CalFresh benefits not loaded after verbal approval during recertification interview - still pending online

This happens quite often, unfortunately. Even when they verbally approve you during the recertification interview, the worker still needs to input everything into their system and finalize the approval. Typically that should happen within 1-2 business days after your interview, but it can take up to 3-5 business days if they're backed up. Since it's been 3 days already and your regular issuance date has passed, I'd definitely call the county office tomorrow morning to check what's happening. Make sure to mention that your worker verbally approved you during the interview but your benefits haven't loaded and your case still shows pending online.

Thank you so much for the info! I'll definitely call first thing in the morning. Do you think there's any chance my benefits could still be approved and loaded today, or do I need to prepare for potentially not having them for a few more days? We're really struggling right now.

omg the same thing happend to me last month!! the lady said i was all good then NOTHING for like 4 days after my normal date. turns out they needed some extra proof of my rent that she never told me about during the call. def call them back asap

Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about! Did she tell you during the interview that everything was approved? And did you have to submit additional documents when you called back?

ya she totally said evrything was fine!! then when i called they said there was some note about needing a new lease agreement but nobody ever told me or sent anything. once i uploaded it on benefitscal i got the money like 2 days later. so annoying

I've been through the CalFresh recertification process several times, and in my experience, there's often a gap between when they verbally approve you and when benefits actually appear. The worker might have approved your case during the interview, but sometimes there's additional review required by a supervisor or verification steps that happen behind the scenes.\n\nIf you need food immediately, you might want to call the county office and ask if you qualify for expedited benefits due to your situation. They can sometimes issue emergency benefits within 3 days if you meet certain criteria (like having less than $150 in income and less than $100 in resources). Worth asking about while you wait for your regular benefits to process.

Thank you for the detailed response! I didn't know about expedited benefits during recertification - I thought that was only for new applications. I'll definitely ask about that when I call tomorrow. Really appreciate the advice.

Ugh this SYSTEM is so frustrating!!! They tell you one thing then do another. I bet they're DELIBERATELY delaying your benefits. My recert was 2 months ago and the worker said I was approved but then I got DENIED a week later for supposedly missing some stupid document they never asked for!!! Had to appeal the whole thing and finally got my benefits but BACKDATED thank god. The county offices are a MESS in 2025, worse than last year even.

While I understand your frustration, I don't think the county is deliberately delaying benefits. They're just overwhelmed with cases and understaffed. But you make a good point about asking for backdated benefits - if OP's benefits are delayed due to county error, they should definitely request that any missed benefits be backdated once the issue is resolved.

If you still need to call the county office, you might want to try Claimyr. I was in a similar situation last month and spent hours trying to get through the CalFresh phone system with no luck. Claimyr got me connected to a real person in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. It was honestly such a relief not having to redial a hundred times.

Thank you for the recommendation! I've never heard of Claimyr before, but I'll check out that video. Last time I tried calling the county office I waited for over an hour and then got disconnected. Does it really get you through that fast?

Yeah, it really did work for me. They basically call the county office for you and then connect you once they get through to a person. Saved me from having to listen to that awful hold music and menu system for hours. Definitely worth looking into if you have trouble getting through tomorrow.

My benefits got delayed after my recertification too a few months ago. But mine said \

This is a good point about visiting in person. The in-person offices are much less crowded than they were a year ago, and you can often get same-day help. Just make sure to bring your ID and any relevant documents like your approval letter from the phone interview (if they sent one).

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at the county office this morning. Turns out the worker who did my interview put a note that my landlord needed to fill out a housing verification form, but she never actually told me this during our call! They're sending the form today and said once I get it back to them, they'll process my benefits within 48 hours and backdate them to my usual issuance date (the 7th). So frustrating that this wasn't communicated to me during the interview when she said I was approved. Thanks everyone for your help!

This is unfortunately very common with CalFresh recertifications. Even though they're supposed to tell you about all required verification documents during the interview, sometimes things fall through the cracks. For future reference, after any recertification interview, it's always a good idea to:\n\n1. Ask explicitly if any additional documents are needed\n2. Get a confirmation number or some kind of reference for your interview\n3. Check BenefitsCal daily until your status changes from \

Thank you for these tips! I'll definitely be more proactive next time. I actually took your advice and specifically asked if they would backdate the benefits and the worker confirmed they would, so that's a relief. Lesson learned for sure.

I just went through recertification last month and had a similar issue except mine was about income verification even though I uploaded all my pay stubs beforehand. One thing I learned is that you can sign up for text alerts on BenefitsCal that will notify you when your status changes or when they need additional documents. That way you don't have to keep checking the website. Might be helpful for next time!

Oh, I had no idea about the text alerts! That would have been so helpful. Where exactly do you set that up on BenefitsCal? Is it under notifications or account settings?

It's under Account Settings, then Notification Preferences. You can choose email, text, or both. I do both just to be safe! They'll send you alerts for status changes, required documents, upcoming deadlines for SAR7 and recertification, and benefit deposits.

I'm so glad you were able to get through and figure out what was holding up your benefits! It's really frustrating that the worker didn't mention needing the housing verification form during your interview - that seems to happen way too often. At least they're going to backdate your benefits to the 7th, so you won't lose out on any money. Hopefully your landlord can fill out that form quickly so you can get your benefits processed ASAP. Thanks for updating us on what happened - this will definitely help other people who run into the same issue!

Really glad you got this sorted out @a55fa451d546! The housing verification form issue is SO common - I've seen this exact scenario play out multiple times in this community. It's honestly poor practice for workers to say someone is "approved" during the interview when there are still outstanding verification requirements. They should really be saying something like "pending receipt of housing verification" instead. But at least you're getting backdated benefits, which is the right outcome. Hope your landlord gets that form back to you quickly!