No, it was definitely theft - I could see the transactions on my EBT account history at stores I've never been to in another city. My balance went from $714 to $0 in one day with 4 different withdrawals.

Update us on what happens! And if they keep giving you the runaround, contact your county Board of Supervisors office. Sounds extreme, but my friend did that after waiting 3 weeks for theft replacement, and suddenly her case was \

i heard about this too but my cousin said its only for people who are working and meeting their WTW hours. im exempt because of my baby so i bet i wont get it. they always find a way to exclude someone.

UPDATE: I finally got through to my worker today! She confirmed everything and gave me more details. It's officially called the "CalWORKs Family Support Supplement" and it IS happening in most counties including Alameda. Payment amounts are $500 for 1-2 family members, $750 for 3-4, and $900 for 5+. They'll be sending official notices in February and payments should start going out in March. She said it's for all CalWORKs families with children and we don't need to do anything special to get it. Just make sure your case is active and address is current! Thanks everyone for the help confirming this was real. I was starting to think I'd imagined the whole conversation!

btw if ur kid is under 3 you can get the $30 diaper allowance too with calworks. they dont tell u about it u gotta ask

Since your child is 4, you should ask about: 1. Childcare assistance - covers care while you work or do WTW activities 2. Transportation assistance - can help with bus passes or gas money to get to work 3. Once-in-a-lifetime homeless assistance if you're at risk of losing housing 4. Work expense allowances if you need special clothing/tools for your job 5. CalFresh (food benefits) if you haven't applied already When you have your interview, just be upfront about your current situation - working part-time, struggling with childcare costs, etc. The cross-state tax issue from 2020 really shouldn't impact your current eligibility. If the worker seems fixated on that, politely ask how that affects your current application and why it matters for determining your present eligibility.

Did you check if your renewal was actually received in the system? Sometimes they mark things as "not received" even when submitted through BenefitsCal. You can check the status in your BenefitsCal account under Documents & Notices.

This whole system is such a mess. My friend in LA County set up an in-person appointment through BenefitsCal when she couldn't get through on the phone. Does Santa Barbara offer that option?

One other thing to consider - if your husband's self-employment income varies significantly from month to month, you might want to ask your worker about

Thank you! The income averaging sounds perfect for our situation. His handyman work is super unpredictable - sometimes neighbors need lots of help and sometimes nothing for weeks. Having a stable benefit amount would make budgeting so much easier.I'm definitely going to switch to written communication from now on. I've been calling her office, but you're right that I need a paper trail. I'll email her about the self-employment declaration we're preparing and see if she responds more professionally in writing.