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I'm a security guard working 11pm-7am shifts and just ran into this same issue last month! My deposit day is the 3rd and I've always done my grocery runs at around 2am after work. When my card got declined at the self-checkout, I thought there was a system error or something was wrong with my account. The overnight manager didn't know about the 6am restriction either. It's really tough because by the time 6am rolls around, I'm exhausted and just want to get home to sleep. Plus most of the good sales and fresh produce are picked over by then. I wish they would at least make it 3am or 4am instead of waiting until 6am - that would help us night workers a lot more. Has anyone tried contacting CalFresh directly to give feedback about this policy? Maybe if enough night shift workers speak up they might consider adjusting the time.
I feel your pain as another night shift worker! I'm new to this community but have been dealing with the same frustration. I work nights at a manufacturing plant and had no idea about this 6am restriction until I found this thread. It really does seem like they didn't think about us night workers when they made this change. Your idea about contacting CalFresh directly is good - maybe we should all submit feedback about how this impacts night shift workers? Even moving it to 3am or 4am would be so much better than 6am. I'm going to try that emergency fund strategy someone mentioned earlier, but it's frustrating that we have to work around a system that used to work fine for us. Thanks for sharing your experience - at least now I know I'm not the only one dealing with this!
I'm also a night shift worker (hospital custodial staff, 12am-8am) and this thread has been so helpful! I had no idea this was a statewide change - I thought it was just my local store having issues when my card got declined at 3am last month. My deposit day is the 22nd and I've been shopping after work for two years without problems until recently. It's really frustrating that they implemented this without better outreach to people who work non-traditional hours. We're already dealing with limited store hours, fewer staff at night, and now this. The emergency fund strategy sounds smart - I'm definitely going to start setting aside $20-30 from each month's benefits as a buffer. Has anyone had success reaching out to their local representatives about this? It seems like if enough of us night workers contact our county supervisors or state assembly members, maybe they could push for at least moving the time earlier or finding another solution that works better for everyone.
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This whole thread has been super educational! I've been on CalFresh for about a year and completely forgot about the COLA increase from last October. When I saw an extra $62 on my card yesterday (went from $523 to $585 for my 3-person household), I honestly thought maybe they finally processed some change I'd reported months ago. It's really helpful seeing everyone's amounts and understanding that the increase varies based on your specific income situation. I feel kind of silly for not remembering this from last year, but at least now I know to expect it every October! The timing is perfect too since I was just stressing about how much more expensive everything is at the grocery store compared to last year. Thanks to everyone who explained the Thrifty Food Plan connection - I had no idea that's how they calculated these adjustments. Definitely going to set a calendar reminder for next September so I'm not confused again in 2026!
Don't feel silly at all! I think a lot of us forget about these annual increases from year to year, especially when there's so much other stuff to keep track of with benefits. I've been on CalFresh for about 3 years and I still get surprised every October even though I should know it's coming by now. Your increase sounds really good for a 3-person household! I love the idea about setting a calendar reminder for September - I'm definitely going to do that too. It's wild how much grocery prices have gone up this year, so this COLA timing really is perfect. Thanks for sharing your experience, it helps to know other people have the same "wait, what is this extra money?" reaction every year!
Just wanted to chime in as another person who was totally confused by this! I'm a college student and have been getting CalFresh for about 8 months now. When I checked my balance this morning and saw I had $267 instead of my usual $238, I immediately thought someone had made a mistake with my account or maybe used my card somehow. I was actually about to report it as fraud before I decided to google "CalFresh October increase" and found this thread! It's such a relief to know this is normal and happens every year. Really wish they made this more clear to new recipients during the application process - like maybe mention "hey, your benefits will automatically increase each October based on food cost adjustments." The extra $29 might not sound like much, but as a student living on ramen and whatever's on sale, every dollar helps! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and explaining how this all works. Definitely bookmarking this community for future questions!
I'm so glad you found this thread before reporting it as fraud! That would have been such a hassle to deal with. You're absolutely right that they should mention these annual increases during the application process - it seems like such basic information that would save everyone a lot of confusion. As a fellow student, I totally get how even $29 makes a real difference when you're budgeting carefully. It's actually pretty cool that the system automatically adjusts for food cost inflation each year, even if they're terrible at communicating it. Welcome to the community! There's always helpful info being shared here about navigating all the confusing parts of the benefits system that they don't explain well elsewhere.
