CalFresh benefits cut from $425 to $175 after IRT income reporting issue - can I get full benefits back?

this happens all the time with seasonal jobs. u need to show ur new paystubs ASAP and explain the situation. they might restore ur benefits for next month but probably too late for this month

This is a common issue with variable income. The system works on what has already happened, not what will happen. Here's what you need to do: 1. Gather your most recent paystubs showing reduced hours 2. File a Mid-Period Report to show your income has decreased 3. Request that they recalculate your benefits based on your current circumstances They should adjust your benefits for the upcoming month if you can prove your income is now below the IRT. Make sure you specifically tell them you're reporting a "decrease in income" which should trigger a benefit recalculation. Regarding the overpayment, you'll likely still need to address that separately. If you truly didn't know you were supposed to report the income increase at the time, you can request a "reasonable error" waiver, but those are hard to get.

omg i had the EXACT same thing happen!!! my benefits got cut from $397 to $210 because i picked up extra shifts during the holidays. my caseworker told me that even tho my income went back down, i had to wait until my next SAR7 or recertification to get my full benefits back! it was a NIGHTMARE and i had to go to the food bank for 2 months. the system is totally broken for people with variable income.

You HAVE to report income changes when they go OVER your IRT within 10 days! It's on that paper they send you with your IRT amount. They won't care that your income is down now because you were supposed to report when it went up. You'll probably have to wait until your next SAR7 or recert to get full benefits back. The system SUCKS for people with variable income!!!

CalFresh regulations actually allow for mid-period adjustments when your income decreases. You need to submit verification of your current lower income (paystubs from the most recent 30 days), and specifically request a mid-period adjustment due to decreased income. For the overpayment issue: if you didn't report when your income exceeded the IRT within 10 days, that's unfortunately still valid even if your income later decreased. You can request a repayment plan to make it manageable. Call your county office and specifically ask to speak with a worker about submitting a "mid-period report for decreased income" - make sure you use those exact words. If you can't get through on the phone, which is extremely common these days, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that gets you through to a live CalFresh worker without the endless hold times. I used it last month when my benefits suddenly stopped, and they got me connected to a worker in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

I'm confused... why would they make you pay back benefits from February/March if they're just now telling you about it in May/June? Shouldn't they have caught that sooner? Something seems off about the timing.

I went through this exact situation last year. You CAN get your benefits recalculated mid-period when your income decreases, despite what some people are saying. However, the process can be frustrating. What worked for me: 1. Submitted a "Voluntary Mid-Period Report" (some counties call it different things) 2. Included ALL my recent paystubs showing the decrease 3. Wrote a brief explanation about the variable nature of my work hours 4. FOLLOWED UP multiple times - this was key They initially denied my request, but when I spoke with a supervisor and cited the regulations about mid-period decreases, they approved it. The regulations specifically state that counties MUST act on reported decreases in income. As for the overpayment, unfortunately that's probably still valid and separate from your current situation.

btw u should apply for calfresh emergency supplement if ur in a bad spot, they can give u extra benefits in 3 days if u qualify