughter do her SAR7 and recertification forms on time? Sometimes these county transfers happen when there's a recert due, and if any paperwork was missed, that could complicate things even more.
No one explained ANYTHING about spending down benefits before transfer. That would have been such helpful information! As for the SAR7 and recertification, yes, she's been very diligent about submitting everything on time. She just did her recertification about 3 months ago and it was approved, which makes this even more confusing. There was no indication this transfer was about to happen.
Aidan Hudson
Just to give you a bit more context on why this happens: The CalFresh system is county-administered, which means each county maintains their own databases even though they're all part of the same program. When you move counties, the new county has to essentially create a new case, and the old county has to close theirs. The problem is that most counties are severely understaffed, and inter-county transfers are low priority compared to new applications and emergency cases. It's not uncommon for them to take 2+ years to finally process a transfer (which appears to be what happened in your case). The good news is that the benefits in the LA account should still be there and accessible with a replacement card. The benefits don't disappear when a card is destroyed - they remain in the account for at least a year, sometimes longer.
That explains so much about the delay. I was wondering why they suddenly decided to process the transfer after 2.5 years! It's somewhat reassuring to know the benefits should still be there - we'll focus on getting that replacement card from LA County. Thanks for explaining the system so clearly.
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Darcy Moore
UPDATE: Finally got through to someone at the county office! They said the supplement was approved but got stuck in their system because of a "batch processing error" (whatever that means). The worker said she'd manually release it and I should see it on my EBT card within 3 business days. She also said this is happening to quite a few people right now because of a recent system update. If anyone else is having this problem, definitely keep trying to reach your county office. Thanks everyone for your help!
Liam Duke
•yay!! so glad u got thru! hope it comes thru fast 🙌
Rita Jacobs
One more thing to keep in mind - make sure you check your balance daily once they say they've fixed it. Sometimes these supplements come through at odd hours and not necessarily on your regular benefit deposit day. Also, when you get it, check that the amount matches what you were approved for. I've seen cases where they fix the issue but only part of the benefit amount actually posts. If that happens, you'll need to call them again. Glad you got through to someone!
Darcy Moore
•Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely keep a close eye on it. I've set up text alerts for any deposits to my EBT card just to be sure I don't miss it.
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Mia Alvarez
I work at a community resource center in Long Beach, and we've had several clients come in this week with the same issue. From what we can tell, there was a technical issue with the benefit distribution system affecting about 30% of LA County recipients. Benefits are being released in batches through Feb 15th. If you don't receive yours by then, that's when you should escalate.
Thank you for this information! This makes me feel better knowing there's an actual system issue and not something wrong with my case. I'll wait until the 15th before panicking.
Jamal Washington
Quick tip from someone who just went through this: Take a screenshot of your current balance before activating the new card! That way if there's any discrepancy you have proof of what was supposed to transfer. I did this and everything went smoothly, but better safe than sorry with something as important as food benefits.
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Ethan Davis
•That's a really smart idea! I'll definitely do that. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Andre Laurent
the whole system is so frustrating why cant they just leave things alone my benefits got delayed last time they did a "system upgrade" and i couldnt feed my kids for 3 days
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Carmen Ortiz
•I'm sorry you had that experience. System upgrades can definitely cause temporary issues, but the 4.0 cards are being implemented to reduce fraud and protect everyone's benefits long-term. If you experience any delays this time, request expedited assistance and mention that you have children with no food. Counties are required to address emergency food needs within 24 hours.
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