CalWORKs EBT theft reimbursement approved same-day in LA County - success story!
Has anyone had their CalWORKs Cash Aid stolen from their EBT card recently? My entire March payment ($1,240) disappeared from my account last week. Someone made 3 large withdrawals at ATMs I've never been to. I discovered it Friday night when I tried to buy groceries and my card got declined! I almost had a panic attack in the store. I went to the DPSS office yesterday morning as soon as they opened. The worker had me fill out the "EBT Cash Aid Benefit Theft Claim" form and said it would take 10-30 days for them to investigate and possibly reimburse me. I have rent due NEXT WEEK and my landlord isn't exactly understanding about late payments. Does anyone know if there's a way to speed up this process? Has anyone actually gotten their stolen benefits back faster than 10 days? I'm in LA County if that matters. This is so stressful - I have no idea how I'm going to make it through the month without this money.
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Yuki Nakamura
I went through this exact situation in January! YES - you can absolutely get it processed faster. DO NOT just wait around for them to process the form. You need to call the LA County DPSS directly (not the EBT customer service) and explain that this is an emergency situation because you have rent coming due. Be prepared to spend some time on hold though - it took me about 1.5 hours to get through to a live person. When you get through, ask to speak with a supervisor about your EBT theft claim. Explain that you've already filed the paperwork in person but need emergency processing due to your rent situation. They can expedite it and often get the funds reloaded within 24-48 hours if they determine it's a valid theft. Also - make sure to change your PIN number right away if you haven't already done that!
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Ethan Moore
•Thank you SO MUCH for this info! I'll call them first thing tomorrow morning. Did they ask you a lot of questions about how it happened? I honestly have no idea how someone got my card info since I always keep it with me. I'm worried they won't believe me...
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StarSurfer
omg this same thing happen to me but it was my calfresh not cash aid!! they told me 30 days and i waited the whole time and got nothing back!! 😡 so mad bc my worker never told me i could call and ask them to hurry it up. gonna try that next time
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Yuki Nakamura
•CalFresh and Cash Aid theft claims are actually handled differently! For CalFresh (food benefits), federal regulations require a longer investigation period. Cash Aid theft can often be processed faster because it falls under different rules. But definitely call for either type of theft - sometimes just getting your case in front of a supervisor can help speed things up.
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Carmen Reyes
I recommend checking if you have any paystubs or other proof of recent ATM withdrawals you DID make. They asked me for that when processing my claim because they compare it to your normal withdrawal patterns. It helps them prove the suspicious transactions weren't you. Also take screenshots of the fraudulent transactions showing the ATM locations if you can still see them in your account history.
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Ethan Moore
•That's great advice, thank you! I can see the locations in my BenefitsCal account - they're all in a part of town I never go to, so that should help my case.
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Andre Moreau
Call them RIGHT NOW, don't wait. I had $890 stolen in December and waited 3 weeks with no update. Finally got so desperate I called the main line, waited on hold FOREVER, and when I finally got through they said my claim had been sitting unprocessed the whole time! They expedited it once I explained my situation and I had the money back in 2 days. The EBT theft is getting so bad in LA County lately, they're actually starting to take it more seriously. Also, when you do get your money back, transfer it to a bank account immediately if you can. Don't leave it sitting on the EBT card where it could get stolen again.
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Zoe Christodoulou
•I work at a nonprofit that helps people with public benefits issues, and this is excellent advice. We're seeing a huge increase in EBT theft cases across California, especially in LA County. The "store it in a bank account" tip is crucial. As soon as benefits are deposited, transfer them to a more secure account if possible. Also, check your EBT balance frequently so you catch theft early - the sooner you report it, the easier the investigation process usually is. One more tip: if calling doesn't work well for you, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that calls DPSS for you and holds your place in line, then calls you back when a worker picks up. A lot of our clients use it when they need to reach someone at DPSS but can't stay on hold for hours. They have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE
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Jamal Thompson
the system is SO broken!!!! i had $1500 stolen in november and they DENIED my claim saying i must have given someone my pin!!! i NEVER gave anyone my pin, the thieves are using skimmers at stores and atms to steal the card info. i had to appeal and it took TWO MONTHS to get my money back. the whole time my worker acted like i was lying. such bs how they treat us!!!!
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Mei Chen
•This happened to my sister too! She had to go through the whole appeal process. Do you know if there's a specific form for appealing a denied claim? I want to have everything ready just in case they try to deny mine too.
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Jamal Thompson
•yea its called a "request for state hearing" form. you can get it online or at the office. you only got 90 days to appeal after they deny you so dont wait!!! and KEEP CALLING THEM every single day until they fix it!!!!
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Mei Chen
I just went through this whole process last week! Called the LA County DPSS main line after filing my theft claim in person, and the worker was actually really helpful. She expedited my claim after I explained my rent situation. Got my money back in 36 hours! One thing that I think helped - I had filed a police report online about the theft before calling DPSS. The worker said that showed I was serious about the claim and wasn't just trying to get extra benefits. You can file a report online with LAPD if the theft happened in LA city, or with Sheriff's dept if it was elsewhere in the county. Good luck! The system can actually work when you get the right person on the phone.
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Ethan Moore
•Update: I called this morning after being on hold for almost 2 hours (!) and finally got through to someone. They initially said the same thing about 10-30 days, but when I mentioned my rent was due and I had kids to feed, they transferred me to a supervisor. The supervisor reviewed my claim on the spot and APPROVED it! They're reloading my benefits TODAY!! I'm so relieved I could cry. Thanks everyone for the advice to call instead of just waiting - it really worked!
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StarSurfer
•that's awesome!!! so happy for u!! did u have to provide any extra evidence or they just approved it after looking at what u already submitted?
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Ethan Moore
•They just needed to verify my identity over the phone with some security questions, and they looked at the claim form I'd already submitted in person. The supervisor said they could see the transactions were at ATMs I'd never used before and that made it pretty clear it was theft. She also recommended I change my PIN and check my balance more often, which I've already done!
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