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I'm so sorry you're going through this - EBT fraud is absolutely terrible and it's happening way too often lately. The stress of not knowing if your kids will have enough food is just heartbreaking. One thing that really helped me when this happened was keeping a detailed log of every single phone call and interaction. Write down the date, time, person's name, and what they told you. This became super important later when there were some mix-ups in my case. Also, if you run into any roadblocks with your county office or feel like they're not moving fast enough, don't hesitate to contact your local supervisor's office or even your state assembly member's constituent services. Sometimes having someone higher up make a call can really speed things along, especially when kids are involved. While you're waiting for everything to process, see if your area has any churches or community centers that do free meal programs. A lot of them don't require any paperwork and can help bridge the gap while you're waiting for your benefits to be replaced. You're being so proactive about this and doing everything right. Your kids are lucky to have a parent who's fighting so hard for them. This is temporary - you WILL get your money back and your family will be okay! ❤️
This is such great advice about keeping detailed logs! I wish I had started doing that from my first phone call, but I'll definitely start now and document everything going forward. The tip about contacting supervisor's office or assembly member's constituent services is really smart - I never would have thought of that but it makes total sense that they might be able to help move things along faster. I'm feeling so much more empowered knowing I have these options if I hit any roadblocks. And yes, I'm definitely going to look into local churches and community centers for meal programs while we wait. It's incredible how many resources and strategies people have shared here today - I went from feeling completely helpless this morning to having a whole action plan. Thank you so much for the encouragement too - it really means a lot to hear that from someone who's been through this! ❤️
I'm so sorry this happened to you - EBT fraud is becoming such a serious problem and it's absolutely terrifying when you have kids depending on that money. You're doing all the right things by acting so quickly! One additional resource I wanted to mention is the California EBT Mobile app - you can check your transaction history and balance instantly, which helps catch fraud faster in the future. Also, if you're comfortable with it, consider asking trusted family members or friends if they can help with groceries while you wait for the replacement benefits to come through. Another tip: when you go to your county office appointment, bring copies of everything - your ID, the police report number, screenshots of the fraudulent transactions, and any confirmation numbers from your calls. Having everything organized will help them process your case more efficiently. You mentioned your kids are 4 and 7 - they might also qualify for free meals at local community centers or after-school programs even if they're not currently enrolled. Many programs have emergency provisions for situations exactly like this. Stay strong - you're advocating so well for your family and you WILL get through this. The community resources are there to help, and California really has improved their benefit replacement process. Your persistence is going to pay off! 💪
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I'm also new to this community and dealing with the exact same frustrating situation! My son qualifies for free lunch and we received the eligibility letter in May, but still no Sun Bucks card. Our last name starts with V, so like everyone else has confirmed, it's definitely not alphabetical. This thread has been incredibly valuable - I had no idea that the cards come in plain white envelopes that could easily be mistaken for junk mail! I'm going to thoroughly check through all our mail from recent weeks tonight. Also really helpful to learn about the separate P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677 - I've been calling the regular CalFresh office and getting nowhere just like everyone else. It's so reassuring to read that so many other families are still waiting and that this is completely normal. The stress of budgeting for summer groceries without knowing when these benefits will arrive has been overwhelming. But knowing that the final batch should be mailed by July 31st gives me hope that we just need to hang in there a bit longer. I'm planning to call my son's school tomorrow to verify they submitted his information correctly. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community support means everything when you're feeling lost navigating this system!
Welcome to the community, Adrian! I'm also new here and going through the exact same situation. My daughter qualifies for free lunch, we got our eligibility letter in May, but still no Sun Bucks card (last name starts with F). This thread has been such a godsend - I never would have known about checking junk mail for those plain white envelopes or that there's a separate P-EBT helpline! I've been wasting so much time calling the wrong office too. It's incredibly comforting to see how many families are still waiting and that it's totally normal. The summer grocery budget anxiety is so real when you're counting on these benefits, but knowing the final cards should go out by July 31st helps me stay hopeful we just need to be patient a little longer. I'm also planning to call my daughter's school tomorrow to double-check they submitted everything correctly. Thanks for sharing - it really helps knowing we're all in this together navigating this confusing process!
