How to Apply for Food Stamps in California
The CalFresh program, which was previously
known as the food stamps program, is the food
assistance program in the state of California.
The United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) funds the program at the federal level
through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP).
CalFresh provides funds for low-income households
to purchase supplemental food on a monthly
basis.
CalFresh benefits are used at grocery stores
in place of money.
Part 1
Understanding the Process
1
Learn about the local process.
Applying to CalFresh varies based on the county
of California in which you reside.
To determine the specifics of the application
process in your county and to begin your own
application, contact your local county welfare
office.
Certain community and faith-based organizations
as well as county welfare outreach centers
provide assistance with the CalFresh application
process as well.
2
Determine your eligibility.
Your eligibility for CalFresh is based on
household income and number of people in your
household.
A household is defined as a single person
living alone or a family or group of people
who live together and jointly purchase food.
Parents and live-in children under the age
of 22 qualify as a household.
Other qualifications for eligibility to the
program include that the members of the household
are also beneficiaries of certain other California
welfare programs, have limited income and
property, and are U.S. citizens or legal residents.
The income requirement is based on a percentage
of the federal poverty level (FPL), which
is a measure of income level that is issued
annually by the federal Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS), and the number of
people living in the household.
This is a state-wide income range that changes
by year for the entire CalFresh program (all
counties) depending on the shift of the FPL.
Those who are not U.S. citizens or legal residents
or who already receive Supplement Security
Income/State Supplementary Payments (SSI/SSP)
are not eligible for CalFresh.
3
Investigate other eligibility and expedited
services.
Automatic eligibility and an express application
process might be available to certain applicants.
Households that are already receiving aid
in the form of cash through CalWORKS, another
aid program in the state that gives funds
to needy families, or through General Assistance/General
Relief by the state, are automatically deemed
eligible for CalFresh.
A household that has less than $150 of gross
monthly income and $100 of liquid resources
or less, is made up of those who are considered
destitute migrant or seasonal farm workers,
has less gross income and liquid resources
than the total monthly rent or mortgage and
utilities for the residence, or is homeless
are eligible for an expedited application
process.
In this case, not all information must be
verified before benefits are provided and
benefits are available to applicants within
three days of the filing of the application.
Part 2
Filling out the Paperwork
1
Obtain the application.
To obtain an application visit your county
welfare office in person.
You can also request an application by faxing
or calling the local welfare office.
An online version of the application is also
available on the California Department of
Social Services' website and the Benefitscal.com
website.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is necessary in order
to download the application.
2
Name a household member.
One member of the household must be prepared
to sign the application.
In signing the application, the household
member is swearing the information on the
application to be true under the penalty of
perjury.
3
Fill out and file the application.
The application must be filled out to the
extent possible and filed with your local
county welfare office.
You may submit the application in person,
via mail or fax, or electronically.
At a minimum, the application must include
a name, address, and signature in order to
be accepted under the CalFresh program.
However, fill out the application as fully
as possible.
Some of the requested information includes
the household’s gross income and properties,
eligibility for other government programs,
and interview time preference.
Part 3
Doing an Interview
1
Schedule the interview.
An interview is required to obtain benefits
under CalFresh.
Once your application is turned in to the
local welfare office, an interview, which
is conducted either in person at the county
office or over the phone, can be scheduled.
The timeline as to how soon the interview
can occur will depend on your local welfare
office.
An in-person interview may not be required
if the office finds that traveling to the
local welfare office would constitute a hardship
for members of the family.
Either the household head, a spouse, or an
authorized and responsible family member must
be present for the interview.
2
Prepare for the interview.
Certain documents must be brought to an in-person
interview.
The applicant should attend the interview
even if all this documentation is not available
since additional time may be given to submit
the necessary documentation.
These required documents include:
proof of identity, for instance a driver’s
license or alien status identification;
the Social Security numbers for each of the
members of the household;
proof of income for the last 30 days, if any
members of the household are employed;
bank statements for all accounts including
checking, savings, retirement, savings, credit
unions, stocks, bonds, and dividends;
proof of costs for shelter including rent
or mortgage payments, other shelter or lot
payments, and utilities.
3
Attend the interview.
At the scheduled time, ensure that the appointed
household member attends the interview either
in person or over the phone.
At the interview, the eligibility requirements
will be discussed and the benefits will be
explained.
The interviewer will also help you fill out
any parts of the application that were not
previously filled out.
4
Ensure verification of your application.
In addition to what is brought as documentation
to the interview, the CalFresh interviewer
will eventually need verification of certain
representations made on the application before
benefits are received.
Proper personal identification, immigration
status, sponsored non-citizen information
(if applicable), residency, Social Security
number (for all household members), gross
income, evidence of disabilities, utility
expenses, medical expenses, and child support
obligations must all be verified before benefits
are approved.
Benefits will be available 30 days after the
date of the application once the necessary
verifications are made.
5
Receive your benefits.
Paper stamps are no longer used for the CalFresh
program.
Instead benefits are transferred to recipients
using an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
card.
The funds are electronically deposited on
the card and the recipients are given PIN
numbers to access the funds on the card.
