Will California extend emergency CalFresh allotments in 2025 due to inflation? Struggling with dietary restrictions
Has anyone heard if California is planning to bring back emergency CalFresh allotments for spring 2025? I just saw that Nevada and Washington approved additional benefits for April through June due to the insane inflation we're seeing now. My household is really struggling with the regular benefit amount - especially with my kids both having celiac disease requiring expensive gluten-free foods. Our grocery bill has literally doubled in the past 6 months! I'm working part-time and my husband is on disability, so we qualify for CalFresh, but the current amount barely covers 2 weeks of groceries. The special dietary needs make everything so much more expensive. Anyone know if California might follow what Nevada and Washington are doing? I've tried calling the county office twice but got disconnected both times after waiting 45+ minutes.
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Giovanni Conti
omg same boat! my mom has celiac and those gf foods are $$$$$. i haven't heard anything about emergency allotments coming back tho. they ended those after covid right?
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Amara Chukwu
•Yes, they ended the emergency allotments after the COVID public health emergency expired, but some states have been creating their own emergency programs because of inflation. Just wondering if CA might do that too.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
I work for a community resource center, and we haven't received any notification about California planning to implement emergency allotments for 2025. The COVID-era emergency allotments were federally funded, but these new state programs are typically funded through state budgets. Given California's current budget situation, it seems unlikely they'll implement additional benefits soon. For your specific situation with celiac disease, you should ask your county worker about the Medical Nutrition Deduction. If you have medical documentation for the celiac diagnosis, you may qualify for additional deductions that could increase your CalFresh benefit amount. Also, check if your children might qualify for WIC which can provide additional food assistance even if they're receiving CalFresh.
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NeonNova
•Actually, I've heard from a county worker friend that California IS considering some kind of inflation adjustment for CalFresh in the next budget cycle. Nothing official yet but there's definitely discussions happening about it. Don't get your hopes up too high though.
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Amara Chukwu
•Thank you for mentioning the Medical Nutrition Deduction! I had no idea that existed. Do I just call the general CalFresh number to ask about this, or is there a specific department? And we tried WIC before but my kids are 14 and 16 now so they're too old.
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Dylan Campbell
I doubt CA will do anythink extra. they didnt even keep up with other states during COVID until they were forced to. my family was on calfresh for years and they never gave us extra for my daughters allergies. its all BS if u ask me
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
•While I understand your frustration, California actually did provide emergency allotments throughout the pandemic until the federal program ended. Regarding specialized dietary needs, the Medical Nutrition Deduction is not widely advertised but is available - you need proper medical documentation and to specifically request it during your certification/recertification.
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Sofia Hernandez
I've been tracking this issue closely across multiple states. Currently, only Nevada, Washington, and Massachusetts have approved state-funded temporary benefit increases for 2025, all citing inflation as the justification. California hasn't announced anything yet, but historically tends to follow these states in benefit policies. Regarding your celiac situation, you absolutely can and should submit what's called a "Medical Expense Deduction" form (CF 31). This allows households with elderly or disabled members to deduct the cost of special dietary needs when calculating benefits. Here's what you need to do: 1. Get a letter from your children's doctor specifically stating the medical necessity of gluten-free foods 2. Keep ALL receipts showing the price difference between regular and gluten-free alternatives 3. Submit the documentation with form CF 31 to your county office 4. Request a recalculation of your benefits This can potentially increase your monthly benefit amount by $100-250 depending on your specific situation and documentation.
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Amara Chukwu
•This is incredibly helpful! I had no idea about form CF 31. I'm going to call our doctor today to get that letter and start saving receipts. Do you know how far back they'll accept receipts? And would I need to get a new letter from the doctor each recertification period?
