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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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Just to clarify - they absolutely cannot legally just freeze your benefits without sending you a Notice of Action first. If they have, that's an appealable issue. Once you get through to someone, ask specifically if any notices were sent, when they were sent, and to what address. If they failed to properly notify you, make sure to mention that you want to appeal based on lack of proper notification.
Update: I FINALLY got through to someone at the county office using that Claimyr service! Turns out they had sent a verification request to my old address even though I updated my address 3 months ago. Because I didn't respond (to mail I never received), they put a hold on my account. The worker released the hold and my EBT card is working again! She also updated my address in all their systems so this shouldn't happen again. Thanks everyone for your help!
glad you got it fixed! the same thing happened to my neighbor last month. the system is so broken!
It's not "broken" - it's DELIBERATELY DESIGNED to be confusing and difficult. The fewer people who successfully navigate the system, the less money they have to pay out in benefits. It's by design, not accident!!!
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Thanks everyone for clearing this up. I feel kinda dumb now for believing my neighbor, but she was so convincing! I'll definitely look into getting my benefits recalculated with my current expenses. Really appreciate all the help and information.
Don't feel bad! CalFresh rules are complicated and there's a lot of misinformation out there. Focus on getting all your current expenses documented at your next SAR7 or recertification. That's your best path to maximizing your regular benefits now that the emergency allotments are gone.
My cousin works for the county and said they get calls about this ALL THE TIME still. People are really struggling without those extra benefits. I remember getting almost double my regular amount during COVID. Now food prices are even higher but we're back to the old benefit levels. It's rough out there.
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Everyone is giving good advice but I want to add: make sure you request a benefit restoration in writing (email or through BenefitsCal's message center) and keep documentation of EVERYTHING. Take screenshots of your BenefitsCal messages, note the date/time of any calls, keep copies of all documents you submit, etc. I went through something similar last year and having complete documentation was what ultimately helped me win my appeal. Also, if you go in person to the county office, get the name and worker number of anyone you speak with.
This is so smart - I'll start keeping track of everything right now. My anxiety is making me scatter-brained but I need to be organized to fix this. Thank you!
While ur waiting for this to get fixed try 211 for emergency food resources. They can connect u with food pantries in ur area. Also check if ur school district is still doing grab-n-go meals - some still have this from the pandemic. My kids school does free dinner pickup for any family that needs it no questions asked
I didn't even think about school programs! My older one is in kindergarten - I'll call tomorrow and see if they have anything like that. And I'll definitely try 211 too. Thank you so much.
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dont accept any blame for the overissuance!! this is 100% county error if the appeals rep already said they calculated wrong. make sure thats documented!!!
One more thing to consider - when they reinstate your case, double-check that they're using the correct household size and all eligible deductions. Common deductions that people miss include: - Dependent care expenses - Medical expenses over $35 for elderly or disabled household members - Legally obligated child support payments - Shelter costs over 50% of your income after other deductions Make sure all of these are properly accounted for in your case. The appeals representative should have gone through these with you, but it's worth confirming when they reinstate your benefits.
This is super helpful! I'm paying $1350 in rent plus utilities which is definitely over 50% of my income after deductions. I'll make sure they count that correctly. Thank you!
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If you don't qualify for the Restaurant Meals Program (elderly, disabled, homeless), here are some Bakersfield alternatives I use with my EBT: 1. Grocery store deli sections - many have ready-to-eat cold items 2. Walmart & Target - grab cold sandwiches, salads, protein packs 3. Food Maxx - decent prepared cold food section 4. Some AMPM and 7-Eleven stores - for qualifying cold food items I meal prep on Sundays for my work week lunches using my CalFresh benefits, which saves A LOT more money than eating out anyway. Gets easier once you get into the routine!
This is super helpful! I haven't tried meal prepping before but it makes a lot of sense financially. Do you have any simple recipe ideas that work well for meal prep and don't take too much time? I'm really not much of a cook honestly.
