EBT cards for my kids just arrived with letter H - both loaded and ready in LA County!
Finally got some good news to share! After weeks of waiting and stressing, both of my children's EBT cards arrived in today's mail (marked with letter H). I immediately called the EBT customer service line to check if they were activated and YES - both cards are loaded with benefits and ready to use! Such a relief since we've been struggling with just my card for the past few months. For anyone else waiting on additional household member cards in LA County, they seem to be moving faster now. Has anyone else recently received cards for household members? How long did yours take to arrive after approval?
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Thais Soares
congrats!! still waiting on my teenager's card in san bernardino... been almost 3 weeks since i added him to my case during recertification. did u have to do anything special to make it happen or it just showed up?
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Fiona Gallagher
•No, I didn't do anything special! Just waited (not so patiently lol). I added my kids during my recertification interview about 5 weeks ago. The worker said it would take 2-3 weeks but it ended up being longer. Maybe give your county office a call if it's been 3 weeks already?
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Nalani Liu
That's great news! Just an FYI for everyone - when you add household members to your CalFresh case, cards typically take 7-10 business days to arrive, but the system has been experiencing delays in several counties. The letter H you mentioned is part of their new card tracking system - each batch gets assigned a letter. If anyone needs to check their card status, you can call the EBT customer service line (877-328-9677) or check through the BenefitsCal portal under 'EBT Card Management'. You can also request replacement cards through the portal now, which is much faster than calling the county.
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Axel Bourke
•Wait is that right? I thougth u HAD to call the county to add ppl to ur case. My worker told me u can't do it online. Can someone clarify???
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Aidan Percy
The previous commenter is correct about tracking your card, but to answer the question about adding people to your case - you DO need to contact your county to add household members, as that's considered a reportable change. You can do this through various methods: 1. Call your county CalFresh office 2. Submit the change through your BenefitsCal account 3. Complete and submit a SAR-3 form by mail/in person After the person is added to your case, then you can track the card status through BenefitsCal or the EBT customer service line. Glad you got your cards! The LA County system has definitely improved since last year.
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Fernanda Marquez
•I've been trying to call LA County for THREE DAYS to add my nephew who just moved in with me! The phone system is a nightmare - it either disconnects me or puts me on hold for 2+ hours before I have to hang up for work. Is there any trick to actually reaching a human being? This is so frustrating!
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Norman Fraser
If you're struggling to get through to LA County CalFresh by phone, I highly recommend trying Claimyr. I was in the same situation trying to add my sister to my case and kept getting disconnected. Claimyr connects you with a county worker without the wait - they call and navigate the phone tree for you, then call you when a real person is on the line. Saved me hours of frustration! Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8
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Kendrick Webb
•does this actually work?? seems kinda sketchy to me. has anyone else used this before? i'm desperate tho cuz i've been trying to update my address for weeks
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Nalani Liu
Yes, Claimyr is legitimate. Several clients I've worked with have used it successfully. It's a third-party service that essentially waits on hold for you. Regarding your address change though - that's something you can actually do directly through your BenefitsCal account without calling. Just log in, go to 'Report Changes,' and update your address there. The system will automatically notify your county worker.
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Kendrick Webb
•omg thank you!! i had no idea i could change my address online. gonna try that right now before i forget
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Fernanda Marquez
Thanks for the Claimyr suggestion, I'm definitely checking that out. Quick question for anyone who knows - when I add my nephew, will his benefits be prorated for the month he moves in? And do I need to provide any specific documentation beyond his SSN and birth certificate?
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Aidan Percy
•Yes, benefits will be prorated from the date you report the change (not from the beginning of the month). For documentation, you typically need: 1. His identity proof (birth certificate/ID) 2. His SSN 3. Proof he lives with you (any mail in his name at your address, school enrollment showing your address, or a signed statement) 4. Any income information if he has income LA County might also request a statement explaining the change in household composition. If he's under 22, the entire household's eligibility and benefit amount will be calculated together.
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Axel Bourke
my kid's card came with wrong name on it!! they spelled his last name wrong and now i gotta go thru this whole process again smh the system is such a mess
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Fiona Gallagher
•That's awful! Did you have to send the card back or can you just request a new one with the correct spelling? I was really worried about mistakes like that which is why I triple-checked all our info during recertification.
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Thais Soares
hey did ur kids get the same amount on their cards or different? my caseworker said something about an allotment per person but i didn't really understand how they calculate it
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Nalani Liu
•CalFresh benefits are calculated for the entire household, then typically loaded onto the primary cardholder's EBT card. If additional household members have their own cards, they're usually all linked to the same account and share the total household benefit. The calculation is based on household size, income, and eligible deductions. Each person doesn't get a separate "allotment" - instead, the total household benefit is what matters. You can give each person access to whatever portion of the total you want by requesting separate cards, but they all draw from the same monthly benefit amount.
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