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Sofia Hernandez
•They typically want recent receipts (last 1-3 months), but it's good to establish a pattern of expenses. And yes, you'll need to provide updated medical documentation at each recertification, but it can be as simple as a note confirming the ongoing condition. Make sure the doctor specifically mentions that gluten-free food is "medically necessary" - that exact phrasing is important for the county workers processing the deduction.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
I tried reaching the CalFresh office for three days straight last month about this exact issue and kept getting disconnected or stuck on hold forever. Finally I used this service called Claimyr.com which got me through to a real person in about 10 minutes. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 The worker I spoke with said there's no official plans for emergency allotments, but they ARE processing more medical expense deductions lately due to inflation. She helped me submit one for my dad's special diabetic diet requirements and our benefits increased by $83/month! Might be worth trying for your celiac situation.
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Giovanni Conti
•is this service legit? sounds to good to be true lol. i NEVER can get thru to the county ppl!
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
•Yes, it's legit - I was skeptical too but it actually worked. My brother-in-law used it first for his MediCal issue and recommended it. You still talk directly to the same county workers, it just helps you skip the hold time somehow.
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Amara Chukwu
•Thank you for this suggestion! I'm going to try calling again tomorrow with all the info about the medical expense deduction, but if I can't get through I'll definitely check out that service. The hold times are absolutely ridiculous.
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Ava Thompson
I've been on CalFresh for 3 years with my kids and I've learned you have to be SUPER proactive. Don't wait for California to maybe increase benefits - definitely pursue that medical deduction others mentioned. Also, have you checked if you qualify for CalWORKs in addition to CalFresh? Since your husband is on disability and you're working part-time, you might be eligible, and that would provide additional cash aid. And definitely check with your local food banks - many now have special sections for people with dietary restrictions like gluten-free.
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Amara Chukwu
•Thanks for these suggestions! We don't qualify for CalWORKs because my husband's SSDI puts us slightly over the income limit (though we still qualify for CalFresh). I hadn't thought about food banks having gluten-free sections - that's a great idea to check. Do you know if there's a way to find out which ones have that before driving around to all of them?
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NeonNova
The actual reason some states are offering extra SNAP benefits right now isn't just inflation - it's because they have budget surpluses they need to allocate before their fiscal years end. Nevada and Washington both had higher-than-projected tax revenues this year. California is actually facing a projected $38 billion deficit for 2025, so I wouldn't count on seeing any supplemental benefits here anytime soon. I'd second what others have said about pursuing the medical deduction route. That's your best bet for increasing your current benefit amount. And just an FYI - when you call about this, specifically ask for a "Specialized Needs Eligibility Worker" as they're trained on processing these types of deductions properly.
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Amara Chukwu
•Thank you for explaining about the budget situation - that makes sense but is disappointing. I appreciate the tip about asking for a Specialized Needs Eligibility Worker! I didn't know there were different types of workers handling different situations.
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Giovanni Conti
I heard from my cousin in sacramento that they're gunna do somthing for the summer months only bc of kids being home from school needing more food. not sure if its true tho
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Sofia Hernandez
•That's likely referring to the Summer EBT program, which is different from emergency allotments. Summer EBT provides additional benefits for families with school-aged children who would normally receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year. It's a federal program that California does participate in. The benefit is typically $120 per eligible child for the summer period, loaded onto either your existing EBT card or a separate card.
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Amara Chukwu
UPDATE: I finally got through to a CalFresh worker this morning (after trying different times of day). They confirmed there are NO plans for emergency allotments in California for 2025. However, the worker was very helpful about the Medical Nutrition Deduction! She sent me the CF 31 form and explained exactly what documentation I need. Apparently, I can claim the price difference between regular foods and gluten-free alternatives as a medical expense. She did say I need to track these expenses for at least a month before submitting the form. Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions!
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Sofia Hernandez
•That's great news about the Medical Nutrition Deduction! One additional tip: create a simple spreadsheet showing the regular product price vs. gluten-free price for each item. This makes it much easier for the worker to quickly verify and approve the deduction amounts. And take photos of price tags in stores when possible - these can serve as additional evidence of the price differentials.
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Ava Thompson
•So glad you got through! When you track those expenses, don't forget to include EVERYTHING - gluten-free bread, pasta, flour, crackers, cereals, etc. It all adds up! And definitely save all receipts and take pictures like the other person suggested.
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