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This is such a relief to read! I'm a new CalFresh recipient in Orange County and was having the exact same panic when my pending deposit didn't show up yesterday. I'm still learning how all this works and thought maybe I did something wrong with my paperwork. It's frustrating that the app is so unreliable - when you're depending on these benefits to feed your family, every little glitch feels like a crisis. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, it really helps newcomers like me understand that these technical issues are normal (even if they shouldn't be!).
Welcome to the CalFresh community! I totally understand that panic feeling - I've been receiving benefits for about 6 months now and I STILL get anxious when the app doesn't work properly. You're definitely not alone in feeling like every glitch is a crisis when you're relying on these benefits. The learning curve is real, but this community has been so helpful for figuring out what's normal vs. what's actually a problem. Glad your benefits came through okay!
I'm new to CalFresh too and this thread is so helpful! I'm in Riverside County and was literally about to drive to the county office tomorrow because I thought my case got closed when the pending deposit didn't show. It's crazy how much stress these app glitches cause when you're already dealing with food insecurity. I wish they would at least put up a notice in the app when they're having technical issues so we know it's not our benefits being cut off. Thanks everyone for sharing - it's good to know this is a known issue and not something I messed up!
So glad everything worked out for you! This is such a common confusion - the SAR7 form can make it seem like you need to report every little thing when really they only want major changes. I made a similar mistake my first year on CalFresh by reporting a $25 gift card my mom gave me for my birthday 🤦♀️ Your experience is actually really helpful for other people who might be overthinking their reporting requirements. And thanks for sharing how Claimyr worked for you - I've been seeing more people mention it lately as a way to actually reach county workers when the phone lines are impossible.
This is such a perfect example of how confusing the CalFresh system can be for people trying to do the right thing! I'm a newcomer here but I've been on CalFresh for about 6 months and I made similar mistakes early on - I reported my library card renewal and even a free bus pass I got through a community program because I thought "changes in resources" meant literally ANY change. What I've learned is that they really only care about things that affect your financial situation in a meaningful way. Discounts, memberships, and small perks are not what they're looking for. It's great that you got it sorted out and your benefits are back on track! Also really helpful to know about Claimyr - I've been struggling to reach my worker too and didn't know this service existed. Definitely bookmarking that for future reference. Thanks for sharing your experience and the resolution!
Also make sure your income is under the IRT (Income Reporting Threshold) or they'll cut you off! For a household of 3 in 2025 it's around $3,700 I think. Did you make more than your IRT in any month?
I'm a newcomer here but dealing with something similar! I'm self-employed doing home tutoring and my recertification has been pending for almost a month now. Reading through all these responses is really helpful - I didn't know about the 30-day processing timeframe or that I could request expedited services if my benefits expire. I've been panicking thinking I'd have to start over. Going to try sending a message through BenefitsCal today and document everything like Anastasia suggested. It's reassuring to know this delay is somewhat normal for self-employment cases, even though it's stressful when you have kids depending on these benefits.
Just an update on my situation - I finally got through this morning by calling right at 8am. Waited 25 minutes but finally talked to someone. Turns out they implemented some new verification system in January that flagged a bunch of accounts for "review" but they're behind on processing them. The worker manually pushed mine through. You should ask if yours got caught in the same verification backlog.
I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! My benefits were supposed to load on the 15th but nothing came through. I've been calling that same number for days with no luck. Reading through all these comments, it sounds like there's a widespread problem with their new verification system. I'm going to try calling at 8am tomorrow and also look into that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's frustrating but at least I know I'm not alone in this. @Emily Nguyen-Smith I hope you get your benefits sorted out soon, especially with kids to feed. This system is broken and they need to fix it ASAP.
@Max Knight Thanks for the support! It really does help to know we re'not alone in this mess. I actually just got off the phone - tried the 8am strategy this morning and it worked! Waited about 40 minutes but finally got through. Turns out my case was indeed caught in that verification backlog everyone s'been talking about. The worker was able to manually release my benefits and said they should show up within 24-48 hours. She also mentioned they re'working on fixing the system issues but didn t'give a timeline. Definitely try calling right at 8am sharp - seems like that s'the sweet spot before the lines get completely jammed. Good luck and I hope you get yours resolved quickly too!
Anita George
We haven't gotten ANY letter yet... starting to worry again 😕
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Ravi Sharma
Don't worry too much about not getting a letter yet! I'm in the same boat - last name starts with S and I have 2 kids (ages 9 and 11) who qualify for free lunch. No letter or benefits yet but based on what everyone's saying about the N-Z group being this week, we should hopefully see something soon. I called my kids' school yesterday and they confirmed both my children are still listed as eligible for free meals in their system, so at least I know we should be getting it. The waiting is definitely stressful though, especially when you see other families already getting theirs!
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Omar Hassan
•Thanks for sharing this! It's so reassuring to hear from someone else in the same situation. I was starting to think something was wrong with our application since we haven't gotten any notification yet. My last name starts with T so we should definitely be in this N-Z week. Really hoping we both see our benefits loaded by Friday! It's good that you checked with the school - I should probably do the same just to make sure everything is still showing correctly on their end.
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