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?

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 following, you may be eligible to receive CalFresh benefits.

  • Household size of 1 = $2,430

  • Household size of 2 = $3,288

  • Household size of 3 = $4,144

  • Household size of 4 = $5,000

  • Household size of 5 = $5,858

  • Household size of 6 = $6,714

  • Each additional household member = +$858

How do I apply?

There are a few different ways to sign up. You can either:

Hablas español?

Para asistencia en español llame a 707-445-3166 ext 318.

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.

Do I need to be signed up for CalFresh to get food from Food For People?

No, CalFresh is a separate program. You can receive assistance from CalFresh and also pick up food at our various pantries.

What about these specific situations?

  • Summer EBT for kids has a new name and a new look for 2024. The program helps families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer.

    Families will get $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. SUN Bucks will not affect immigration status.

    Learn more about Sun Bucks here

  • 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).

    Learn more details and download the forms here

  • 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.

    Visit the EBT theft page for more info.

  • 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.

    • More details about reporting and recertification forms here

    Benefit Theft:

  • CalFresh Emergency Allotments (extra benefits) ended February 2023

    CalFresh participants will still receive regular monthly benefits, but not the extra benefits that were provided during the pandemic. CalFresh Emergency Allotments (EA), which were additional benefits granted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ended in February 2023 and were deposited onto EBT cards in March 2023. As a result, CalFresh participants started seeing less in CalFresh dollars on their benefits cards beginning in April 2023.

    Learn more about COVID-19 CalFresh here

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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").

    Though there was a short period of time when the definition of public charge changed, please note that the definition has returned back to what was outlined going back to 1999, making it safe for many non-citizens to access CalFresh.

    Since March 9, 2021 public charge affects only some programs and some immigrants. It never impacts U.S. citizens, so it is safe to apply for the U.S.-born children of immigrants. It also does not affect MOST people with a green card, or asylees, refugees, people with U visas, T visas, VAWA, and many others.

    Learn more about Public Charge and who it affects here

  • BenefitsCal is an online portal where Californians can get 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)

Do you have questions about CalFresh?

Please fill out the form below and our CalFresh Outreach Staff will get in touch with you.

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