Missing CalFresh emergency allotment for April 2025 - anyone else waiting?
Hey everyone, I'm trying to figure out what's going on with the emergency supplemental CalFresh benefits this month. I usually get my regular CalFresh on the 10th and then the emergency allotment shows up on the 17th. It's now the 20th and nothing's been added to my EBT card yet for the emergency amount. The regular benefits came through fine. Has anyone else not received their April emergency allotment yet? I called the EBT customer service line but got stuck in that automated system. Is there a delay this month or should I be worried?
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
Same here!! Still waiting on mine too and its driving me CRAZY. My kids are home all week for spring break and I was counting on that extra money for groceries.
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NebulaNinja
•Glad I'm not the only one, but sorry you're dealing with this too. Did you try calling your county office? I'm debating whether it's worth the wait time to call them tomorrow.
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Dylan Mitchell
Just to clarify - the emergency allotments for CalFresh actually ended in 2023 at the federal level. What you're probably referring to as the 'emergency allotment' might be the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) supplement that some households still receive, but that's different from the pandemic emergency allotments. If you typically get a second deposit on the 17th, I'd recommend checking your BenefitsCal account to see if there were any changes to your benefits or if you need to complete any verification. Sometimes benefits change if you had income changes or household size changes that affected your calculation.
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NebulaNinja
•Wait what?? I've been getting two payments every month for the past year though - my regular CalFresh and then the extra amount. I thought that was the emergency allotment. Now I'm really confused.
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Sofia Morales
The second payment youre getting is probably the state-funded California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) supplement. They started it after the federal emergency allotments ended to help folks transition. Check ur EBT transaction history - it should say CFAP not EA if thats the case.
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NebulaNinja
•Thanks for explaining! I just checked my transaction history and you're right - it does say CFAP on those second deposits. I had no idea they were different programs. So if that's the case, any idea why the CFAP payment wouldn't have shown up yet this month?
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Dmitry Popov
omg i was freaking out about this too!! called the county THREE times this week and couldnt get anyone to pick up. so annoying. my neighbor said theres a system update happening and some payments are delayed by like 3-5 days. hope thats true!
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Ava Garcia
•I work for a community organization that partners with the county, and I can confirm there is indeed a system update happening with the EBT payment processing system this month. The CFAP supplements are experiencing a 3-5 day delay for some recipients. Unless you received a Notice of Action about a benefit change, your supplement should appear by the 22nd or 23rd at the latest. If it doesn't show up by then, definitely contact your county office.
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StarSailor}
Weird question but did anybody get a notice about quarterly reporting? I'm wondering if this has something to do with the SAR7 forms. I just realized mine was due April 5th and I totally forgot to turn it in. Maybe that's why my second payment is delayed too?
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Dylan Mitchell
•That's actually a very important point! If your SAR7 was due April 5th and you didn't submit it, that could absolutely be why your CFAP supplement hasn't been issued. The county needs that information to determine your continued eligibility and benefit amount. You should submit your SAR7 immediately through BenefitsCal.com or directly to your county office. They may be able to restore the benefits retroactively if you submit it within 30 days of the due date.
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Miguel Silva
I had this same problem last month where my CFAP payment was late. Spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone at the county office - constant busy signals, disconnections, and automated messages saying wait times were over 2 hours. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you back when an actual human is available. Saved me so much time and frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. The county worker told me the delay was because they're migrating to a new payment system, and some accounts are getting processed in batches now instead of all on the same day.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•Omg thank you for this!!! I've been trying to get thru for days and keep getting disconnected after waiting forever. Gonna try this service tomorrow if my payment doesn't show up tonight.
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NebulaNinja
UPDATE: My CFAP supplement just posted to my EBT card this morning (the 21st)! It was just delayed by a few days like some of you mentioned. For those still waiting, hopefully yours will show up soon too!
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Dmitry Popov
•just checked and mine came thru 2!! thx everyone for the help!!!
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Sofia Morales
This happened to my cousin last month too. The county is rolling out a new payment schedule for the CFAP supplements based on case numbers. Some people are getting them on the 17th, others on the 19th, and some on the 21st now. They're spreading out the payments to reduce system load. Should be the same date for you each month going forward though.
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NebulaNinja
•That makes sense - thanks for explaining! I'll make a note that the 21st seems to be my new payment date. Wish they'd sent some kind of notice about this change though.
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Zainab Ismail
I'm still waiting for mine!!!!! This is RIDICULOUS!!!! I depend on that money for my kids and rent is due next week. The system is completely broken and nobody at the county ever answers their phones. I've been on CalFresh for 5 years and it just keeps getting worse. Are they TRYING to starve people??? I'm so done with this!!!
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Dylan Mitchell
•I understand your frustration, but please keep in mind that CFAP supplements are not meant for rent - they're specifically for food assistance. If you're experiencing a housing crisis, you might want to contact your county's general assistance program or call 211 for emergency resources. Also, double-check that you've submitted all required verification and your most recent SAR7 or recertification. If those are all complete, try contacting your worker through BenefitsCal's secure messaging system, which sometimes gets faster responses than phone calls.
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