CalFresh EBT card suddenly canceled - no warning, no food for kids!

there could be a few reasons this happened. have you moved recently or is your address different than what the county has? did you miss returning your SAR7 form? they cancel benefits pretty quick if they dont get that form. or maybe your income went over the IRT (income reporting threshold) without you reporting it?

i havent moved & i turned in that yellow form they mailed me like 1 month ago. my income is the same since i recertified in december... i work at same place making $19.25/hr part time. should i go to the county office in person tomorrow???

This happened to me last year and it was because someone tried to use my card number online (which isn't even possible with EBT). The system automatically canceled my card as a fraud prevention measure, but NOBODY BOTHERED TO TELL ME. Had to call about 6 times before someone finally explained what happened. Call the EBT customer service again and specifically ask if your card was flagged for potential fraud - if so, they need to issue you a new one right away.

omg that might be it!! my wallet was stolen from my car 2 weeks ago and i had to get a new drivers license. i forgot the ebt card was in there too because i keep a backup one at home!! do i need to call the ebt people or the calfresh office??

If your wallet was stolen with your EBT card, that's definitely why it was canceled. You need to call the EBT Customer Service at 1-877-328-9677 ASAP to report the card stolen and request a replacement. This is different from the CalFresh county office. They can usually send a new card within 3-5 business days. Your benefits should still be in your account, you just need a new card to access them. In the meantime, see if you can get emergency food from a local food bank - I can help you find one if you share your general area (city/county).

also once you report it stolen you need aska bout 'emergency replacement' not just regular mail. they can sometimes expedite cards if youre without food. a lot of offices can print temporary EBT cards now while u wait for mailed one

Try calling the BenefitsCal customer service instead of the regular county line. I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone at my county office about a similar EBT card issue, getting disconnected every time. Eventually used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in the phone queue and calls you back when an actual human is on the line. Saved me hours of waiting! They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 \n\nOnce I got through, they were able to expedite a new card to me in 2 days instead of waiting for the mail.

is this service legit? sounds too good to be true lol. i HATE calling the county office

It actually works. I was skeptical too but after spending an entire morning getting disconnected repeatedly I was desperate. They don't answer for you - they just hold your place in line and call you when a real person picks up, then connect you.

If your EBT card was in your stolen wallet, here's the exact process you need to follow:\n\n1. Call EBT Customer Service (1-877-328-9677) immediately to report the card stolen\n2. They'll deactivate the stolen card (which it sounds like already happened automatically)\n3. Request expedited replacement - explain you have children and no food\n4. If they can't help quickly enough, call your specific county CalFresh office and ask for an \

THANK YOU!!! i called the ebt number again and explained everything and they said my card was canceled because of suspected fraud activity!! theyre sending me a new one expedited and should have it by monday. for now were going to the food bank tomorrow. i feel so dumb for not realizing my ebt card was in my wallet when it was stolen 🤦‍♀️

Good you got it figuerd out!!! Also FYI for future, u should report stolen cards right away even if u have backup. sometimes people try to use them b4 their canceled and if u report it fast enough benefits are protected. if u wait too long any benefits stolen might not get replace!!

this thread was actually helpful for me too cuz i didn't know about the emergency vault cards! i always thought u had to wait for mail if u lost ur card

The most frustrating part about the whole system is how they just cancel your benefits without even TRYING to contact you! My case worker has my phone number, email, AND address. Would it kill them to send a text saying

You're right that communication could be better, but to be fair, the automatic security cancellation comes from the EBT processor (FIS), not your county worker. They're separate systems that don't always talk to each other well. Your county worker probably didn't even know your card was flagged for fraud until you called about it.

UPDATE: Got my new EBT card today!! The food bank got us through the weekend and now i can access all my benefits again. Thanks everyone for the help!! Lesson learned - ALWAYS report cards stolen right away even if you have a backup!

So glad you got it resolved! This is really important info for everyone to know. I had no idea that stolen EBT cards get automatically flagged like that. Quick question - when you called the EBT customer service line, did you have to provide any specific information to prove your identity before they could tell you about the fraud flag? I'm always worried about someone else being able to access my account info if they had my card number.

This is such valuable information! I had no idea that EBT cards get automatically flagged for fraud when reported stolen - I always thought you had to manually request the cancellation. It's really helpful to know that the security system is proactive like that, even if the communication about it could be better. For anyone reading this who might be in a similar situation, it's also worth knowing that most food banks don't require any paperwork or proof of income for emergency food assistance - you can usually just walk in and explain your situation. They're there to help during exactly these kinds of emergencies!