CalFresh benefits reduced by $6 for SSA recipients in 2025 - anyone else seeing cuts?

This happens every January because Social Security gets a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which means your SSA income went up a little bit. When your income increases, even by a small amount, your CalFresh benefits decrease slightly. It's not targeting seniors specifically - it's just how the CalFresh benefit formula works. CalFresh benefits are calculated based on income, and when income goes up, benefits go down. The 2025 COLA for Social Security was about 2.3%, so most people on SSA saw their CalFresh decrease a bit.

Thanks for explaining. But it still seems unfair! The COLA barely covers inflation, so it's not like I have more purchasing power. They're basically taking food money away because I got a tiny increase that doesn't even keep up with grocery prices. Do they expect seniors to just eat less??

ur not alone!! mine went dwn $8 this month and im on ssdi. the weird thing is my friend who gets like $200 more SSA than me only lost $3?? makes no sence how they figure this stuff out

The calculation can seem confusing, but it's based on a formula that considers your shelter costs, medical expenses, and other deductions - not just the raw SSA amount. That's why your friend might have a different reduction even with higher SSA. When you had your recertification interview, did you make sure to tell them about all your medical expenses? Seniors and disabled individuals can deduct medical costs over $35 monthly, which can help increase your CalFresh amount.

wait WHAT?? nobody told me about deducting medical expenses! i spend like $100 a month on prescriptions even with medicare. do i have to wait till recertification to tell them or can i do it now???

THEY DO THIS EVERY YEAR AND IT'S ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!! The system is DESIGNED to keep us poor. My SSA went up $33 but my CalFresh went down $10. How does that math work??!! The cost of food has gone up WAY more than our SSA increases but the government doesn't care. I've been fighting this battle for years and all I get is \

I understand your frustration. The formula isn't actually designed to keep people poor, but it doesn't account well for the real-world impact of inflation on food costs specifically. CalFresh uses a standard calculation where approximately every $3 increase in countable income results in about $1 decrease in benefits. What can help is making sure all your deductions are properly counted - especially medical expenses over $35/month and housing costs, which many seniors don't realize they can claim.

Well it FEELS like it's designed to keep us poor. I didn't know about the medical expense deduction either. My worker never asked me about that! I spent over $600 on dental work last month that Medicare didn't cover. Can I report that now or is it too late?

This happens to my mom every January like clockwork. The COLA kicks in for SSA and then CalFresh sends a notice about benefit reduction. I think last year she lost $5 and this year it's $7. She gets so upset about it every time because it feels like they're taking away with one hand what they give with the other. 😕

I went through this exact situation last year! After months of getting nowhere with the county, I finally used a service called Claimyr to get through to an actual CalFresh worker instead of just getting disconnected or waiting on hold forever. They got me connected to someone who helped me understand exactly why my benefits changed and reviewed my case to make sure all my deductions were applied correctly.\n\nTurns out I was missing several medical expense deductions that I didn't know I could claim! Got my benefits increased by $32/month after they fixed it. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8\n\nDefinitely worth trying if you're struggling to get through to the county office.

Thank you for this tip! I've been trying to call my county office for days and keep getting disconnected after 30+ minutes on hold. It's so frustrating. I'll check out this service - I need to ask about these medical deductions everyone is mentioning. Never knew about those!

To address the original question more directly: The decrease is because Social Security recipients received a 2.3% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) for 2025. For someone receiving $1,200/month in SSA, that's about a $27-28 increase in monthly income. Since CalFresh reduces benefits by roughly $1 for every $3 in additional income, a $27 increase would reduce CalFresh by about $9. However, other factors in your specific case (housing costs, utility allowances, etc.) might have offset this somewhat, resulting in only a $6 decrease.\n\nIf you feel your benefits aren't calculated correctly, you have a few options:\n\n1. Request a detailed benefit calculation breakdown from your county office\n2. Make sure ALL eligible deductions are being counted (medical expenses over $35/month, full shelter costs)\n3. If you're over 60 or disabled, verify they're applying the special rules that allow more deductions\n4. Ask about the Standard Medical Deduction, which many counties now use for seniors\n\nYou also have the right to appeal the decision if you disagree with it.

This is very helpful, thank you. I do have about $85/month in prescription costs that I don't think I ever told them about because no one asked. And my rent went up $50/month in November - should I report that too? I've had the same worker for years but she never mentions these deductions.

I just wanna point out that everyones talking about the SSA COLA but the actual CalFresh benefit amounts ALSO changed for 2025. They do adjustments to the maximum benefit amounts every October (not January). So your change might be a combination of both things - your income went up a little AND the overall benefit structure changed. This happens every year tbh

One thing that many seniors don't realize is that if you have medical expenses over $35/month, you should absolutely report those to increase your CalFresh benefits. This includes:\n\n- Prescription costs and co-pays\n- Medicare premiums (Part B, Part D, supplements)\n- Dental expenses not covered by insurance\n- Transportation to medical appointments (including mileage in your own car)\n- Over-the-counter medications prescribed by a doctor\n- Medical equipment and supplies\n- Vision and hearing expenses\n\nMost counties now use a Standard Medical Deduction, which means if you can verify you spend more than $35/month on medical expenses, they automatically deduct $165 from your countable income when calculating your benefits. This can increase your monthly CalFresh significantly.\n\nYou don't have to wait for recertification - you can report these expenses anytime with verification.

NO ONE EVER TOLD ME THIS!! I spend at least $200/month on medical stuff even with Medicare. How do I report this? Do I need to fill out a SAR7 or just call?

To those asking about reporting medical expenses: You can report these changes at any time - you don't need to wait for your SAR7 or recertification. The best way to do this is to:\n\n1. Call your county office or submit the information through BenefitsCal.com\n2. Provide verification of the expenses (receipts, bills, statements from pharmacy)\n3. Request that they apply the Standard Medical Deduction if eligible\n4. Ask them to recalculate your benefits based on this new information\n\nThe change should be processed within 10 days of receiving your verification, and the increased benefits would start the following month. If you have expenses from previous months that you didn't report, unfortunately they can only adjust going forward, not retroactively.

I'm going to call tomorrow and ask about this. Should I gather all my pharmacy receipts first? And will they want proof of my rent increase too?

My aunt had the same thing happen but she got an advocate from the senior center to help her. They found out she was eligible for something called the

Yes, definitely gather your pharmacy receipts and any other medical expense documentation before calling! For medical expenses, they'll want to see things like prescription receipts, Medicare premium statements, and any bills for medical services. For the rent increase, bring your lease agreement or a letter from your landlord showing the new amount. The Standard Medical Deduction that @f90c33271baf mentioned can really make a difference - if you're spending $200/month on medical costs, that $165 deduction could potentially increase your CalFresh by $50+ per month. It's worth the effort to get this sorted out! Also, when you call, specifically ask them to review ALL your deductions to make sure nothing else is being missed. Sometimes there are utility allowances or other deductions that workers forget to apply.