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! 💪