CalFresh benefits missing on scheduled issuance date - approved in May but no EBT reload?
I'm seriously stressing out right now! My CalFresh account shows as 'active' but I didn't get my benefits loaded on my EBT card on the 8th like I was supposed to. This is only my second month - I just got approved on May 17th and received my first payment without any issues. My case number ends in 8 so I should've gotten my benefits on the 8th according to the issuance schedule. I've called the county office for the last two days and all I get is a recording saying 'leave a detailed message and we'll call back within 3 business days.' I left TWO messages already! My kids are hungry and I budgeted expecting this money to be there. I don't understand what could have gone wrong when nothing changed in my situation and my status still shows active online. Has anyone else experienced delays with their June benefits? Or could there be something specific that happens after your first month that nobody told me about? I'm getting really worried that I might need to reapply or something.
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ShadowHunter
same thing happened 2 me last month! turned out they were missing some verification document they never told me they needed 🙄 have u checked ur messages in BenefitsCal? sometimes they put notices there but dont send them in mail
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Chloe Taylor
AuthorI just checked BenefitsCal and don't see any messages or tasks! Everything looks normal which is why I'm so confused. It just says my case is active but no money ðŸ˜
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Diego Ramirez
This sounds frustrating, but there could be a few things happening here. Since you're in your second month, they may be transitioning you from initial approval benefits to your regular ongoing amount. Check if you received a Notice of Action letter explaining your benefit amount - sometimes the second month can have timing issues. Also, keep in mind the 8th is when benefits are authorized, but sometimes it takes until late night or even early the next day to appear on your card. Have you checked your EBT account online to verify the exact balance and transaction history? That might show if anything was deposited and then removed for some reason.
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Chloe Taylor
AuthorThanks for explaining that! I did receive a Notice of Action after approval showing my monthly benefit amount ($625 for our household), but nothing after that. I've been checking my EBT account online every few hours and nothing has shown up yet, even though it's been 3 days since the 8th. The transaction history just shows my purchases from last month :
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Anastasia Sokolov
hate to say it but ur gonna wait DAYS for them to call back. the whole system is mess. i waited 5 days once and nobody ever called!!! then had to start all over!!
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Chloe Taylor
AuthorThat's what I'm afraid of! I can't wait days with no food in the house 😢
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Sean O'Connor
I've worked with CalFresh for years, and there are a few common reasons this happens in the second month: 1. There might have been an unreported change that flagged your case for review 2. Sometimes the system requires manual authorization after the first month 3. There could have been a verification document due that wasn't received 4. The system occasionally has glitches during the transition from expedited to regular benefits The fastest solution is speaking directly with your eligibility worker. Instead of waiting for a callback, have you tried using Claimyr? It's a service that helps you get through to a live CalFresh worker quickly instead of waiting days. I've recommended it to many clients at www.claimyr.com - there's even a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Once you talk to a worker, they can tell you exactly what's happening and often fix it immediately if it's just a system issue.
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Chloe Taylor
AuthorI've never heard of Claimyr before - is it really going to get me through to an actual person? At this point I'll try anything because my kids are asking for food and I don't know what to tell them.
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Zara Ahmed
I HATE THE CALFRESH PHONE SYSTEM!!! Been on it 4 years and it NEVER gets better!!! FOUR TIMES last year my benefits didn't load when they should and each time it was a different excuse - "system glitch" "pending verification" (they never asked for) "worker error" and my favorite "we don't know why"!!! And they expect us to wait 3+ days for a callback while our kids go HUNGRY?!? This is why people give up on the system!!
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Luca Conti
yeah the system sux but at least we get something... better than nothing right
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Sean O'Connor
One more thing to check - did you receive and return your SAR7 form? Even though you just got approved in May, depending on your reporting cycle, they might have immediately sent you a Semi-Annual Report that was due. If that wasn't returned, your benefits could be delayed or suspended. Worth asking about when you reach a worker.
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Chloe Taylor
AuthorI don't think I received a SAR7 form, but maybe I missed it? I thought that was something you do after 6 months, not right after approval. Is that something I should have gotten in the mail?
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Nia Johnson
I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned when I had a similar issue last month. It actually worked - got me through to a person in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. The worker told me my benefits were on hold because they needed my updated lease agreement (which nobody had told me). They released my benefits the same day after I uploaded it through BenefitsCal. Might be worth a try if you're desperate.
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Chloe Taylor
AuthorThank you! I'm going to try it right now. I can't afford to wait any longer, and if there's something they need that I don't know about, I need to find out ASAP.
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ShadowHunter
did u get a new job or something? they cut mine off when i didn't report my new job even tho i was still under the income limit
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Chloe Taylor
AuthorNo, nothing's changed at all since I applied! Same job, same hours, same everything. That's why I'm so confused!
