How families can maximize their CalFresh Benefits
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By Anahid Brakke (she/her)
CalFresh benefits provide families with purchasing power and access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods. Families have been especially empowered through CalFresh emergency allotments, which were extra benefits provided as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the economy. These provided families with at least $95 more in CalFresh benefits every month.
As of February 28th of 2023, these emergency allotments have officially ended, and many families saw their benefits drop for the first time in three years – some households even saw benefits drop from $281 to the minimum of $23.
CDSS (California Department of Social Services) and counties across California have provided families with communication to prepare them for the end of emergency allotments, but one question lingers on the minds of families and service providers alike – what can families do?
It is especially important for families to ensure that they are receiving the maximum amount of benefits they are eligible for. CalFresh benefit amounts are determined by the family’s net income after deductions from eligible monthly expenses. Reporting these expenses may lead to a higher amount of CalFresh benefits being loaded onto a family’s EBT card every month. The county may request documentation to verify some of these expenses.
If you’d like to read more details about eligible expenses that may increase benefits, we recommend checking out the Maximizing Benefits Flyer (available in English and Spanish). Eligible monthly expenses include:
1. Shelter Expenses
a. Contrary to popular belief, shelter expenses are not limited to just mortgage costs or rent payments.
b. They can also include but are not limited to homeowner association (HOA) fees, taxes and insurance on the house, and repairs to the house caused by natural disaster.
2. Utility Expenses
a. Households are eligible to deduct utility costs if costs are separate from rent/shelter costs.
b. Utilities can include water, heating and cooling costs, gas, telephone costs, sewage, and trash collection.
3. Dependent Care Expenses
a. This includes any kind of care costs for children and other dependents (including care for adults).
b. This can include but is not limited to daycare costs, summer camp costs, Youth Programs (such as YMCA and Boys' and Girls’ Club), and babysitting payments to family, friends, or other individuals.
4. Child Support Payments
a. Households are eligible to deduct child support payments to someone outside of their CalFresh household. These do not include alimony payments.
i. A court-ordered letter will be required by the county for verification of this expense.
5. Medical Expenses
a. Households with an elderly or disabled member are eligible to deduct monthly medical expenses.
b. Allowable medical expenses include but are not limited to: Insurance premiums, medical supplies, hospitalization or outpatient treatment, prescription drugs, transportation costs, dental and eye care, attendant/health aid, maintaining service animals, and medical equipment and associated energy costs.
6. Homeless Shelter Expenses
a. Individuals experiencing homelessness are eligible to report expenses related to additional shelter costs. This expense can include but is not limited to:
i. Car payments (if living in their car)
ii. Motel payments
iii. Other shelter expenses
7. College Students
a. College students applying for CalFresh may be eligible to deduct their education expenses. This can include tuition, mandatory fees, and other school supplies.
Many families are unaware that these expenses may lead to increased benefits and fail to properly report their eligible monthly expenses. A senior in San Diego county recently reached out to the San Diego Hunger Coalition and shared her experience with reporting expenses. She was originally unaware that her costs to maintain her service animal counted as an eligible medical expense, but after reporting the expense to the county, she successfully saw an increase to her benefits and described the benefit change as “life changing for [herself] and [her] two service dogs.”
Like this senior, many families fail to properly report their eligible monthly expenses, and this can lead to families receiving less benefits than they are actually eligible for.
Takeaways
To ensure that families are receiving the maximum amount of CalFresh benefits possible, it is best to contact the county to report all monthly expenses and check that information on income is accurate. San Diego County’s office can be reached by calling Access at 1-(866) 262-9881.
If you have any questions or would like to get connected with further assistance, please contact the San Diego Hunger Coalition’s CalFresh Team at calfresh@sdhunger.org.
Anahid Brakke (she/her) is the President & CEO of San Diego Hunger Coalition
