Do I need a new EBT card when moving from Orange County to LA? CalFresh county transfer question

Welcome to LA! You don't need a new physical EBT card - the same card works throughout California. BUT you DO need to report your address change ASAP (don't wait for your SAR7) because you need to transfer your case between counties. Call your old county office and tell them you moved, they'll start the transfer process. If you don't do this, you might miss important notices and eventually lose benefits. I just did this last year moving from San Diego to LA and the process took about 2 weeks. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to the county office quickly - they have this service where they call and wait on hold for you then connect you when a worker answers. Saved me literally hours of hold time! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

You absolutely need to report your move between counties immediately. Your EBT card itself will continue to work (the plastic card is the same statewide), but your CalFresh case needs to be transferred from Orange County to Los Angeles County right away. This is considered a mandatory mid-period report - you can't wait until your next SAR7. Here's what to do: 1. Call Orange County Social Services (the county you're moving FROM) and inform them you've moved 2. Provide your new LA County address 3. They should initiate an Inter-County Transfer (ICT) 4. You'll get notices from both counties during the transfer If you don't report the move, you risk having your benefits discontinued if important notices are sent to your old address. The case transfer generally takes 30 days to complete.

OMG when I moved counties they MESSED UP my benefits for 2 months!!! Make sure u call like 5 times to confirm the transfer went thru!!!! They kept sending my paperwork to my old address even after I updated everything. so frustrating!

To add to what others have said, here's a little more detail about the Inter-County Transfer (ICT) process: - You should report your move within 10 days (this is required) - Your benefits will continue uninterrupted if everything is processed correctly - Your certification period stays the same, only the managing county changes - Your EBT card and account number remain the same - You can also report your move through BenefitsCal.com if you have an online account - Make sure both counties have your current phone number in case they need to reach you LA County has a lot more CalFresh recipients than Orange County, so sometimes processing can take longer here. If you haven't received confirmation of your transfer within 2 weeks, follow up with both counties.

when i moved from riverside to san bernardino last year nobody told me i had to report it right away and i lost my benefits for like 2 months while they figured it out. had to reapply completely. such a pain. definitely call asap dont wait

Everyone is right about reporting your move immediately, but I want to emphasize you should DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Get the name of everyone you speak with, case numbers, and confirmation numbers. The county transfer process can sometimes have hiccups. Also, while your EBT card itself will continue to work, sometimes there can be a delay in benefits being loaded while your case transfers. I recommend saving some of your current month's benefits just in case there's a gap. Better to be prepared than to be caught without food money if there's a delay.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'll call Orange County tomorrow and start the transfer process. I'll make sure to document everything like suggested. Really appreciate all the advice - this community is great!

Good luck with your transfer! Just wanted to add that if you have any issues getting through to Orange County by phone, you can also visit their office in person at 1300 S Grand Ave in Santa Ana. Sometimes it's faster than waiting on hold, especially if you're having trouble reaching them. Also, once your case transfers to LA County, your new managing office will likely be based on your specific address in LA - they have multiple district offices throughout the county. You should receive a notice telling you which office will handle your case going forward. Welcome to LA and hope your job is going well!

Just wanted to share that I went through this exact process when I moved from San Francisco to LA County about 8 months ago. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple checklist to track everything: ✓ Call origin county (Orange County in your case) to report move ✓ Get confirmation number/email of transfer initiation ✓ Update address on BenefitsCal.com ✓ Verify phone number is current for text updates ✓ Download myBenefits CalWIN app to monitor status ✓ Research local LA food resources as backup ✓ Document all interactions (names, dates, reference numbers) The process took about 2.5 weeks for me and went smoothly. Your EBT card will work the entire time - I was able to shop normally throughout. LA County actually has some really helpful online resources once your case transfers over, including virtual appointments for some services which I found way more convenient than in-person visits. Good luck with your transfer and welcome to LA! The job market here is great and you picked a good time to make the move. Don't stress too much - county transfers happen all the time and the system is pretty well set up for it.