Store manager refused my EBT card claiming 'out of state welfare' - Can CalFresh be rejected in Lake County?

That's absolutely not legal. If a store is authorized to accept SNAP (which all Safeways are), they cannot refuse a valid EBT card regardless of what county or even state it was issued in. EBT cards work nationwide at any authorized retailer. The store manager was 100% wrong and violated USDA regulations. First, call Safeway's corporate customer service line and report this incident with the date, time, and if possible, the manager's name. Then file a complaint with CDSS here: https://cdss.ca.gov/contact-us. You can also contact your local CalFresh office to report the discrimination. As for your Medicare/United Healthcare food benefit card, that's separate from EBT/SNAP, and acceptance can vary, but the manager was still wrong to refuse it if they've accepted it before.

omg that's terrible!! the same thing happen to my cousin in ukiah but it was at walmart not safeway. the cashier said her card was no good but then the supervisor came and said the cashier was wrong. maybe go back and ask for a different manager?? some people just don't know the rules i guess

This happened to me too!! But it was the card reader that was broken not the manager being mean. Maybe they were having technical issues and the manager didn't know how to explain it properly? Just a thought.

This is absolutely a case of discrimination and potential violation of federal regulations. Stores that are authorized SNAP retailers MUST accept valid EBT cards regardless of which state issued them (though you mentioned yours is from California anyway). I would document everything - date, time, exact wording the manager used, and report it through multiple channels: 1. Call Safeway corporate (877-723-3929) 2. File a formal discrimination complaint with the USDA (https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint) 3. Contact your County CalFresh office to report the incident 4. If you're comfortable, ask to speak with the store director (above the manager) Regarding your United Healthcare Medicare food benefit card - these OTC benefit cards have different acceptance policies, but if they've taken it before, they should continue to accept it. That's likely a separate issue but equally concerning.

I HATE when this happens!!! The system is so broken. One time I went to use my CalFresh at FoodMaxx and they said it was declined but there was money on there!!! I had to leave without groceries and my kids were hungry. Some stores just discrimination against us EBT users and thats the TRUTH!!!

I had a similar problem reaching someone at the Lake County CalFresh office when I needed to report discrimination at a grocery store. After being on hold for nearly 2 hours and getting disconnected twice, I found a service called Claimyr that actually worked amazingly well. They got me connected to a Lake County worker within 15 minutes! You might want to check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 In my case, the CalFresh worker explained that this type of discrimination is illegal and they took my complaint seriously. They even followed up with the store directly.

This is not how EBT or CalFresh works at all. Your benefits are valid at any SNAP-authorized retailer nationwide. The federal SNAP program (which CalFresh is California's version of) requires that all authorized retailers accept valid EBT cards regardless of which state issued them. Some key facts: - EBT cards work across state lines - All counties in California must accept CalFresh EBT - Safeway is a USDA-authorized SNAP retailer chain-wide - Store managers cannot decide to reject EBT at their discretion - What happened to you is considered discrimination As for your Medicare/United Healthcare card, those benefits are separate from SNAP/EBT and have their own acceptance policies. However, if the store has accepted it previously, there's no reason they should suddenly refuse it. Definitely report this to Safeway corporate and to your county CalFresh office. The store can actually lose their authorization to accept EBT altogether if they're found to be violating program rules.

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their advice! I called Safeway corporate and they were actually really responsive. They apologized profusely and said they would address this with the store director and the manager involved. They confirmed that ALL Safeway stores are required to accept EBT cards regardless of which county or state issued them. I also filed a complaint with CDSS using the link someone provided. Still waiting to hear back from them, but I feel better knowing I've reported it officially. Finally, I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got through to my county worker, who was super helpful and said they'd reach out to the store as well. I went to a different store yesterday (Foods Etc in Clearlake) and had no problems using both my EBT and my United Healthcare card. Just wanted to post this in case anyone else in Lake County experiences something similar - don't let them tell you your benefits aren't accepted!