Can stolen CalWORKs Cash Aid or CalFresh be deposited to my regular bank account instead of EBT?

omg this happened to me 2!!!! so sorry ur going thru this. I don't think u can get calfresh on anything but EBT, that's just how it works. but cash aid u might be able to do direct deposit??? not 100% sure tho

The system is ridiculous!!!!! Once your benefits get stolen it's NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to get them back!! I had $300 stolen last year and it took 3 MONTHS to get a replacement. They make you fill out all these affidavits and make you feel like YOU did something wrong. And no, you CANNOT get CalFresh/food stamps in your bank account - it HAS to go on EBT because of federal rules.

Hi there, to answer your question - yes and no. For CalWORKs Cash Aid, you absolutely CAN have it direct deposited to your regular bank account instead of your EBT card. This is called "Electronic Funds Transfer" or EFT. You need to fill out a form called "Direct Deposit Request Form" (CW 2035) and submit it to your county worker with a voided check or bank statement. For CalFresh (food stamps), however, those benefits can ONLY be issued on an EBT card. This is a federal requirement and there's no way around it. Make sure to file a "Request for Replacement" form (CF 303) within 10 days of discovering the theft for your stolen benefits. You'll need to sign an affidavit, and they should replace your Cash Aid, though it might take some time.

When this happened to my cousin, she tried for weeks to reach someone at the county office about getting her stolen benefits back. The EBT hotline wasn't helpful at all. She ended up using Claimyr.com to get through to an actual worker - it's a service that calls the county office for you and then connects you when they reach a real person. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Once she finally got through, they helped her file the theft report and she got a replacement in about 2 weeks. And yes, she also switched to direct deposit for her Cash Aid after that!

I've been getting my CalWORKs direct deposited to my bank account for about 2 years now. Best decision ever! No more worrying about my card getting stolen or lost. But like others said, CalFresh has to stay on EBT - that's just the law. Make sure when you fill out that direct deposit form that your name on your bank account EXACTLY matches your name in the CalWORKs system. My friend had hers rejected twice because her bank account had her middle initial but her CalWORKs case didn't. Also, for your current situation - did you file a police report? Sometimes they want that for larger amounts that were stolen.

just be ready for the county to act like ur trying to commit fraud when u report theft. my worker was so rude to me when my benefits got stolen, questioning me like i was a criminal. i was like hey i just wanna feed my kids!! took like 6 weeks to get replacement but i did eventually. and ya i switched to direct deposit after that happened, way better. one less card to worry about losing.

Thanks everyone for all your help! I was finally able to reach my worker today and file the paperwork for the stolen benefits. She confirmed I can get my Cash Aid through direct deposit (thanks for the form name @helpful_person!) but CalFresh has to stay on EBT. I'm filling out the direct deposit form today and also filed a police report. Fingers crossed I get the stolen money back soon, but at least I know how to prevent this from happening again!

I'm so sorry this happened to you! EBT theft is unfortunately way too common. I just wanted to add that when you do switch to direct deposit for your Cash Aid, keep your EBT card in a safe place at home as a backup - sometimes there can be delays with direct deposits and having the card as a fallback can be helpful. Also, once you get your replacement benefits, consider splitting them between your bank account (Cash Aid) and keeping just a small amount on the EBT card for emergencies. Stay strong mama, you're doing everything right by being proactive about this!