One thing to know is that when the Transitional CalFresh ends and you apply for regular CalFresh, they WILL count your income at that point. So your benefit will likely go down if you're working more now. Just prepare for that change after the 5 months. My TCF was $973 for my family of 4, but when I converted to regular CalFresh it dropped to $423 because of my job. Still helpful but definitely a big difference.

Quick tip - when you submit your request to end CalWORKs, make sure it's in writing and specifically mention you want to be evaluated for Transitional CalFresh. Also, keep proof of when and how you submitted it. The CalWORKs discontinuance date is important because your 5-month TCF period starts from that date. And yes, typically they'll send a notice about a month before TCF ends, but as others have said, don't rely solely on that notice - mark your calendar!

I went through something similar earlier this year and it turned out to be a data entry error on their end. My caseworker had accidentally entered the wrong income amount during my last review, which triggered an automatic benefit calculation that zeroed out my payments. Even though I was still "active" in the system, the payment amount was wrong. What saved me was going to the office with all my recent pay stubs and bank statements to prove my actual income hadn't changed. They were able to see the error immediately and fixed it that same day. My back payment came through within 48 hours. Since you mentioned your income hasn't changed and you haven't missed any reporting deadlines, this sounds like it could be a similar data error. When you do get through to someone, ask them to specifically review what income information they have on file for you - sometimes workers accidentally transpose numbers or enter data in the wrong fields during routine updates.

I've been following this thread and wanted to share something that might help - I had a very similar situation happen to me about 3 months ago. My benefits suddenly showed $0 for the month but I was still active, and like you, I had no changes in income or household size. What ended up happening was that during a routine system update, my case got flagged for "manual review" even though nothing actually needed to be reviewed. The system automatically held my payment while this fake review was pending, but nobody bothered to tell me about it! I finally got through using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above (it really does work - got me through in about 15 minutes after I'd been trying for days). The worker was able to see immediately that my case had been flagged in error and released the hold right away. My payment was on my EBT card the next business day. The frustrating part is that this could have been avoided if they had just sent me a simple notice saying "your case is under routine review, payment may be delayed." But apparently they don't always do that for administrative holds. Keep trying to get through - this really sounds like a system error that will be easily fixed once you reach the right person!

Great news! This is very typical - the system updates overnight and payments process early morning on the scheduled date. Glad everything worked out!

So glad to hear your payment came through on time! This is exactly why I always tell people not to panic if the pending deposit doesn't show up right away. The EBT system is notorious for not displaying pending amounts until literally hours before they hit your account. I've been on CalWORKs for 3 years now and have learned that as long as your case status shows "active" after submitting your SAR, you're almost always good to go. The anxiety is real though - I totally get how stressful it is when rent is due and you're waiting on that deposit!

UPDATE: I finally got through to my worker! It was definitely the school attendance verification form that was missing. I submitted it today and they said my Cash Aid should be available again in 2-3 business days. Thanks everyone for your help! I really wish the EBT customer service would have just told me this instead of saying nothing was wrong with my card. Would have saved me so much stress!

So glad you got it sorted out! This is exactly why I always recommend going straight to your eligibility worker instead of calling the EBT customer service line first. They can only see the technical side of your card but have no access to your actual case details or holds. For future reference, any time your CalFresh works but Cash Aid doesn't, it's almost always a case issue not a card issue. Same thing happens when people miss their Welfare to Work appointments or don't report income changes on time. Hope your benefits get restored quickly and you can get caught up on those bills!

UPDATE: I finally got through to my worker! Went to the police station this morning and filed a report, then called CalWORKs about 20 times until I finally got through. My worker sent me the CW 2215 form and I filled it out right away. She said they have to investigate but should replace the benefits within 10 business days. I'm still stressed about making rent, but she referred me to an emergency assistance program that might help with that. Thanks everyone for your advice - will update again when I hear about my replacement benefits!

I'm so glad you were able to get through to your worker and file all the paperwork! That's the hardest part. For future reference (and for anyone else reading this), here are some tips to protect your EBT card from skimming: - Cover your PIN when entering it at ATMs - Use ATMs inside banks or stores rather than standalone ones when possible - Check your balance regularly through the app or by calling the number - If an ATM seems suspicious or your card gets "stuck," don't use it The skimming devices are getting more sophisticated, so this can happen to anyone. You did everything right by acting quickly once you noticed. Hoping your replacement benefits come through soon and you can get that emergency rent assistance sorted out!