Who actually owns/operates the California EBT customer service helpline?

pretty sure its FIS they handle all the ebt stuff but California DSS is the one who oversees it all. good luck gettin anywhere tho, those ppl never pick up!! 🙄

The EBT customer service line is operated by a contractor called Fidelity Information Services (FIS). They handle the technical aspects of the EBT card system including PIN changes, balance inquiries, and reporting lost/stolen cards. However, they don't handle case-specific benefit issues - that still falls to your county CalFresh office. If your benefits aren't showing up, it's likely a county-level issue rather than an EBT card technical problem. You should contact your specific county CalFresh office directly since they're the ones who actually authorize your benefits to be loaded onto your EBT card. The EBT customer service line is mostly for card functionality issues.

I've been going through the same EXACT thing!!! Been approved for CalFresh but nothing on my card and no one will EVER answer at that stupid helpline!!! I'm so frustrated I could scream. I have three kids to feed and they approved me weeks ago! Does anyone know how to actually get through to a real person who can fix this???

The state of California contracts with FIS (Fidelity Information Services) to operate the EBT card system and helpline. This is a private financial technology company that handles EBT services for multiple states. However, they only handle card-related issues, not benefit determination or loading benefits onto cards. If your benefits aren't appearing on your card after approval, that's almost always an issue with your county office, not the EBT helpline. The county welfare department is responsible for authorizing benefits to be loaded onto your card. Try using Claimyr to reach your county CalFresh office directly - it helped me get through when I had a similar issue. Their service calls and waits on hold for you, then connects you when a real person answers. I used their video demo to figure it out: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. Saved me hours of hold time and I finally got my benefits issue fixed.

I went through this nightmare last year! The EBT customer service line is basically useless for anything beyond basic card issues. As others mentioned, it's run by FIS (Fidelity Information Services), which is a major financial technology corporation that handles EBT contracts for many states. What I learned from my ordeal: the EBT helpline people CAN see if benefits have been authorized to load on your card, but they can't fix it if they haven't been. You need to contact your county office directly for that. This separation of responsibilities is why so many of us get stuck in this frustrating loop. If your benefits were approved but aren't on your card, it means your county hasn't sent the authorization to FIS to load the benefits. That's why calling the county directly is your only solution.

fyi the ebt help line is the WORST!!!! i had to call them like 30 times once when my card got stolen. they keep saying "due to high call volume" and hang up on u!!! isn't that illegal??? like how can they just REFUSE to help ppl get their FOOD STAMPS???????? makes me so angry

To directly answer your question about ownership: The California EBT system is owned by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), but the day-to-day operations and customer service aspects are contracted out to FIS (Fidelity Information Services). This public-private partnership is common across states for EBT systems. The chain of responsibility goes: 1. CDSS (state agency) - owns the program and sets policies 2. County welfare departments - determine eligibility and authorize benefits 3. FIS (contractor) - processes transactions and provides card-related customer service If you want to file a complaint about the EBT helpline itself, you'd need to contact the CDSS EBT customer service unit at 877-328-9677 and ask for a supervisor, or email ebt.cau@dss.ca.gov. However, for your specific issue with benefits not loading, you absolutely need to contact your county office directly as they're the ones who need to authorize the benefit load.

Similar thing happened w/ my mom last month! Turns out her worker forgot to check some box in their system, so even though she was approved on paper, the benefits weren't getting sent to her EBT card. Had to get hold of the actual caseworker to fix it. The EBT people were useless cuz they just handle the cards not the actual benefits authorization.

Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble getting through to your county office too, try calling first thing in the morning right when they open - like 8 AM sharp. That's when I finally got through to mine after days of busy signals. Also, some counties have online portals where you can send messages to your caseworker, which might be faster than phone calls. The whole system is so frustrating but don't give up - you deserve those benefits you were approved for!

I work in social services and can confirm what others have said - the EBT helpline (operated by FIS) can only help with card-related issues like PIN resets, balance checks, or reporting lost/stolen cards. They literally cannot load benefits onto your card even if they wanted to. That's handled entirely by your county CalFresh office. When your benefits don't appear after approval, 99% of the time it's because there's a missing step or documentation at the county level. Sometimes it's as simple as a worker forgetting to hit "submit" after entering your case information. I'd recommend calling your county office and specifically asking to speak with your assigned eligibility worker. If you don't know who that is, ask the receptionist to look up your case and connect you directly. Be prepared to provide your case number and SSN to verify your identity. Also, don't be afraid to escalate if the first person you talk to can't help - ask for a supervisor. Your benefits should typically load within 1-3 business days after approval, so if it's been longer than that, something definitely needs to be fixed on their end.