EBT card stolen - CalFresh replacement taking forever after paperwork issues

same thing happened 2 me last year. they make u wait the FULL 10 days even if ur case is easy to prove. its stupid

I had my EBT stolen in February, and yes, you'll get your benefits back after the 10 business days IF your claim is approved. Make sure you have any evidence they might want - police report number, date/time you noticed it missing, and the last legitimate purchase you made. The replacement benefits should be from the date you reported the theft forward, not for purchases made by the thief. One thing to know - if the thief used your PIN, they might give you a harder time with the claim. Did you have your PIN written on the card or stored with it? That can cause issues with replacement.

The whole EBT replacement system is GARBAGE!!! I had mine skimmed last year and they made me wait 45 DAYS before getting anything back!!! The workers kept saying "it's in process" over and over!! Meanwhile my kids were hungry and we had to go to food banks. The system is designed to punish poor people even when we're VICTIMS of theft!!

I work with CalFresh clients, and unfortunately, EBT card theft is increasingly common. The 10 business days is the standard processing time, and yes, you should receive the benefits that were stolen if your claim is approved. The approval rate is fairly high for legitimate claims. Some helpful tips: 1. Make sure you've canceled the stolen card immediately (sounds like you did) 2. Be very specific on the form about which benefits were stolen (CalFresh vs. CalWORKs) 3. If you're in dire need, ask about expedited replacement options 4. Document all communications with the county One solution many people don't know about for getting through to CalFresh faster is using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They'll actually wait on hold with the county for you and call you back when a real person is on the line. They have a quick video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. This can save hours of hold time when you're trying to follow up on benefit replacement status.

when i had my ebt stolen last year i had 2 go to the county office in person with my ID to get help faster. the phone system is useless. bring all ur paperwork and ask for a supervisor if they try to make u wait longer. they approved mine in 5 days instead of 10 when i did this.

This happened to me in January. The thing that's most frustrating is they expect us to just magically have food for those 10+ days while they process everything! What are we supposed to do in the meantime? Not eat? I had to borrow money from family just to get groceries during the waiting period. The county worker told me "there's nothing we can do to speed it up" which is ridiculous. The only silver lining is that yes, I did get all the stolen benefits back eventually. But it took the full 10 business days (which is actually 2 weeks when you count weekends).

I'm sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation. To directly answer your question: yes, you should receive your stolen benefits back after the review period, assuming your claim is approved. The 10 business days is the maximum timeframe for processing theft claims according to state regulations, and many counties try to process them faster. A few important points: 1. California has specific EBT theft protection policies. The benefits that were stolen should be replaced as long as you reported it promptly (which you did) and complete the paperwork correctly this time. 2. For your new submission, make sure you include: - Exact date and time you discovered the theft - Specific amount stolen (with dates of transactions if possible) - Any police report information if you filed one 3. The 10 business days means 10 county working days, not including weekends or holidays. 4. If you're experiencing a food emergency while waiting, ask about emergency food resources. Many counties can refer you to food banks or emergency assistance. Keep a copy of all paperwork you submit this time, and get a receipt or confirmation number when you submit it.

UPDATE: Went to the county office in person today with all my documentation. The worker there was actually really helpful and said my case was pretty straightforward. She expedited my claim and said I should see my benefits replaced within 3-5 business days instead of 10! She said going in person definitely helped speed things up. Thanks everyone for the advice!