EBT card suddenly cancelled with all my CalWORKs money still on it - HELP!

OMG this happened to me last year! Such a nightmare. The county randomly cancelled my card because they thought I moved out of state (I was just visiting my sister for 2 weeks). You need to talk to your actual eligibility worker, not the EBT customer service people. They can't do anything to fix it.

theres a few reasons they cancel cards... did u report ur card lost? did someone try using it in another state? did u miss ur redetermination appointment or SAR7 deadline? they dont just cancel cards for no reason

This could be happening for a few important reasons. Before panicking too much: 1. First, check if you went over your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). If you earned more than your reported IRT amount, your benefits can be adjusted or suspended. 2. Did you recently update your address in BenefitsCal? Sometimes this triggers a card cancellation for security. 3. Check if anyone in your household aged out of eligibility (turned 18) or if there was any household composition change you didn't report. 4. If there was suspicious activity on your card, they sometimes cancel first, ask questions later. You absolutely need to speak with your actual eligibility worker, not just the EBT customer service line. The county office can reactivate your existing card in some cases without waiting for a new one, especially if this was their error.

I guarantee this is because of your address change. When you update your address, you're supposed to request a new card at the same time because they automatically cancel the old one for security reasons. It's stupid that they don't make this clear!! You have a few options: 1. Go in person to your county office ASAP and explain the situation. Bring ID and proof of your new address. They can sometimes issue emergency cards on the spot. 2. If you can't get through to your worker on the phone after multiple attempts, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). I used it when I had a similar emergency situation and they got me connected to a real person at the county within 10 minutes. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE 3. Ask if you qualify for immediate need assistance since you have no access to your benefits and rent is due.

ur SUPPOSED to get a letter in the mail b4 they cancel ur card. Did u get ANY notice????? this is why i always keep some emergency cash hidden at home cuz the system is always finding ways to mess with us when we need our $ the most 😠

they did this to my sister when she got married and changed her name lol county is a mess

Quick update for you - when you change your address in BenefitsCal, there's actually a checkbox that asks if you need a new EBT card that many people miss. If you don't check it, the system sometimes still flags your card for cancellation but doesn't automatically order you a new one. Definitely visit your county office in person tomorrow with your ID and get this sorted out. If you explain it's for rent, many counties have a process to issue same-day emergency cards.

After reading all these comments, I'm now worried because I just submitted an address change in BenefitsCal yesterday! Going to double check my account to see if there was a checkbox about my EBT card that I missed. This whole system is so confusing sometimes.

UPDATE: I went to the county office this morning and stood in line for 2 hours. Finally got to speak with someone who confirmed it was because of my address change. They were able to issue me a temporary card right there and transfer my benefits to it! So relieved. For anyone else this happens to - definitely go in person and explain it's an emergency situation with rent due. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

@practical_solution They said they DID send a notice, but to my old address even though I'd already updated my address in the system 2 weeks ago! The worker said there's a delay between when you update in BenefitsCal and when their mailing system updates. So frustrating. But at least I have access to my money now.

This is such valuable information for everyone to know! I had no idea that updating your address could automatically trigger a card cancellation. It's ridiculous that they don't make this clear when you're updating your info in BenefitsCal. Thank you for sharing your experience and the solution - going in person really does seem to be the fastest way to resolve these emergency situations. I'm bookmarking this thread in case I ever run into something similar!