Closed my case but CalFresh letter says I qualify for 6 months - still not getting benefits?

Yeah this happens sometimes with Transitional CalFresh (TCF). The county computer systems don't always communicate well with each other. One department closes your case while another tries to put you on TCF. When did your last regular CalFresh benefits post to your card? And are you 100% sure your EBT card is still active?

same thing hapened to me!!! they sent me a leter saying i was aproved for the transition food stamps after my cash aid stopped but then NOTHING on my card. i waited 2 weeks then i finaly called them. turns out they had to manually fix something in their system. got my benefits like 3 days after i called them. u HAVE TO CALL!

The transitional CalFresh can take up to 30 days to start in some counties, even though the letter makes it sound immediate. It's super frustrating! Have you tried checking BenefitsCal to see the status instead of just your EBT card?

This is a common issue with Transitional CalFresh benefits. Here's what's likely happening: When you voluntarily closed your case, the system processed that closure, but a separate process should have automatically converted you to TCF. Sometimes there's a glitch where the TCF doesn't get properly set up even though the letter gets automatically generated. You absolutely need to speak with a worker to fix this. They'll need to manually establish your TCF case in the system. The good news is that benefits should be retroactive to when your regular CalFresh ended, so you shouldn't lose any money. Make sure when you call to specifically mention "Transitional CalFresh" and that you received an approval letter but no benefits have been loaded. Ask them to check if your TCF case was properly established in the system after your regular case closed.

I went through this exact situation last year. After trying to call for days and getting disconnected each time, I started using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a real person at the CalFresh office. They basically hold your place in line and call you when a worker picks up. Saved me hours of holding and getting disconnected. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Once I actually got through to a worker, they found that my TCF case had been approved in the system but not "activated" for payment (whatever that means). They fixed it while I was on the phone and my benefits showed up 2 days later. They also gave me the benefits I'd missed for the previous month.

This happens all the darn time with the county!! It's not just you. They have these automated systems that send out letters but then the actual benefits never come. It's like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. I bet if you went into the office in person (I know it's a pain) they'd fix it right away. That's what I had to do when this happened with my MediCal transition.

Wait I'm confused... Did you actually close your cash aid AND food stamps together? Because if you voluntarily closed both, I don't think you automatically get Transitional CalFresh. TCF is usually only when your cash aid ends but you didn't specifically ask to end CalFresh too. Maybe the letter was sent by mistake?

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at the county! You guys were right - they had approved me for TCF but there was some kind of system flag that prevented it from actually issuing benefits. The worker fixed it while I was on the phone and said I should see all my back benefits (from when I first should have started receiving TCF) within 3 business days. She also noted in my case that I should continue receiving the benefits for the full 5 months remaining in my transitional period. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

For anyone wondering, my benefits just loaded this morning! Got the full back payment for what I was owed too. The worker didn't really explain why the flag happened, just said something about the "closure reason code" not properly triggering the TCF process. Seems like they have to manually fix these a lot.

This is such a great example of how persistent you have to be with these systems! I'm dealing with something similar right now - got approved for emergency CalFresh but haven't seen any benefits loaded yet. It's really frustrating when you're counting on that help to feed your family. Your story gives me hope that if I keep calling, I'll eventually get someone who can actually fix the problem. Thanks for sharing the update and glad your kids won't be going hungry anymore!

Wow, this whole thread is such a perfect example of how broken the communication is between different parts of the county system! @Bruno Simmons I'm so glad you finally got this resolved - it must have been incredibly stressful waiting weeks for benefits that were already approved. For anyone else dealing with similar TCF issues, it sounds like the key lessons are: 1) Don't assume the approval letter means benefits will automatically start, 2) Be prepared to call multiple times and be very specific about "Transitional CalFresh" when you get through, and 3) Ask specifically if your TCF case was properly "activated" in their system. It's ridiculous that families have to become experts in navigating these system glitches just to get the food assistance they're entitled to. The county really needs to fix these communication issues between their departments so people don't have to go through this stress when they're already dealing with job loss and other challenges.