Is BenefitsCal website down or just me? Can't access CalFresh account today

its down for me too!! tried like 5 times already. always something with this stupid website when u need it most

The BenefitsCal system is experiencing technical difficulties today. According to their Twitter account, they're working on resolving the issue and expect it to be back online by tomorrow morning at 8 AM. If you need to submit verification documents before a deadline, I recommend calling your county worker first thing tomorrow and explaining the situation. They can usually give you a short extension due to system issues, but you'll need to be proactive about calling.

This is making me so nervous! My recertification is due in 3 days and I still need to upload my paystubs through BenefitsCal. What if it stays down? Will they cut off my benefits? I can't afford to lose my CalFresh right now with three kids to feed. Does anyone know if they automatically extend deadlines when their system fails like this??

Yes, this happens about once every couple of months. Super frustrating! I've been dealing with CalFresh for years and the BenefitsCal site is definitely better than the old system, but still has so many issues. If you have urgent documents that need submitting, try calling your county office using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it helped me get through when I was in a similar situation last month. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. It gets you past those horrible phone trees and actually connects you to a real person who can note in your file that you tried to submit documents but couldn't because of their system issues.

This is a known issue with the BenefitsCal system today. They're performing emergency maintenance due to high user volume this week (it's the end of the month when many people have reporting deadlines). For anyone facing verification or reporting deadlines, here's what you should know: 1. System outages are considered good cause for missing a deadline 2. Document your attempts to access the system (screenshots with timestamps) 3. Call your county office as soon as possible to inform them 4. You can also submit documents by fax or in person at your county office as alternatives 5. If your benefits are reduced or discontinued due to this issue, you have the right to appeal In my experience working with clients, counties are usually understanding about system issues as long as you contact them promptly.

this happens all the time!!!! i literally got my calfresh cut off last month because i couldnt upload my paystubs when the system was down. took me WEEKS to get benefits back and had to basically start all over with my application. the system is rigged to make people lose benefits i swear

UPDATE: The site is back up! Just managed to upload my documents. Thanks everyone for your help and confirming it wasn't just me. For anyone else with deadlines, the system seems to be working normally now.

So glad to see the system is back up! This kind of outage is exactly why I always try to submit my documents at least a week before any deadline if possible. I learned this the hard way after missing a recertification deadline during a similar outage last year. For anyone reading this thread in the future - if you're ever in this situation again, definitely take screenshots of the error messages like others mentioned, and don't hesitate to call your county office right away. Most workers are understanding about technical issues as long as you're proactive about reporting the problem. It's frustrating that we have to deal with these system failures, but at least there are workarounds if you know what to do.

This is such a common problem and it's really frustrating! I've been dealing with CalFresh for about 2 years now and the BenefitsCal site goes down at least once a month it seems like. What's worse is it always happens right when people need it most - like end of month when everyone's trying to submit their monthly reports or verification docs. I'm glad you got your documents uploaded @Liam! For future reference, I've started keeping a file on my phone with screenshots every time I try to access the site during outages. Last time my benefits got delayed because of a system issue, having those screenshots with timestamps really helped when I had to explain to my caseworker what happened. It's sad that we have to document their technical failures just to protect our benefits, but that's the reality of dealing with this system.