CalWORKs Cash Aid came but CalFresh missing - anyone else not getting food stamps but no theft?
Just checked my account this morning and I only got my CalWORKs Cash Aid deposited but my CalFresh (food stamps) is completely missing! Last time I used my EBT card was back in January for groceries and that was definitely me using it, so nothing was stolen from my account. No notices in BenefitsCal about any problems with my case either. I was expecting both benefits like usual on the 1st of the month but only cash showed up. Has this happened to anyone else recently? I have 3 kids to feed and was counting on those food benefits. 😰
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Finley Garrett
same thing happened to me last month!! i got my cash aid but no food stamps for like 5 days. turned out i was supposed to submit some verification for my rent that i didn't know about. check ur documents tab in benefitscal
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Cass Green
•I just checked my documents tab and don't see anything new in there requesting info. Did you get a notice beforehand that they needed verification or did it just suddenly stop?
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Madison Tipne
This typically happens when something triggered a mid-period report requirement for CalFresh but not for CalWORKs. The most common reasons are: 1. You may have missed submitting your Semi-Annual Report (SAR 7) 2. Your household income might have gone over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) 3. Someone could have left or joined your household without being reported 4. There might have been a verification issue specific to CalFresh First, call the EBT customer service number on the back of your card to confirm your CalFresh balance is actually zero. Sometimes there are system issues that affect the display but not the actual benefits. If it's confirmed your benefits aren't there, you should contact your county worker immediately to find out what happened.
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Holly Lascelles
•This is exactly right. I'd also add that sometimes the systems process at different times. CalWORKs and CalFresh technically run on separate systems even though they're often handled by the same worker. I've seen cases where the Cash Aid processes on the 1st but the CalFresh doesn't load until the 2nd or 3rd due to system delays. Definitely call to check though!
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Malia Ponder
omg the EXACT same situation happened to me!!! got my cash aid yesterday but no food stamps AT ALL. called the EBT number and they said my balance was $0 so it's not just a system glitch. i have 4 kids and now have to figure out how to feed them until this gets fixed 😡 the county never even sent me any notice saying there was a problem
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Kyle Wallace
•Did u submit ur SAR7 last month? I forgot mine and they cut my foodstamps but kept my cash aid going for some reason
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Cass Green
Update: I called the main EBT customer service line and they confirmed my CalFresh benefits aren't there - balance is $0. They couldn't tell me why, just that no benefits were loaded this month. Now I'm trying to get through to my county worker but haven't been able to get past the automated system. Been on hold for 45 minutes already. This is so frustrating when I have hungry kids at home.
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Ryder Ross
•I've been in this exact situation trying to reach the county office. After getting disconnected three times, I finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person in about 20 minutes. It's at claimyr.com and there's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Basically they wait on hold for you and call you when they get a real person. Totally worth it when you're dealing with something urgent like missing food benefits. Just sharing since it helped me resolve my missing benefits issue.
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Cass Green
•Thank you! I'm going to try this right now. I've been disconnected twice already and my phone battery is getting low. Appreciate the suggestion!
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Gianni Serpent
Sometimes they stagger the benefits. Like Cash Aid posts on the 1st but CalFresh might not show up till the 2nd or 3rd, especially if it falls on a weekend. Wait a day and check again before panicking.
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Henry Delgado
•no thats not right, benefits always post on the same schedule each month. the 1st is the 1st whether its weekend or not. EBT system doesn't care about weekends, only banking systems do
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Cass Green
Final update: Finally got through to a worker (used that Claimyr service someone suggested and it actually worked). Turns out they needed verification of my new rent amount after I moved last month, but the notice went to my old address! The worker was able to take my verbal statement about the new rent and reset my CalFresh. Benefits should be available tomorrow. She also updated my address in all their systems so I don't miss future notices. Check your address on file if you moved recently!
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Madison Tipne
•Good to hear you got it resolved! This happens more often than it should with address changes. For anyone reading this in the future: whenever you move, make sure you update your address in BOTH BenefitsCal AND directly with your county office. Sometimes the systems don't communicate well with each other. Also, set up text alerts if your county offers them - they'll often text you about missing documents before they discontinue benefits.
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Malia Ponder
•thanks for the update! im going to check if thats my problem too, i did move 2 months ago and updated it online but maybe they still sent something to my old place
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Finley Garrett
did u check ur income reporting threshold (IRT)? if u made more money than ur IRT amount even for just 1 month they can cut ur food stamps but usually not the cash aid for some reason
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Cass Green
•No, my income has been the same for months. But good point about the IRT - for anyone else reading this, your IRT is on your approval notices and you have to report if you go over that amount even if it's not time for your SAR7!
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