CalFresh EBT theft - county only replaced monthly benefits but not my $80 balance - is this policy?

Same thing happened to me in February!! My card got skimmed somehow (I'm super careful with it too!) and they took $126 that was left over plus my new benefits. The county replaced my monthly amount but told me exactly the same thing about not replacing my saved up amount. The worker said something about it being "federal regulations" that they can only replace current month benefits, not accumulated balances. It's so unfair - like they're punishing us for being careful with our benefits!

Unfortunately the worker is correct about this policy. According to federal SNAP regulations (which govern CalFresh), they can only replace benefits that were issued in the current month that were stolen through card skimming or electronic theft. Any benefits from previous months that you saved up aren't eligible for replacement. It's definitely unfair, but it's the current policy. They started replacing current month benefits after electronic theft became more common, but they haven't updated the rules for previously accumulated balances. I'd recommend spending your benefits each month rather than saving them up, especially with all the EBT theft happening lately. You might also want to change your PIN and check your balance frequently.

This happened to my sister too! She had almost $200 saved up for a big Costco trip and they only gave back the monthly amount. The EBT theft thing is getting so bad in California, I hear about it ALL THE TIME now. Someone needs to fix this system!!

I work as an advocate for benefit recipients and can confirm this is unfortunately current policy. Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) theft has become a huge problem, and while the state now replaces current month benefits, they don't replace saved balances from prior months. We've been pushing for policy changes. In the meantime, here are some steps to protect yourself: 1. Change your PIN immediately after receiving benefits 2. Check your balance frequently (daily is best) 3. Consider spending benefits as they come rather than saving 4. Cover the card reader with your hand when entering PIN 5. Avoid using EBT at non-grocery locations where skimmers are more common If you're having trouble reaching a CalFresh worker to get more help with your specific situation, I've had clients use Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to workers without the long wait times. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

its dumb that they wont give u back ur money. why even let us save it then??? sorry this hapnd 2 u

This is the EXACT REASON I transfer my benefits to my bank account now!! You can actually do cash withdrawals from your EBT (if you also get cash benefits, not just CalFresh) and deposit to your regular bank which has better fraud protection. I learned this after getting scammed TWICE! The system is totally rigged against us, they know people are stealing our benefits but won't fix it!!

I actually called my assembly member's office about this after it happened to me. The staff person told me they've been getting LOTS of calls about EBT theft and they're pushing for better protection. Maybe if enough of us complain they'll change the rules? Worth a try!

Update on this situation: I just went through EBT theft in March and they DID reimburse everything including my saved balance! The county worker told me California just updated their policy. They asked me to fill out an EBT-106 form and I had to confirm which transactions weren't mine. Got everything back in about 10 days! Maybe call them back and specifically ask about the EBT-106 form for electronic theft replacement?

try calling again sometimes u get a different worker who knows more or is more helpful js