Is there an age minimum for CalFresh food benefits? My kindergartener didn't get EBT card

There's definitely no age minimum for CalFresh - children of any age (even infants) should be included in your household's benefit calculation as long as they live with you and you purchase/prepare food together. Something's wrong if your 5-year-old isn't included. Check your approval notice - it should list all household members who were approved. If she's missing, you need to contact your county office ASAP to correct this error.

are you sure she's actually not included? they don't give separate EBT cards to kids, everyone in household shares the same benefits amount. maybe the total benefit already includes her but it's just not itemized that way on your paperwork??

This is definitely a county error. There's no age minimum for CalFresh - I've helped many families with infants who receive benefits. Your benefit amount is calculated based on household size, income, and expenses. With a kindergartener missing from your case, you're likely receiving less than you should be. Here's what you need to do: 1. Call your county office and explain that a household member was omitted from your case 2. Ask them to add your daughter and recalculate benefits 3. Request retroactive benefits for any months she was incorrectly excluded Be prepared for long wait times when calling though. The CalFresh phone lines are notoriously busy, especially in the mornings.

Did you include your 5-year-old on the original SAWS 2 application? Sometimes they miss people if the paperwork isn't clear. And make sure when you call that you get the worker to go back and give you the extra benefits from when you first applied! They can issue those retroactively once they fix your household count.

when you call be ready to wait FOREVER... i tried calling my county office last week and was on hold for 1 hour 45 minutes before getting disconnected!! so frustrating when you have kids and can't just sit around all day waiting on hold

Based on what you've described, adding your 5-year-old to your case should increase your monthly benefits significantly. For a household of 4 with your approximate income level (based on your current benefit amount), you might expect to receive around $800-850/month in 2025 instead of $625. The exact amount depends on your income and deductions, but it's definitely worth pursuing the correction.

i think they mess up on purpose sometimes! my friend said calfresh always does this hoping people wont notice so they can save $$$ they're always trying to cut corners

did you get WIC too? sometimes people think kids dont get calfresh if they already get WIC but thats wrong you can get both

One more thing - when you call, make sure you're ready with your daughter's full name, date of birth, and Social Security number. Having all this information ready will help them process the change faster. And definitely ask them to review your case for any other errors while they're at it. Sometimes one mistake means there might be others too!