Missing $95 COVID emergency allotment from CalFresh - did they end?
Has anyone else noticed their extra CalFresh amount stopped? We've been getting $95 extra every month since the pandemic started (on top of our regular CalFresh benefit), but this month it's not there. I checked my EBT card balance and only the regular amount was loaded. August seems to be the last month we got the extra amount. I didn't receive any notice about this changing. Is this happening to everyone? Did the pandemic emergency allotments end? I was counting on that money for our grocery budget this month and now I'm kind of scrambling.
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Sofia Price
Yes, the emergency allotments for CalFresh ended a while back. They were part of the temporary COVID-19 response and unfortunately are no longer being issued. California actually kept them going longer than many other states, but they've been phased out nationwide. Your regular monthly benefit amount should continue without interruption though.
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Mateo Warren
•Oh no! I had no idea they were ending. We really depended on that extra amount. Did they send out notices about this? I don't remember getting anything.
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Alice Coleman
The extra emergency allotments officially ended in March 2023 after Congress passed legislation to end them. California was sending out notices, but sometimes they get lost in the mail or mixed in with other paperwork. Your regular benefit amount should continue as normal, but the extra pandemic amount is unfortunately gone for good.
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Mateo Warren
•March 2023?? But we were still getting the extra $95 through August 2025... how is that possible if they ended in 2023? Now I'm even more confused.
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Owen Jenkins
wait you were getting extra benefits til august 2025??? that cant be right, they ended for everyone in early 2023. maybe you were getting something else added to ur account? or maybe the $95 was actually part of ur regular benefit all along and you just thought it was separate?
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Lilah Brooks
•Yeah that's definitely not right. The emergency allotments ended in early 2023 nationwide. No one has been getting those extra COVID amounts for over 2 years now. OP must be confused about what they were receiving.
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Mateo Warren
Sorry for the confusion! I meant August 2025 as in last month (current month being September 2025). We definitely were getting an extra $95 every month up until August. Our regular amount is $487 and then we'd get an additional $95 loaded a few days later. Both would show up separately on the EBT transaction history. But this month, only the $487 showed up.
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Alice Coleman
•That's really interesting because the emergency allotments definitely ended in 2023. What might have happened is that you had a change in circumstances (maybe income decreased? someone left household?) that increased your regular benefit by $95 temporarily, and now something changed again. I'd recommend calling your county office to find out exactly what changed with your case. It could be something like a semi-annual report (SAR7) or recertification that changed your benefit amount.
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Jackson Carter
I was in the same situation a few months ago! I was so confused about changes to my benefit amount and waited on hold with the county for 3+ hours trying to figure it out. Eventually I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me through to a CalFresh caseworker in about 15 minutes. They have this system that keeps your place in line while you go about your day. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. The worker explained that my benefit amount changed because of a reporting period ending. Might be worth checking into!
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Mateo Warren
•Thank you! I'll definitely look into this. I've been dreading calling because last time I was on hold for over 2 hours and then got disconnected. Really appreciate the suggestion.
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Kolton Murphy
the emergency allotments ended forever ago lol. but sometimes they give u transitional benefits when ur income changes or smthing. maybe thats what the extra $95 was and now its done?
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Evelyn Rivera
This happened to ME TOO!!!! I thought I was going crazy! My benefit actually went down by $73 this month. No notice, no warning, NOTHING!!! Called and left messages TWICE but no callback. This system is SO BROKEN!!!!!
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Sofia Price
•If your benefit amount changed without notice, you should definitely follow up with your county office. They're required to send a Notice of Action explaining any benefit changes. Sometimes they get lost in the mail or there's a system glitch. Make sure to check if it's time for your semi-annual report (SAR7) or annual recertification as well - missing those deadlines can cause benefit changes or stops.
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Lilah Brooks
Reading through this thread, I think there might be some confusion about benefit calculations. The $95 extra payment wasn't likely a COVID emergency allotment (those ended years ago) but could have been a temporary adjustment based on something like: 1. Transitional benefits after a change in household composition 2. Supplemental payment after an income decrease 3. Retroactive correction from a previous underpayment 4. Temporary increase during a hardship review 5. Adjustment due to utility or housing cost changes The most reliable way to find out is to contact your county worker directly.
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Mateo Warren
•That makes a lot of sense! We did have an income change about 6 months ago when my hours got reduced. Maybe the extra amount was related to that and now it's just adjusted back? I'll definitely call to find out. Thanks for explaining all those possibilities.
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Owen Jenkins
my sister works for the county and she says sometimes people get temporary increases that only last a certain number of months depending on circumstances. maybe check ur mail really carefully cuz they shouldve sent u a notice about any changes
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Mateo Warren
Update: I finally got through to someone at the county office! Turns out the extra $95 was a temporary adjustment because of our decreased income earlier this year. It was set to last for 6 months and August was the final month. They said they sent a notice in July but I never received it. They're sending me a copy of it now. Thanks everyone for your help figuring this out!
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Sofia Price
•Glad you got an answer! For future reference, you can also create an account on BenefitsCal.org to see electronic copies of all your notices and track your benefit amounts. It's really helpful for keeping track of changes like this.
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Sophia Carson
Thanks for sharing this update! It's really helpful to know what the resolution was. I've been wondering about some changes to my own benefits lately and this gives me a better idea of what questions to ask when I call. It's frustrating that notices sometimes don't make it through the mail - seems to happen more often than it should. At least now you know what happened and can plan your budget accordingly going forward.
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