CalFresh appeal nightmare - denied for income, reinstated, then hit with overissuance notice!

This happens more often than you'd think - counties sometimes miscalculate income, especially if you have variable hours or multiple income sources. The good news is that if the appeals rep determined you were eligible, you should get retroactive benefits for September and October. When your case gets reinstated, they legally have to issue benefits for all months you were eligible. Make sure you save any documentation showing your actual income during those months. The conditional withdrawal was smart - it keeps your appeal rights protected while giving the county a chance to fix their error.

omg i went thru almost the EXACT same thing last year!!! county said i was over income by like $20 🙄 but my rent increased so my deductions should've been higher. total nightmare dealing with them but eventually got my benefits back plus all the missed months

So I just wanna make sure I understand - you got CalFresh for September but they're saying it was an overpayment? But the appeals person said you should've been eligible all along? That's such a mess. The whole income calculation thing is so confusing... I think they take your gross income and subtract some deductions but I never understand how they get to the final number. I got denied once too but I just reapplied instead of appealing. Didn't know appealing was even an option honestly.

The county should absolutely issue your retroactive benefits once they correct their error. When they reinstate your case, they're required to issue benefits for all the months you were eligible but didn't receive them due to their error. However, these things can take time and counties are often overwhelmed. If you don't see action within 2-3 weeks of your case being corrected, you should call your caseworker. If you can't reach them (which is unfortunately common), I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that helps you get through to actual CalFresh workers instead of waiting on hold forever. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 I used it when I had a similar issue with retroactive benefits and actually got through to someone who fixed my case that same day.

The county is ALWAYS doing this!!! They denied me THREE TIMES saying I was over income when I WASNT!! Then they had to backpay me for 4 MONTHS of benefits I should have gotten! They make these "mistakes" on purpose to save money I swear. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and don't let them bully you!

To answer your specific question about the extra allotments - if you're referring to the emergency allotments that were available during COVID, those ended in early 2023. CalFresh is back to regular benefit amounts now. But you should definitely receive the standard benefit amounts for September and October if the appeal determines you were eligible during those months.

When I went through the appeal process last year, it took about 3 weeks after my case was corrected for the retroactive benefits to appear on my EBT card. The important thing is that you have that conditional withdrawal - that's your protection if the county doesn't fix things properly. One thing I'd recommend is calling your county office once a week for a status update. Be polite but persistent. Ask specifically: 1) Has my case been reinstated? 2) When will my retroactive benefits be issued? 3) Has the overissuance been removed? Keep a log of every call - date, time, who you spoke with, and what they said. This documentation is crucial if you need to escalate later.

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.

I went through something similar with my CalFresh case earlier this year! The income calculations are so confusing and it seems like different workers sometimes come up with different numbers for the same income. The good news is that when they fix your case, you should definitely get those retroactive benefits for September and October. In my experience, it usually shows up as separate deposits for each month you missed. Keep checking your EBT balance regularly because sometimes they don't even send a notice when they add the back payments. Also, make sure you keep all your documentation from the appeals process - especially anything showing that the county admitted they made an error. That conditional withdrawal was smart because it protects you if they don't follow through on fixing everything. Hang in there, the system is frustrating but you're doing everything right! 💪

Ugh, this whole situation sounds so stressful! I'm dealing with something similar right now where my county keeps flip-flopping on my eligibility. It's like they can't make up their minds! From what I understand, once the appeals rep sends your case back and the county fixes their error, you should absolutely get retroactive benefits for September and October. They're legally required to pay you for any months you were eligible but didn't receive benefits due to their mistake. The overissuance notice should disappear too since the appeals rep already determined you were eligible for that September payment. Just make sure to follow up if you don't see action within a few weeks - sometimes these things get lost in the shuffle. Keep all your paperwork and don't let them try to blame you for their calculation error! Good luck and I hope they get this sorted out for you soon! 🤞

