CalFresh FAQ
What is CalFresh?
CalFresh is a nutrition assistance program that helps people purchase food for good health. CalFresh dollars are automatically loaded monthly onto an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) debit card, which is used at stores and farmers' markets, just like any other bank debit card. CalFresh dollars can be spent on food, in addition to seeds and plants that produce food in a garden.
Am I eligible?
Answer the questions below and make an appointment with our staff for help with next steps! A Food for People Outreach staff member in Eureka will call or text you to follow up.
What are the basic eligibility guidelines?
If you or at least one of your children is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, and your monthly income is below the limits listed below, you may be eligible to receive CalFresh benefits.
Household size of 1 = $2,610
Household size of 2 = $3,526
Household size of 3 = $4,442
Household size of 4 = $5,360
Household size of 5 = $6,276
Household size of 6 = $7,192
Household size of 7 = $8,110
Household size of 8 = $9,026
Each additional household member = +$918
These income limits apply to most households. It is important to tell the county if you pay for dependent care or child support. If you are age 60+ or have a disability, it is also important to tell the county about your housing costs and out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Hablas español?
Para asistencia en español llame a 707-445-3166 ext 318.
How do I apply?
There are a few different ways to sign up. You can either:
Complete the questions in the self-screener on this page, and then make an appointment with our staff for help with next steps. Provide your phone number so our Outreach staff can call or text you back to follow up.
Call our CalFresh Outreach staff at 707-445-3166 ext. 318
Email our CalFresh Outreach staff at CalFresh@foodforpeople.org
Apply online at BenefitsCal (If you have challenges with BenefitsCal, please reach out to us at the email or phone above.)
Call Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) at 877-410-8809
Visit a local DHHS office: Eureka (929 Koster St., Eureka); McKinleyville (1615 Heartwood Dr., McKinleyville); Fortuna (3306 Renner Dr., Fortuna); Garberville (727 Cedar St., Garberville) Hoopa (68 Orchard St., Hoopa)
Our CalFresh Outreach staff are here to help with the application process, the eligibility process after your application has been submitted to the County, and questions/tips on reporting and re-certifying in order to continue receiving benefits. Once you are receiving CalFresh, it is important to take all the necessary steps to make sure benefits continue for as long as you need them, and our staff are experts in helping households with this process. See more on Application Assistance and Training on the CalFresh Task Force section of our Advocacy page.
What is the application process like?
After an initial application is submitted: Humboldt County DHHS Social Services will contact you within 1-3 business days to schedule an interview, or sooner if you qualify for expedited services. If you apply in a Social Services office, the interview may be done same day. If you need to reschedule, or you miss your appointment, call Social Services at 1-877-410-8809.
Interview: The interview may be done in person or over the phone. It will last about 30-60 minutes. If you have also applied for health care coverage, it will be handled in the interview. If at the end of the interview verification documents are needed, you will be given or mailed a Request for Verification letter giving you 10 days to provide the necessary information.
After the interview: Once your eligibility is determined, a Notice of Action letter will be mailed to you, showing whether your application was approved or denied. An approval letter explains the amount of benefits and how to access them. A denial letter explains why you were denied and how to appeal the decision.
What about these specific situations?
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The passing of H.R. 1, the federal budget reconciliation bill, expanded the definition of time limits for a population called “ABAWD” (able-bodied adults without dependents). People who fall into this category will be subject to a limit of three months of CalFresh benefits in a three-year period, unless they meet specific conditions such as working a minimum number of hours or qualifying for an exemption.
Not everyone will be classified as ABAWD, and there are layers of eligibility the county will look at to determine if people qualify for an exemption.
More info here
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Summer EBT, known as SUN Bucks, is a program that helps families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer. Families will get a card with $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries during the summer. Families must use SUN Bucks within 122 days of funds being loaded to their card. Children who get SUN Bucks can still participate in other summer meal programs.
Some children are automatically enrolled, and some are not and would need to fill out a form to submit to the school.
Learn more about Sun Bucks and where to find the form here
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Changes to eligibility due to H.R. 1
Recent federal law passed by Congress and signed by the President limits eligibility for CalFresh to certain groups of lawfully present noncitizens. However, many people remain eligible for CalFresh, including household members with U.S. citizenship and some qualifying immigration statuses.
What is public charge?
It is part of federal immigration law to identify who might depend on the government as their main source of support in the future. If someone is considered a public charge, then the government can deny that person's application for admission into the U.S. or an application for lawful permanent resident status (LPR or "green card").
CalFresh and Medi-Cal are NOT public charge programs.
Learn more about changes to CalFresh and definition of Public Charge here
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There are specific rules used to determine whether a college student (age 18 through 49) is eligible for CalFresh. If you or a member of your household are currently attending college or university half time or more (as defined by your school’s degree/transfer requirements, often 7.5 units), you MAY be eligible to participate in the CalFresh Program if you meet any one of the criteria listed on our Student Eligibility page.