I'm also new to this community and dealing with the exact same issue! My daughter qualifies for free lunch and we received the eligibility letter back in May, but still haven't gotten our Sun Bucks card yet. Our last name starts with N, so it's definitely confirming what everyone's saying about it not being alphabetical order. This thread has been so helpful - I had no idea the cards come in plain white envelopes that look like junk mail! I'm definitely going to go through all our recent mail tonight just in case we missed it. Also really appreciate learning about the separate P-EBT helpline at 877-328-9677 - I've been calling the regular CalFresh office for weeks getting nowhere. It's such a relief to know so many other families are still waiting and that this is completely normal. The stress of trying to budget for summer groceries without knowing when these benefits will arrive has been really overwhelming. But knowing the final batch should be mailed by July 31st gives me hope we just need to be patient a bit longer. I'm planning to call my daughter's school tomorrow to verify they submitted her information correctly. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community support means everything when you're feeling lost in this process!
Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and dealing with the exact same frustrating situation. My son qualifies for free lunch, we got the eligibility letter in May, but still no Sun Bucks card yet (last name starts with O). This thread has been such a lifeline - I had no idea about checking junk mail for those plain white envelopes or that there's a separate P-EBT helpline! I've been calling the wrong office this whole time too. It's so comforting to see how many families are in the same waiting boat and that it's totally normal. The summer grocery budget stress is real, but knowing the final cards should go out by July 31st helps me stay patient. I'm also going to call my son's school tomorrow to double-check everything was submitted correctly. Thanks for sharing - it really helps knowing we're all navigating this together!
Omar Fawaz
I'm new to this community but dealing with the exact same situation! My card was cancelled this morning without any warning - I was trying to buy groceries for my kids and it just wouldn't work. I had no idea what was happening until I found this thread. Thank you so much @Ethan Campbell for explaining about the security breach affecting 35,000 cards - that finally gives me some answers! It's absolutely ridiculous that they would cancel our cards without any notification when people depend on these benefits to feed their families. The embarrassment at the store checkout was awful. I'm definitely going to try calling the EBT line at 8am tomorrow and mention the security breach specifically to get expedited shipping like others have done successfully. This community has been more informative than any official communication - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and tips during this frustrating situation!
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Isabella Russo
•Welcome to the community @Omar Fawaz! I'm so sorry you had to experience that embarrassing situation at the store checkout with your kids there - that's absolutely awful when you're just trying to buy groceries for your family and suddenly your card stops working with no explanation. You definitely didn't do anything wrong, and it's completely understandable to feel frustrated and confused. The fact that 35,000 people had their food access cut off without any warning is just inexcusable on the system's part! I'm glad you found this thread though - the community here has been incredible at sharing information and supporting each other when the official channels have completely failed us. Definitely try that 8am call strategy tomorrow and mention the security breach specifically - so many people here have had great success getting expedited shipping that way. Also, while you're waiting for your replacement card, don't hesitate to look into local food banks or emergency food assistance programs - that's exactly what those resources are for when situations like this happen. It's ridiculous that we have to piece together information through community forums, but at least we're all here helping each other navigate this mess. Hope you get your new card quickly!
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Chris Elmeda
I'm new to this community but going through the exact same nightmare right now! My EBT card was suddenly cancelled yesterday while I was shopping for my family, and I had no clue what was happening until I found this incredibly helpful thread. Thank you so much @Ethan Campbell for explaining about the security breach affecting 35,000 cards - finally someone with actual answers! It's absolutely outrageous that they would cut off people's food access without any advance warning or explanation. The humiliation at the checkout counter was terrible, especially with other customers waiting behind me. I'm definitely going to try the 8am calling strategy tomorrow and specifically mention the security breach to request expedited shipping like so many of you have done successfully. This community has provided more useful information and support in this one thread than any official communication I've received. It's shameful that we have to figure this out ourselves through forum posts, but I'm so grateful for everyone sharing their experiences and tips. Will also check out local food banks while waiting for the replacement card. Thank you all for helping each other when the system has completely abandoned us!
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Yara Assad
•Welcome to the community @Chris Elmeda! I'm so sorry you had to go through that humiliating experience at the checkout - it's absolutely devastating when your card suddenly stops working while you're just trying to buy food for your family. You definitely didn't do anything wrong, and your frustration is completely justified. The fact that 35,000 people had their food access cut off without any warning is just unacceptable! I'm really glad you found this supportive thread though - this community has been amazing at sharing practical tips and emotional support when the official system has left us all in the dark. The 8am calling strategy has been working really well for people, so definitely try that tomorrow and mention the security breach specifically. Several members here have successfully gotten expedited shipping that way. And absolutely check out those local food banks while you wait - there's no shame in using emergency food resources when the system has failed us like this. It's ridiculous that we have to rely on community forums to get basic information about our own benefits, but at least we're all here helping each other navigate this mess. You've got this, and hopefully you'll get your replacement card quickly!
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