Wow, what a rollercoaster you've been through! I'm currently dealing with my own CalFresh issues so I totally feel your frustration. The fact that the appeals rep already acknowledged the county made a calculation error is huge - that should protect you from any responsibility for the overissuance. From what I've seen in this community, retroactive benefits usually do get issued once they fix these county errors, though it can take a few weeks to show up on your EBT card. Since you're already in November, I'd definitely start following up regularly to make sure your case doesn't fall through the cracks. One thing that helped me when I had issues was getting everything in writing whenever possible. If they call you with updates, ask them to send you a written notice too. These phone conversations have a way of getting "forgotten" later on. Stay strong - sounds like you're handling this exactly right! 💪

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! Got denied for income, appealed, benefits got reinstated, then hit with an overissuance notice. It's like they're playing ping pong with our cases! The appeals process is so confusing but it sounds like you're doing everything right. That conditional withdrawal was definitely the smart move - keeps your rights protected while giving them a chance to fix their mistake. One thing I learned from my caseworker is that when they mess up the income calculations (which happens way more than it should), they have to not only fix your current eligibility but also issue all the back benefits you should have gotten. So yes, you should definitely get your September and October payments once they sort this out! I've been keeping a detailed log of every interaction - dates, times, who I spoke with, what they promised. Highly recommend doing the same because these cases can drag on and people forget what was said. Hang in there, we'll get through this bureaucratic nightmare! 🤞

I've been following this thread and wanted to share some additional insight from my own experience with CalFresh appeals. The fact that the appeals representative acknowledged the county's calculation error is actually huge for your case - it creates an official record that this was their mistake, not yours. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also ask about interest/penalty relief when they fix your case. Since the overissuance was due to their error, you shouldn't face any collection actions or penalties. Make sure they note this in your file. Also, when the retroactive benefits do come through (which they absolutely should), they typically appear as lump sum deposits rather than being spread out. In my case, I got all three missed months deposited on the same day about 2.5 weeks after my case was corrected. The income threshold calculations are notoriously confusing even for the workers themselves. Different staff members can look at identical information and come up with different results, which is exactly what happened to you. The important thing is you advocated for yourself and didn't just accept their first denial. Keep that same energy through the resolution process! 💪

This exact thing happened to my sister last year! The county kept going back and forth on her income calculations and she was so frustrated she almost gave up. But the appeals rep was right - when they finally sorted it out, she got all her retroactive benefits AND they removed the overissuance notice completely. The key thing is that conditional withdrawal form you signed. That was really smart because it protects you if the county doesn't follow through on what they promised. My sister didn't do that at first and had to restart her whole appeal when the county "forgot" about their commitment to fix things. You should definitely get your September and October benefits once this gets resolved. In her case, it took about 3 weeks after they corrected everything, and the money showed up as separate deposits on different days. Keep checking your EBT balance regularly because like others said, they don't always notify you when they add the backdated amounts. Stay on top of them with weekly check-ins though - these cases have a way of sitting in someone's inbox if you don't keep following up. You're doing everything right, just hang in there! 🙏

I'm so sorry you're going through this mess! As someone who's been navigating CalFresh for a while, I can tell you that income calculation errors are unfortunately super common. The good news is that since the appeals rep has already acknowledged the county made a mistake, you're in a really strong position. You should absolutely get your retroactive benefits for September and October - they're legally required to issue them once they correct the error. In my experience, it usually takes 2-4 weeks after they fix your case for the money to show up on your EBT card, often as separate deposits for each month. The overissuance notice should disappear completely since it was based on their calculation error, not anything you did wrong. Make sure to ask them to document that the overissuance was due to county error when they contact you about the resolution. One tip: start calling weekly for status updates and keep detailed notes of every conversation. Get names, dates, and exactly what they tell you. This system moves slowly unless you stay on top of it, but your conditional withdrawal was the smart move to protect your rights while giving them a chance to fix things. Hang in there! 💪