CalWORKs EBT theft reimbursement approved in BenefitsCal but money still not on card - HELP!

This happened to me in January! The system is so frustrating. There's actually a delay between when they mark it as approved in BenefitsCal and when the money hits your card. For me it took 4 business days after getting the approval notification. If you got the notice yesterday, I'd give it until at least Tuesday or Wednesday next week before panicking. The approval is the hardest part to get - once they've approved it, you WILL get the money, it's just their system is slow to process the actual payment.

omg the same thing is happening to me rn!! got approved monday but nothings on my card an i'm going crazy checking it every 10 mins. did you have to do the police report too? that was such a pain

I've been through this exact situation with stolen benefits. The approval in BenefitsCal is just the first step. After your reimbursement claim is approved, it gets sent to the state's fiscal department to issue the actual payment to your EBT card. This typically takes 3-5 business days, but can sometimes take up to 7-10 business days during busy periods. If you don't see the money by next Friday, I would recommend contacting your worker directly. When you do get the funds, they should appear as a separate deposit labeled something like "REIMBURSEMENT" or "BENEFIT REPLACEMENT" on your EBT transaction history. Also important: make sure you've changed your PIN number since the theft occurred! Many people get reimbursed only to have their benefits stolen again because they didn't update their PIN.

They will probably put the money on ur card but you should call ur worker asap!!! The county ALWAYS tries to screw people over with these reimbursements. My sister had to call like 5 times to get her stolen cash aid back last year and they kept saying "it's coming" but then nothing would happen until she called again. The squeaky wheel gets the grease with CalWORKs!

Have you tried calling the EBT customer service line instead of the county office? Sometimes they have more up-to-date information about pending deposits to your card. The number is on the back of your EBT card. I've found them more helpful than the county workers for questions specifically about when money will hit your card.

If you're struggling to reach someone at the county, try Claimyr. It's saved me so much time when dealing with my CalWORKs issues. They basically call and wait on hold for you, then connect you when a real person answers. I used it when my benefits got stolen too and it helped me avoid hours of hold time. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE

If Im in your situation, I would not be siting around waiting for some system to process. Tomorrow morning, go IN PERSON to your local CalWORKs office with a printout of the approval notice from BenefitsCal and ask them for a timeline. They might try to send you away saying "just wait" but DONT LEAVE until they give you a specific date or call their supervisor. Bring your kids if you have them. Sometimes they magically find solutions when they can see the actual people they're supposed to be helping...

I just wanted to follow up and ask if your money showed up yet? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!

So glad to hear your money finally showed up! This gives me hope for others dealing with the same situation. It's really helpful that you shared the exact label it appeared under ("REPL BENEFITS") - I'll remember that for future reference. The 3 business day timeline after approval seems to be pretty consistent based on what others have shared here. Thanks for updating us with the resolution!