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Zara Ahmed
Just FYI - they SHOULD have sent you an actual NOTICE if your benefits were being held or stopped for ANY reason!! It's literally THE LAW that they have to notify you! So if you didn't get anything, that's on THEM, not you!
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Sean O'Connor
You're absolutely right. If benefits are being held or discontinued, they must send a Notice of Action at least 10 days before the action. If OP didn't receive anything, they should mention this when they speak to a worker, as it could be grounds for immediate benefit restoration.
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Chloe Taylor
UPDATE: I used Claimyr and got through to someone in about 15 minutes! The worker checked my case and found that there was a system flag because this was my transition to regular ongoing benefits. Apparently my initial approval was under expedited processing, and there was supposed to be an automatic review before my second month. The worker was able to clear the flag and process my benefits - they should be on my card by tomorrow morning! She also noted my account so this doesn't happen again next month. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
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Chloe Zhang
So glad you got it sorted out! That's exactly what I was hoping would happen - sometimes it really is just a simple system issue that a worker can fix in minutes. Thanks for updating us too, this info will definitely help other people who run into the same problem with their second month benefits!
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Ravi Gupta
That's such great news! I'm so relieved you got it resolved quickly. The transition from expedited to regular benefits seems to be a common issue that trips up the system but nobody warns new recipients about it. It's frustrating that you had to go through the stress of not knowing what was wrong, especially with kids to feed. Definitely keeping Claimyr bookmarked for future reference - seems like it's a real lifesaver when the regular phone system fails us. Hope your benefits load smoothly from now on!
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Brady Clean
This is such a relief to read! I'm new to this community and CalFresh myself (just applied last week), so seeing posts like this makes me really nervous about what to expect. It's crazy that they don't warn people about these transition issues - seems like something they should mention when you first get approved. I'm definitely saving that Claimyr link for future reference just in case. Thanks for sharing your experience and I'm so glad your kids won't have to go hungry anymore!
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CosmicCrusader
Welcome to the community! Don't let this scare you too much - while these system glitches happen, they're usually fixable once you get through to the right person. The key thing I've learned from reading everyone's experiences here is to keep all your paperwork organized and don't be afraid to advocate for yourself when something seems wrong. Most of the time your benefits will load exactly when they're supposed to, but it's good to know resources like Claimyr exist for those times when the system hiccups. Good luck with your application!
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Liam Sullivan
This is exactly why I love this community - everyone jumps in to help when someone's struggling! @Chloe Taylor I'm so happy you got your benefits sorted out. The expedited-to-regular transition issue seems to happen more often than it should, and you're right that they really should warn people about potential delays during that switch. For anyone else reading this who might face similar issues, it sounds like Claimyr is definitely worth trying when the regular phone system isn't working. It's ridiculous that we have to use third-party services to get basic help, but if it gets people the assistance they need faster, I'm all for it. Thanks for updating us with the resolution - posts like this are so valuable for other families who might hit the same roadblock!
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Alice Fleming
This whole thread has been so helpful to read as someone who just joined this community! I'm actually going through the application process right now and had no idea about these potential second-month transition issues. It's really reassuring to see how everyone came together to help @Chloe Taylor figure this out, and I m'definitely bookmarking that Claimyr service just in case. The fact that it was just a system flag that could be cleared in minutes but caused days of stress and worry really shows how broken the communication is in this system. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it makes navigating all this so much less scary when you know there are people who understand and want to help!
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StarSurfer
Welcome to the community @Alice Fleming! I'm also pretty new here but this thread has been such an eye-opener. It's honestly kind of scary that these system glitches can happen without any warning, especially when families are depending on those benefits. But seeing how quickly people jumped in to help @Chloe Taylor and share their own experiences really shows what a supportive group this is. Definitely saving all this info for future reference - hope your application process goes smoothly and you don t'run into any of these transition issues!
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Mia Roberts
Welcome to the community @Alice Fleming! I'm pretty new here too and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening. It's amazing how something that should be straightforward - getting your monthly benefits - can turn into such a stressful situation because of system glitches that nobody warns you about. I'm glad @Chloe Taylor got everything resolved, but it really shouldn t'take a third-party service to get basic help from a government program. At least now we all know what to watch out for and have resources like Claimyr if we run into similar issues. This community seems really supportive which makes the whole process feel less overwhelming!
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Oliver Wagner
Welcome to the community @Alice Fleming! I'm also pretty new here (just got approved a few months ago) and this thread has been eye-opening for me too. It's amazing how many little quirks and potential issues exist in the CalFresh system that they don't tell you about upfront. The fact that @Chloe Taylor had to go through all that stress over what turned out to be a routine system transition is really frustrating, but I m'so glad this community exists to help people navigate these problems. Good luck with your application process - hopefully it goes smoothly for you!
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