CalFresh Golden State Stimulus not received - card returned twice?

same here!! my golden state stimulus never showed up and when i finally got thru to someone they said my card was 'undeliverable' even tho i get my regular calfresh just fine?? makes zero sense

Exactly! How is my regular CalFresh loading fine every month if they somehow can't deliver a card to the same address? The whole thing feels like a stall tactic or something.

There's a lot of confusion between the Middle Class Tax Refund (which came on a separate debit card) and the additional CalFresh benefits. They're completely different programs. The MCTR was a one-time payment sent by the Franchise Tax Board, not through your regular EBT card. If you're talking about the MCTR, you need to contact FTB at 1-800-542-9332, not your CalFresh worker. They can reissue your card if it was returned.\n\nIf you're talking about missing regular CalFresh benefits, that's different and would go through your county office.

Oh shoot, you're right - I got confused. I am talking about the Middle Class Tax Refund, not CalFresh extra benefits. No wonder my worker seemed confused when I called! Thanks for clarifying. Do you know if the 45-day waiting period is real for the MCTR cards too?

I had the EXACT same problem with my Middle Class Tax Refund (not CalFresh related). Called FTB over and over, kept getting disconnected after waiting 2+ hours. Finally used Claimyr.com to get through - their service connected me to an actual person at FTB in about 15 minutes! They have a video demo here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8\n\nThe FTB agent told me there is NO 45-day mandatory waiting period. They can reissue the card right away if you verify your identity and confirm your current address. My new card arrived 8 days later. Sounds like your county worker might be confused about which program you're asking about.

Thank you so much for this info! I'll check out that service. You're right that I need to call FTB directly instead of my county office. Glad to hear there's no actual 45-day waiting period!

this happened to MY NEIGHBOR TOO!!! the tax board sent her card to her OLD address even tho she filed taxes with new address!! government is SO INCOMPETENT!!!!

It's beyond frustrating! I've had the same address for years and they still somehow messed it up. Did your neighbor eventually get her payment?

There's been a lot of confusion about this. The Middle Class Tax Refund (MCTR) and CalFresh are completely separate programs. The MCTR is handled by the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), while CalFresh is administered by your county's Department of Social Services.\n\nFor the MCTR, if your card was returned as undeliverable, there is typically a processing period before reissuance, but it's not necessarily 45 days each time. The FTB can verify your address and expedite a new card if you explain your situation. Make sure you're calling the FTB at 1-800-542-9332 for the MCTR card issues.\n\nFor anyone confused: The MCTR was a one-time payment for eligible California tax filers from 2020 based on income levels, not specifically for CalFresh recipients. The amounts ranged from $200 to $1,050 depending on income and filing status.

Thank you for the detailed explanation! I definitely mixed up who to contact. I'll call the FTB directly tomorrow. Do you know what verification they might need when I call? Should I have my tax returns handy?

Ugh I feel your pain! I had a similar issue but with my regular CalFresh EBT card (not the tax refund thing). The county told me it was returned TWICE too!!! When I finally got a supervisor on the phone, they discovered someone had accidentally put

omg that's ridiculous! how do they mess up something so basic and then make US wait months to fix THEIR mistake??

Just want to point out... if you're talking about the Middle Class Tax Refund (which sounds like what you're describing), that's completely separate from CalFresh. The MCTR went out on special debit cards from the tax board, not through the regular EBT system.\n\nLots of those MCTR cards got returned for weird reasons - even people who have lived at the same address for decades had problems. I work at a community resource center and we saw TONS of people with this exact issue.\n\nCall the FTB directly at 1-800-542-9332. Have your 2020 tax return info handy. They'll verify your identity and can reissue the card. There's no need to wait 45 days - that sounds like misinformation.

Thank you for clearing this up! I definitely mixed up the programs. I'll call FTB directly with my tax info ready. Really appreciate everyone helping me figure this out!

i had to call like 37 times before i got thru to ftb... they disconnect u after 2hrs on hold its CRIMINAL

Try Claimyr - saved me from that exact situation. I was about to give up after trying for weeks.