CalFresh discontinuance letter but website shows active - worried about tomorrow's deposit

the website is usually behind the letters. if you got a discontinuance notice in the mail its prolly accurate. did u miss ur SAR7 or recertification maybe? or maybe u went over the income reporting threshold (IRT) and didnt report it? those r the most common reasons benefits get cut off. check ur mail more carefully!!

OMG you're right. I just dug through the pile and actually READ the letter. Says I missed submitting verification documents they requested 30 days ago. But I swear I never got that request! This is so frustrating. My income hasn't changed at all.

This happens more often than you'd think. The website doesn't always update in real-time with actions taken on your case. If the letter specified discontinuance as of 8/31, it's likely accurate. However, you might still receive benefits tomorrow since the cut-off was 8/31 and benefits for September would technically be issued on 9/3.\n\nYour best course of action is to:\n1. Check your EBT balance through the app or phone system tomorrow to see if benefits were loaded\n2. If not, you need to contact your county office immediately on Tuesday to request a rescission of the discontinuance\n3. Be prepared to provide whatever verification documents they mentioned in the letter\n\nIf you act quickly (within 90 days of discontinuance), you may be able to get benefits restored without having to complete a new application.

Thank you so much for this detailed response. I'll definitely check my balance first thing tomorrow morning. I found the letter and it says I missed submitting pay stubs they requested, but I never saw that request. Do you think I can just upload those to BenefitsCal this weekend even though it's closed, or do I have to wait until Tuesday?

same exact thing happened to me last year lol. website said active but no money showed up. turns out i missed some form they wanted. had to reapply and was without benefits for like 6 weeks 😭

That must have been so stressful! Did you have to completely start over with a new application, or were they able to just reactivate your existing case? 6 weeks is such a long time to wait!

The discrepancy between the letter and website is concerning but not unusual. The CalFresh online system often lags behind actual case actions. Here's what's likely happening:\n\n1. Your benefits were discontinued effective 8/31 due to missing verification (which you've now confirmed from the letter)\n\n2. The BenefitsCal website shows your case as \

wait really? never heard of that service before. does it actually work? so sick of being on hold for hours just to get disconnected 🙄

If your county offers the CalFresh mobile app, check that as well. Sometimes the mobile app reflects your true status more accurately than the website. The letter is almost certainly correct, as discontinuance notices are generated from actual case actions taken by eligibility workers, while the website status may not update for 1-3 business days after case actions.

I just checked the YourBenefitsNow app and it also shows active! But after reading all the comments, I'm assuming that's also delayed in updating. I'm going to upload my paystubs right now and hope for the best.

THE COUNTY DOES THIS ALL THE TIME!! They say they request documents but never actually send the notice. Then they cut you off claiming you didn't respond! This happened to me THREE times last year. The system is BROKEN and designed to make people lose benefits so the county can save money. And they ALWAYS do it right before a holiday weekend so you can't reach anyone!!! 🤬

While it's frustrating when communication breaks down, these issues are usually system or mail delivery problems rather than intentional actions. Counties don't save money by discontinuing eligible participants - CalFresh is 100% federally funded. The timing before a holiday is unfortunate coincidence, not strategy. However, you're right that better communication systems are needed.

hey did u end up getting ur benefits loaded 2day?? curious what happened

Just checked and nothing loaded 😢 I uploaded all my paystubs and wrote a detailed note in BenefitsCal explaining that I never saw the request for verification. Guess I'll be using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above first thing Tuesday morning. Thanks for checking in!

btw make sure u check if ur case is just suspended vs discontinued big difference!! if suspended they can just reactivate but if discontinued u might need to reapply totally

Thank you! The letter specifically says

Based on your latest comment, since the notice says

Thank you so much for this information! I'll definitely use those exact terms when I call on Tuesday. I've now uploaded everything to BenefitsCal, taken screenshots as proof, and written down the date/time of my uploads. Fingers crossed they can restore my benefits quickly because we're really counting on that food assistance.

I went through something similar a few months ago! The exact same thing happened - got a discontinuance letter but the website still showed active. Unfortunately the letter was correct and no benefits loaded on my usual date. What saved me was calling the county EBT customer service line (not the eligibility office) first thing in the morning - they could see in real time that my case was actually discontinued even though the website hadn't updated yet. Also, if you have kids, definitely look into emergency food assistance through local food banks while you wait for this to get sorted out. Many don't require any paperwork and can help bridge the gap. Good luck getting it resolved on Tuesday! 🤞

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress! This happened to my sister last year - the website lag is real and frustrating. Since you've already uploaded your paystubs to BenefitsCal, make sure you also check your "Messages" section in the portal to see if there are any pending requests you might have missed. Sometimes they show up there even if the physical mail got lost. Also, when you call Tuesday, have your case number ready and ask specifically about "good cause" for late verification - if you truly never received the original request, that could help your case. The fact that you uploaded everything as soon as you found out shows good faith effort. Don't give up hope - I've seen people get their benefits restored within a few days once they get through to the right person!

Don't beat yourself up about missing the message in the portal - that Messages section is really easy to overlook and the system doesn't send email notifications when new requests are posted there. The important thing is that you found it now and took action immediately. When you call Tuesday, definitely mention that the message was buried in the portal without any email alert, as this shows the communication breakdown wasn't entirely on your end. Also, since you found the original request was from 6 weeks ago, you'll want to provide pay stubs covering that entire period up to now to show your income situation. Keep all your screenshots and documentation ready - having everything organized will help speed up the restoration process. You're being a great advocate for your family by staying on top of this! 💪