Will I get CalFresh benefits for February after late January approval? Confused about issuance dates!

You should actually get benefits for both January (prorated from your application date of Jan 28) and February together in your first issuance! CalFresh provides benefits from the date you applied, not the date you were approved. Since you applied on Jan 28, you'll get a few days worth of January benefits plus the full February amount. They should appear on your EBT card within 3 business days of when the worker finishes processing your case. So it doesn't matter that your regular issuance date would be the 9th - for the first month, they just load them as soon as the approval goes through. After that, you'll get your regular benefits on the 9th each month.

Oh wow, I had no idea they'd backdate to the application date! That's such a relief. The worker didn't explain any of this during the interview. Do you know if there's any way to check online if the benefits have been processed yet? The BenefitsCal website just shows my application as 'pending' still.

When I got approved it took like 4 days for the money to actually hit my card after the interview. Keep checking your account, it'll show up soon. The first payment is always at random times not on the regular schedule.

This is mostly right, but I want to clarify that you don't get a full month of benefits for January - you get prorated benefits from your application date (Jan 28) through the end of January, which would only be about 3-4 days worth. Then you'll get the full February amount. The worker calculates this all together and it gets loaded at once, usually within 3 business days after approval. Your regular issuance date (the 9th) only applies for March and onward.

Thank you both! This makes more sense now. I'll keep checking my account over the next few days. The worker said we were approved for $875/month for our family of 4, so I'm guessing we'd get about $100 for those January days plus the full $875 for February? That would help so much right now.

the county is SUPPOSED to issue benefits within 3 days after approval but sometimes it can take longer especially if there's a weekend in between. don't panic if it takes until monday or tuesday next week. and yes you'll definitely get february benefits, they can't make you wait until march!! that would be so unfair. the benefits will come soon they're just slow with everything 🙄

I went thru the exact same thing last year! Applied on the 22nd, interviewed on the 8th, and they made me wait almost a WEEK after approval before the money showed up. I called and called but couldn't get thru to anyone. So annoying!!

That's so frustrating! I tried calling the main number today but just got stuck in the automated system. I'm worried because my kids are expecting to have more food in the house soon and I don't want to disappoint them again.

Have you tried checking your EBT card balance by calling the number on the back of the card? Sometimes the benefits show up there before the BenefitsCal website updates. Also make sure your address was entered correctly during the interview - they might have mailed you a physical EBT card if this is your first time on CalFresh and sometimes those take a while to arrive. Did the worker say anything about how you'd receive the actual card?

I actually have an EBT card from a few years ago when we briefly received benefits. The worker said they would load the new benefits onto that card, and that I didn't need a new one. I've been calling the number on the back to check the balance but it still shows $0.

I work at a community organization that helps people with CalFresh applications. Here's what's happening: After your interview, the worker needs to finalize your case in the system. This can take 1-3 business days. Once that's done, benefits are automatically calculated from your application date (Jan 28) through the current month. First-time benefits are typically loaded onto your EBT card within 72 hours after the case is finalized. \n\nSince your worker told you that you're approved but she's still

Thank you for explaining! So even though the worker said we're approved, it sounds like there are still some processing steps happening behind the scenes. I'll try to be patient for a few more days.

If you need food RIGHT NOW before the benefits come through, call 211 and ask about emergency food resources in your area. Most counties have food banks that can help you immediately while you wait for your CalFresh to be processed. Don't let your kids go hungry waiting for the bureaucracy to work!!

That's a good suggestion, thank you. We do have some basics but fresh food is what we're really short on. I'll try 211 if the benefits don't come through by Monday.

Have you tried reaching out directly to your caseworker? Sometimes they can expedite things if they know you're in a difficult situation. If you can't reach them, there's a service called Claimyr that can help you get through to a live person at the CalFresh office. I used it when I was in a similar situation and couldn't reach anyone for days. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8\n\nThey basically call the county office for you and navigate the phone tree, then call you back when they have a real person on the line. Much better than waiting on hold for hours or never getting through at all.

I hadn't heard of this service before! I'll check it out if I can't get an update soon. The worker gave me her direct number but it just goes to voicemail and she hasn't called back yet. I'm definitely going to try this if I don't hear anything by Monday. Thanks for the suggestion!

This whole system is SO CONFUSING!!! Why can't they just give clear information about when benefits start?? When I applied last time they told me one thing then something completely different happened. And the website never updates on time. It's like they deliberately make it complicated so people give up. 😡

I understand your frustration! The system definitely has communication issues. The problem is often that the eligibility workers are handling hundreds of cases and the computer systems they use are outdated. For the OP's situation, what matters most is that benefits ARE coming - both partial January (from application date) and full February benefits - and they should arrive in one lump sum within 3 business days after the case is fully processed in the system.

True but they should atleast TELL PPL when to expect the money!!! Not everyone can wait around wondering if food is coming today or next week

One more thing to know - if your household was eligible for expedited services (extremely low income/resources), benefits should be available no later than the 7th calendar day after application. Since you applied January 28th and it's now February 12th, that window has passed, which suggests either your household didn't qualify for expedited service or there was a delay in processing. If you were told you qualified for expedited service but haven't received benefits yet, you should definitely contact your worker about this delay.

The worker didn't mention anything about expedited services. Our situation isn't dire - we have some income but not enough for all our expenses, especially food. I'm mostly concerned about the timing since it's already mid-February and I was worried we might miss this month entirely.

Check your mail carefully too! Sometimes they send you an EBT card even if you told them you already have one. And they NEVER tell you they're doing this. My old card stopped working and I was so confused until a new one showed up in the mail a week later. The county doesn't always have good records of who already has cards.

This happened to me too!!! I kept checking my old card and getting mad that no money was on it. Then a new card came in the mail like 10 days later with all my benefits. So annoying they didn't tell me

I'll definitely keep an eye on the mail too, thanks for the heads up! Though the worker specifically said they'd use my existing card, so hopefully that's accurate.