Will CalFresh extra allotments return for February 2025? Anyone heard updates?

I haven't heard anything about extra allotments coming back. Those were specifically because of the COVID emergency and ended permanently in March 2023. Your neighbor is probably confused - maybe she's thinking of the regular benefit increase that happens every October when they adjust for inflation?

County eligibility worker here. There are NO plans to bring back emergency allotments in February 2025 or any other month. The emergency allotments were authorized under the federal COVID public health emergency, which ended. It would take new federal legislation to bring something similar back. What IS happening in February 2025 is that some households will see a small increase in their regular benefits due to the standard utility allowance adjustment that happens each February. But this is NOT the same as the pandemic emergency allotments, which doubled most people's benefits. The February adjustment might only add $10-25 for some households, depending on circumstances.

I KNEW it!!! My caseworker told me the EXACT same thing last week when I called about my recertification. She said there might be a small increase in Feb due to utility costs but NOTHING like the pandemic extras. People always spreading rumors about benefits it drives me CRAZY!!!! 😤

If you're having trouble with your benefits not lasting the whole month, have you checked if you're getting all the deductions you qualify for? Things like child care expenses, medical costs for seniors/disabled, and high housing costs can all increase your monthly benefit amount. Many people don't know to report these expenses and end up getting less than they qualify for. You might want to call your county worker to review your case.

When I needed to report my rent increase last year, I spent 3 days trying to get through to my county office - kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and had a caseworker call me back within 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Made reporting my changes so much easier than waiting on hold forever. Definitely helped me get my benefits recalculated faster.

i think theres some confusion here. my county worker told me theres a COLA (cost of living adjustment) coming soon but its not the same as emergency allotments. the pandemic emergency allotments were when everyone got the maximum benefit amount for their household size regardless of income. that ended in 2023. the COLA is just the regular inflation adjustment they do every year that might add a tiny bit more to everyone's benefits. dont get excited about it lol

Somewhat related but has anyone had their recertification interview yet this year? Mine is scheduled for next week and I'm wondering if they're asking anything different. Last time they were really focused on checking my identity documents even though I've been on CalFresh for years.

So after reading all these responses, I'm pretty sure my neighbor just misunderstood about the regular February utility adjustment. I got excited for nothing lol. But on the bright side, I'm definitely going to report my rent increase and see if that helps with my benefit amount! Thanks everyone for clearing things up. 💕