The CalFresh Program

Description

The CalFresh Program is a federally funded program that helps low-income people buy the food they need for good health. For most households, CalFresh benefits are only part of their food budget, and they must spend some of their own cash along with their CalFresh benefits in order to buy enough food for a month.

Household Member – CalFresh Households  

A CalFresh household is a group of people who live together, buy food, and prepare meals together and whose members meet the eligibility requirements and are approved for benefits. The amount of CalFresh benefits you get will depend on the number of eligible people in your household and on how much monthly income is left after certain expenses (deductions) are subtracted.

 

Interview

• An interview is required before certifying your household to get CalFresh benefits. The interview can occur in the county office or by telephone (in most counties). The interview may be held with the head of household, spouse, the authorized representative or any other responsible household family member. An interview is required annually.
• An eligibility worker will explain the program rules and help your household complete any parts of the application that have not yet been completed.
• After the interview, the CalFresh office will send a notice. If your household does not qualify for CalFresh benefits, the notice will explain why. If your household does qualify, the notice will explain how much the CalFresh benefit will be for your household. It will also explain how many months you can receive CalFresh benefits (certification period) before being re-certified.
• Local CalFresh office officials may waive the face-to-face part of the interview requirement if traveling to the county welfare department would be a hardship for your household. The face-to-face feature must be waived if your household is composed only of elderly or disabled members with no earned income.

Documents you may need to provide  

If you have a face-to-face interview, please bring verification with you of your income and expenses. If you cannot get all the information together by your interview date, still come for the interview because you will have additional time to provide this information. If you need assistance in obtaining this information, please discuss this with your CalFresh worker at the time of the interview. The following are examples of what to bring:

• Proof of identity (driver’s license, etc.), alien status.
• Social Security Numbers for all household members.
• If employed, proof of income (wage stubs, earning statements, etc.) for the past 30 days.
• Bank statements for checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, credit union accounts, retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, dividends, etc.
• Proof of shelter costs (rent or mortgage payment, lot rent, household, real estate, taxes, utility bills – heat, electricity, water/sewer/garbage, telephone, etc.

Verification

The CalFresh worker may also ask for proof of certain information that has been reported. The following must be verified prior to certification:

• Identification
• Immigration Status (in some cases)
• Sponsored Non-citizen Information (in some cases)
• Residency
• SSN number for all Household Members
• Gross Income
• Evidence of Disability
• Utility Expenses
• Medical Expenses
• Child Support Obligations and Payments

For expedited service, only identification is required and other verification can be postponed. Other verification such as shelter costs, dependent care costs, household size, and liquid resources do not require verification unless questionable.

Categorical Eligibility

Households in which all members are authorized or receiving cash aid, such as CalWORKS or GA/GR, are considered categorically eligible. This means the CalFresh Program accepts eligibility determinations made by the other program for resources, gross and net income limits, sponsored alien information, county residency, and social security number information. CalFresh Households containing California Food Assistance (CFAP) recipients are not categorically eligible.

Expedited Service

Households that qualify for expedited service (ES) go through the same application process as all other clients, but not all information has to be verified before benefits are issued. Households may qualify for (ES) based if the household:

• Has less than $150 in monthly gross income and liquid resources of $100 or less; or
• Migrant or seasonal farm workers who are destitute; or
• Combined monthly gross income and liquid resources which are less than the household monthly rent or mortgage and utilities

ES CalFresh benefits will be made available to the household no later than the third calendar day following the date the application was filed. Applicants are informed of and are automatically considered for expedited service at the time the application is filed.
The Application Process

You can apply online at www.c4yourself.com or visit either our main office located at:

Calaveras Health and Human Services Agency
509 E St Charles Street
San Andreas, CA 95249

Monday through Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Phone (209) 754-6448

Or anyone one of our outstation offices located throughout Calaveras County.

Disclaimer: The community resource directory information is deemed accurate and up-to-date, however, you should always contact the agency or provider to confirm this information and make an appointment. Be sure to confirm payment information with the provider, if payment is required. We are not affiliated to any of the organizations listed in this app/website. The information provided in this app/site is for the benefit of the community and and we are not liable for any information changed from the date we published this information. Please contact us if you like to make any changes in the information by emailing beracahsites@gmail.com