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BenefitsCal is an online portal where Californians can apply for and manage benefits online. This includes food assistance (CalFresh), cash aid (CalWORKs, General Assistance, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants), and affordable health insurance (Medi-Cal)
Food for People’s Outreach team can help you navigate BenefitsCal, whether you have questions about applying, setting up an account, uploading documents, doing your reporting, etc.
Visit our BenefitsCal page for additional information on how to apply for CalFresh benefits, upload documents, or submit a recertification.
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Many CalFresh recipients will need to complete semi-annual reports in order to continue to receive benefits. In addition, most households will need to complete a recertification form at the end of one year of benefits (or 3 years for some seniors and people with disabilities).
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Unfortunately, a new third-party app (Ebt edge - food stamps) has been released for smartphones that imitates the official FIS ebtEDGE Mobile app and charges users a $4.99 weekly fee or $60 for lifetime access.
Do NOT download or use this app. California will never charge EBT cardholders to use the official EBT app: FIS ebtEDGE. To protect customer benefits, please only use the official, state-supported app.
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The State has completed sending out new replacement chip/tap EBT cards. The new card has updated security features to help reduce instances of fraud and stolen benefits.
Did you NOT receive your new chip/tap card…and your old card stopped working?
Learn more about next steps, security features, and how to use the chip/tap card.
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EBT theft by skimming and scamming is on the rise! Download the ebtEDGE app to a smartphone to protect your benefits:
*with real-time trebtEDGEacking
*freeze/unfreeze your card
*stop online and out of state transactions
*and more!
The ebtEDGE app is specifically for controlling and monitoring EBT cards.
BenefitsCal is different, is NOT an app, and is just focused on your CalFresh case itself.
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So you’re receiving CalFresh, and suddenly your monthly benefits stop arriving on your EBT card. What do you do?
Ongoing Reporting:
Many CalFresh recipients will need to complete semi-annual reports in order to continue to receive benefits. In addition, most households will need to complete a recertification form at the end of one year of benefits (or 3 years for some seniors and people with disabilities).
If you forget to complete one of these forms, or haven’t received information in the mail due to an address change, you could risk falling off of the program and needing to reapply.
If it has only been a short amount of time that you notice this has occurred, reach out to our Outreach team to see if it might be possible to catch in time.
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Market Match
CalFresh shoppers can swipe their EBT cards at the farmers' market manager's booth at many Humboldt County farmers’ markets and receive bonus farmers' market dollars FREE. This is a great way for current CalFresh shoppers to stretch dollars at Humboldt County farmers' markets on healthy foods.
Grow Your Garden with CalFresh
CalFresh can be used to purchase seeds and plant starts that produce food. These can be purchased at grocery stores and farmers’ markets that accept CalFresh.
More info on CalFresh at farmers’ markets and tips for growing a garden with CalFresh here
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What is Disaster CalFresh?
Disaster CalFresh is a program that provides immediate food assistance for victims of natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, or fires. You could get up to a month’s benefits, or $250 per person in your household. You can get Disaster CalFresh even if you don't have immigration documentation, because it isn't considered a public benefit.
If you have moved to another county in California due to fires, you can apply for Disaster CalFresh at the local County DHHS office where you are. People who are not usually eligible for CalFresh can qualify for Disaster CalFresh if they meet the criteria. If you already get CalFresh, then you are not eligible for Disaster CalFresh. Check with your county for supplemental disaster benefits and replacement benefits.
Replacement of CalFresh Benefits
If food that you bought with CalFresh was damaged or lost in an emergency, you may be able to get extra benefits to replace it. Request the replacement up to 10 days after one of these things happened: Damaged in a fire, flood, or other natural disaster; Power outage; Refrigerator or freezer stopped working; Went bad after utilities got shut off; Or food bought with CalFresh was lost in another way.
After completing a form, a county DHHS worker will figure out what percentage of your benefits can be replaced. It will depend on what happened, and when. Some people can get a full month's replacement, others might only get part of the month.
Learn more about Disaster CalFresh & Getting Benefits Replacement here
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Households that are age 60+, or have a disability, or are experiencing homelessness are eligible to use CalFresh/EBT at businesses participating in the Restaurant Meals Program.
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California Department of Social Services (CDSS) received notice from the federal government that November SNAP (CalFresh) benefits will be disrupted if the federal shutdown continues past October 23rd.
Do you have questions about CalFresh?
Please fill out the form below and our CalFresh Outreach Staff will get in touch with you.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
Mail: USDA Food and Nutrition Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Room 334 Alexandria, VA 22314; or
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.