CalFresh benefits missing from EBT card this month - payment delay?

same here! my benefits usually come on the 9th and nothing showed up. called the EBT customer service number and it just said to contact my county office but i cant get thru to anyone

This happens sometimes when there's a glitch in the system or a processing delay at the county level. Your benefits are probably not discontinued, just delayed. A few things to check: 1. Did you submit your SAR7 form on time? If it was due last month and they didn't receive it, benefits can be delayed. 2. Did you recently have a recertification? Sometimes there's a gap between certification periods. 3. Check if your case is pending some verification documents they might have requested. You should call your county CalFresh office directly. EBT customer service can only see your card balance, not what's happening with your actual case.

I'm dealing with this right now too!! Second month in a row this has happened to me. Last month my benefits were 5 days late because they said there was a "processing backlog" whatever that means. Try checking your BenefitsCal account to see if your case status shows anything weird

OMG the county system is ALWAYS having these "technical problems" right when people need their food money the most. I swear they do this intentionally to make it harder for people. Last year I had a month where my benefits just randomly didn't show up, and when I finally got through to someone, they said "oh it was a system error" but offered ZERO help with what I was supposed to feed my kids in the meantime. The whole system is designed to be difficult on purpose!!

I work with CalFresh recipients often, and this issue has been coming up frequently this month. From what I understand, there was a system update to the statewide EBT issuance system that's causing delays for some recipients. Most people should receive their benefits within 72 hours of their normal issuance date. If you're in an emergency situation with no food, you can request an expedited replacement of your benefits by contacting your county office and explaining the situation. They're required to address true hardship cases within one business day. Also, you might want to try Claimyr if you can't get through on the phone lines. It's a service that holds your place in the county phone queue and calls you back when a worker is available. Their video shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and the website is claimyr.com. I've had clients use it with success when they kept getting disconnected from the regular county lines.

This happened to me back in January. Turns out they had sent me a verification request for my rent that I never received, and when I didn't respond, they delayed my benefits. When I finally got through to someone, they restored the benefits retroactively. Make sure you check if there are any pending verification requests on your BenefitsCal account.

I just got off the phone with my county office (waited 45 minutes btw) and they said there IS a system delay affecting several counties in California. The worker said benefits should be loaded by end of day tomorrow for most people. Just thought I'd update everyone here!

tried that claimyr thing someone mentioned above and it actually worked! got a call back in 30 min and the worker confirmed what @real_talk said about the system delay. she said my benefits should be on my card by tomorrow morning and if not to call back

Just as a future tip for everyone: if this ever happens again and you can't reach anyone, you can also go in person to your county office and request an emergency benefit issuance if you have no food. They're required to help you same-day if you're in a true emergency situation. Bring ID and your case number if you have it.

I'm so glad to hear your benefits finally came through! This thread has been really helpful for understanding what's been happening. I just wanted to add that if anyone else is still waiting, you can also check with local food banks or pantries for emergency assistance while waiting for your benefits to be restored. Many of them don't require documentation and can help bridge the gap. The California Association of Food Banks website has a search tool to find locations near you. It's not a solution to the systemic issues, but it can help families get through these delays without going hungry.

This is exactly why I always keep a small emergency food stash now after going through something similar last year. When the system works, it's great, but when it doesn't, families shouldn't have to scramble like this. I'm really glad everyone was able to share information and resources here - it shows how much we need each other when the official channels fail us. For anyone reading this in the future, another thing that helped me was connecting with local mutual aid groups on social media. They often have emergency food assistance or can connect you with neighbors who can help out temporarily. The whole situation is frustrating but at least we can support each other through it!

I'm really sorry to hear about the stress everyone has been dealing with regarding the delayed benefits. As someone new to this community, I wanted to share that I've been experiencing the same issue - my benefits that normally arrive on the 15th still haven't shown up. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and reassuring to know it's not just me or something I did wrong. The information about the system-wide delays, Claimyr, emergency issuance options, and food bank resources is invaluable. It's frustrating that we have to rely on each other to figure out what's happening when the official channels are so hard to reach, but I'm grateful for communities like this where people actually help each other out. I'll definitely be keeping some of these backup resources in mind for the future. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

I'm also new to this community and just wanted to say how helpful this entire thread has been! I'm dealing with the same delayed benefits issue - mine usually come on the 13th and still nothing. Reading everyone's experiences and solutions has been such a relief because I was starting to panic that something was wrong with my case specifically. I had no idea about resources like Claimyr or that you could request emergency issuance at the county office. It's really unfortunate that we have to rely on community knowledge to navigate these system failures, but I'm so grateful for everyone who took the time to share their experiences and advice. This is exactly the kind of mutual support that makes these difficult situations more manageable. I'll definitely be trying some of the suggestions mentioned here and keeping the emergency resources bookmarked for future reference. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where people can get real help when the official channels fail us!

I turned in my sar7 and it's still being reviewed!?!? I was supposed to get my food stamps today ..I called the 800 number to my county and it's saying EBT is active but won't get my food stamps til November...is anyone else dealing with such chaos ? Yop it off I never got a notice of action