Sure! Here are some super easy meal prep ideas that I use with my CalFresh benefits: - Rotisserie chicken (cold) + bagged salad + dressing - Wraps with lunch meat, cheese and pre-cut veggies - Tuna + crackers + fruit - Pre-cooked hard boiled eggs + cheese sticks + cut veggies - Greek yogurt + granola + berries All these ingredients are EBT eligible and require almost no actual cooking. You can prepare 4-5 meals in about 20 minutes on Sunday night. I spend about $50/week on EBT for all my breakfasts and lunches this way.
Those all sound doable even for someone like me! Thanks for the suggestions - I'll try the wraps and rotisserie chicken ones this weekend. Definitely better than being disappointed at fast food places that won't take my EBT.
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Has anyone tried the EBT Mobile app instead of the website? Sometimes it works even when the main site is down. Also, I've found that calling right when they open at 6am is the only way to get through without hours of waiting. Good luck everyone!
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Has anyone had problems with the EBTedge app causing yur benefits to be delayed? My cousin said when she started using it her deposit came 2 days late the next month. Probably not related but made me nervous
The EBTedge app has no effect on when benefits are deposited - it's just a security and account management tool. Benefit issuance dates are determined by the county eligibility system and follow a standard schedule based on case numbers. Your cousin's delay was likely due to a county processing issue or weekend/holiday that affected the normal deposit schedule.
I got the app set up successfully! One question - will the county worker be able to tell me if I've been assigned an EBT card with chip? My card is pretty old and I'm wondering if I should request a new one that might have better security built in?
California hasn't implemented chip cards for EBT yet, so even if you request a new card, it will still be a magnetic stripe card. The chip card rollout is planned but not expected until late 2025 or 2026 depending on funding. For now, using the EBTedge app with the freeze/unfreeze feature is your best security option. If your current card is damaged or worn though, it's still worth requesting a replacement.
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Just to follow up - once you report your pregnancy (after 7 months along) and after your baby is born, make sure to update your CalFresh case. For a household of 3 in 2025, the maximum CalFresh benefit is around $770/month instead of $425. Also, since housing costs affect CalFresh benefits, if your rent does increase, report that too! Higher rent can sometimes qualify you for higher CalFresh benefits because it reduces your "net income" in their calculations. This is called the "excess shelter deduction."
Wow, that would be almost double what I get now! I had no idea the rent increase might actually help with getting more food benefits. This gives me hope that we might be able to make things work. Thank you so much for all this information!
I was in a similar situation last year and ended up applying for everything at once through BenefitsCal.com - you can apply for CalFresh, CalWORKs, and Medi-Cal all in the same application. Made things way easier than doing separate applications. The CalWORKs Housing Support Program ended up being what saved us from eviction.
i second this!! benefitscal is way better than the old website. u can upload documents from ur phone too its pretty easy
Chloe Robinson
be carful when u go 2 the county offce, they might try 2 say u commited fraud yourself. my neighbor had her benafits stolenn and they acused her of selling her card. bring as much proof as u can that u had ur card the whole time!
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LunarLegend
•While it's good to bring documentation, this type of accusation is actually quite rare with skimming cases. The counties are well aware of the widespread EBT theft problem. As long as you promptly report the theft and have your physical card with you, there's little reason they would accuse you of fraud. The electronic signatures from skimming look very different from legitimate card sales in their system.
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Malik Jackson
Has anyone tried the new CalFresh Watchdog app? My worker told me about it when I was reporting my theft. Supposedly it sends you instant alerts whenever your EBT card is used so you know right away if there's fraud happening. I haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking about it after all this skimming stuff.
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Omar Zaki
•The official app is called "EBT Alert" (not CalFresh Watchdog) and it's a legitimate service offered through the state. It sends real-time transaction alerts and allows you to temporarily freeze/unfreeze your card. However, it's currently only available in 28 counties in California as of March 2025. I recommend using it if it's available in your county, but also check if your specific county has additional fraud prevention tools they offer locally.
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