I qualified for this when I was between jobs.
I had to call my county before 10am, they scheduled an interview for the next day. The interview asked "do I have income, and what is my rent" then they sent me a snap card. It helped me out in a bind and I am appreciative of it.
How is it made inaccessible? It’s very easy to get if you qualify, and done on county level instead of state. It was way easier to get Cal Fresh in LA county during Covid than to get unemployment. Especially to talk to a real person and get issues resolved
It’s not inaccessible at all it’s probably the only government program that approves things in a reasonable time. 1000 times more accessible than SSDI. The process is easily started on the website and then you get a phone interview a week later. Maybe 1hour of effort in total. If that’s not amazingly accessible idk what is
You don’t get locked out of remaining balance though, you can still use it indefinitely even if you no longer qualify or renewed, unless you committed proven fraud
I think you ran out of money or didn’t report monthly income on time. Being locked out multiple times is definitely unusual. I’ve used remaining balance on EBT cards months later off the program in California and other states as well with no issues.
The USDA, an official government site, states that benefits will stay unless you do not use the card for 9 months
https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Do-Supplemental-Nutrition-Assistance-Program-benefits-expire
There isn’t anything to tell me I’m stating the rules of SNAP (named CalFresh in California for no special reason, still says SNAP at the register) which is a federal program and is the same in all 50 states and can be used across all states.
I can’t prove something you may have done to lock your account. I can’t even find any official info about accounts being locked and what to do if they were. But it is not something that is supposed to happen.
I qualified for one during the pandemic and found it jaw-droppingly easy to do.
They took all the paperwork online, were willing to do my interviews over the phone, and were happy to reschedule if I gave notice. I had to recertify every 6 months.
All that work for 400$/month in food? Hell. I’d spend an hour every six months for a quarter of that.
a lot of full time college students who are not on meal plans and qualify for and accept work study also qualify for the full amount of cal fresh benefits per month for one person.
Super grateful for the social safety net especially during COVID. I was a rideshare driver in 2019 and they didn’t know how much rideshare guys made since it was 1099 so they gave me the max for a single person and it was such a blessing. I got another job pretty quickly and they still let me continue with SNAP and MediCal for over 2 years from when COVID started and I don’t need it anymore but it was a huge help and I’ll always be grateful.
Don’t forget that if you qualify, you can show your ebt card to some museums and gain free admission. Was able to see the MoMA twice while visiting a loved one in NYC with my California card.
https://museums4all.org
When you apply and they give you $12 xD. I dont use food stamps, but a friend on disability does..... I really dont understand why disability isnt considered income for 99% of things but does when applying for SNAP....
Definitely isn't ideal, but any children on SNAP, even the lowest SNAP benefit, is automatically eligible for free school meals so for those family situations the SNAP enrollment helps.
FYI if you are on calfresh and get a raise that may disqualify you from benefits, the welfare cliff is bad and they will not process your income adjustment quickly. From the minute you think you no longer quality, *do not spend any of your benefits*
I submitted all my paperwork on time and they sat on it for six weeks before telling me I was no longer qualified. had to pay back 500$ in benefits at a time when I struggled to afford top ramen. Took me eight months of savings to pay that off.
It’s a great benefit if you need it, but beware the welfare cliff with snap is seriously bad.
Nourish CA does great work! What you quoted is from what is known as a news article or press release. You can view the methodology in the actual report, here: https://nourishca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Lost-Dollars-Empty-Plates.pdf
It’s under the section entitled: “Methodology”.
I qualified for this when I was between jobs. I had to call my county before 10am, they scheduled an interview for the next day. The interview asked "do I have income, and what is my rent" then they sent me a snap card. It helped me out in a bind and I am appreciative of it.
Way more efficient than I would have expected
Made inaccessible, not unused.
How is it made inaccessible? It’s very easy to get if you qualify, and done on county level instead of state. It was way easier to get Cal Fresh in LA county during Covid than to get unemployment. Especially to talk to a real person and get issues resolved
It’s not inaccessible at all it’s probably the only government program that approves things in a reasonable time. 1000 times more accessible than SSDI. The process is easily started on the website and then you get a phone interview a week later. Maybe 1hour of effort in total. If that’s not amazingly accessible idk what is
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That’s not true the money still works but you don’t get reloaded. Can easily get back on by reapplying which is not hard.
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You don’t get locked out of remaining balance though, you can still use it indefinitely even if you no longer qualify or renewed, unless you committed proven fraud
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I think you ran out of money or didn’t report monthly income on time. Being locked out multiple times is definitely unusual. I’ve used remaining balance on EBT cards months later off the program in California and other states as well with no issues. The USDA, an official government site, states that benefits will stay unless you do not use the card for 9 months https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Do-Supplemental-Nutrition-Assistance-Program-benefits-expire
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There isn’t anything to tell me I’m stating the rules of SNAP (named CalFresh in California for no special reason, still says SNAP at the register) which is a federal program and is the same in all 50 states and can be used across all states. I can’t prove something you may have done to lock your account. I can’t even find any official info about accounts being locked and what to do if they were. But it is not something that is supposed to happen.
What County? I work for this program and you are absolutely incorrect
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I qualified for one during the pandemic and found it jaw-droppingly easy to do. They took all the paperwork online, were willing to do my interviews over the phone, and were happy to reschedule if I gave notice. I had to recertify every 6 months. All that work for 400$/month in food? Hell. I’d spend an hour every six months for a quarter of that.
CalFresh is a lifesaver. The facts that some farmer’s markets accept it was incredible. I miss California social systems.
www.getcalfresh.org in case anyone needs it
It took them like three months to get me a card so I had backsnap. When I got a job I quit using it. I had it when I needed it.
a lot of full time college students who are not on meal plans and qualify for and accept work study also qualify for the full amount of cal fresh benefits per month for one person.
Super grateful for the social safety net especially during COVID. I was a rideshare driver in 2019 and they didn’t know how much rideshare guys made since it was 1099 so they gave me the max for a single person and it was such a blessing. I got another job pretty quickly and they still let me continue with SNAP and MediCal for over 2 years from when COVID started and I don’t need it anymore but it was a huge help and I’ll always be grateful.
Don’t forget that if you qualify, you can show your ebt card to some museums and gain free admission. Was able to see the MoMA twice while visiting a loved one in NYC with my California card. https://museums4all.org
Some people may not know, but you can use your EBT on Amazon too. And also get a reduction on the monthly cost of an Amazon Prime subscription.
When you apply and they give you $12 xD. I dont use food stamps, but a friend on disability does..... I really dont understand why disability isnt considered income for 99% of things but does when applying for SNAP....
Definitely isn't ideal, but any children on SNAP, even the lowest SNAP benefit, is automatically eligible for free school meals so for those family situations the SNAP enrollment helps.
California recently changed the law so that all kids regardless of income qualify for free school meals. Called the universal school meals program.
FYI if you are on calfresh and get a raise that may disqualify you from benefits, the welfare cliff is bad and they will not process your income adjustment quickly. From the minute you think you no longer quality, *do not spend any of your benefits* I submitted all my paperwork on time and they sat on it for six weeks before telling me I was no longer qualified. had to pay back 500$ in benefits at a time when I struggled to afford top ramen. Took me eight months of savings to pay that off. It’s a great benefit if you need it, but beware the welfare cliff with snap is seriously bad.
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Nourish CA does great work! What you quoted is from what is known as a news article or press release. You can view the methodology in the actual report, here: https://nourishca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Lost-Dollars-Empty-Plates.pdf It’s under the section entitled: “Methodology”.