CALIFORNIA Dollars must stretch with EBT benefit cuts

The end of EBT emergency allotments means a big reduction of food money for many Humboldt County residents, with advocates from Food for People expecting an increase in food insecurity. Social services staff say recipients can take advantage of two other ways to get benefits.

People who live on fixed incomes are vulnerable to cost-of-living increases like food inflation. Income from Social Security and disability are factored into determining monthly EBT amounts, leading some to receive only the minimum CalFresh amount when more is needed for food security. COVID allotments met this need but will end in April.

Recipients can use medical deductions to increase their EBT amount, said Monique Upshaw-Smith, program manager of the social services call center.

Possible CalFresh deductions include expenses for medical

and dental care, prescriptions, doctor-approved over-the-counter medications, health insurance premiums, glasses, hearing aids, dentures, transportation to medical appointments, and the cost of service animals. Any changes to household size could also make an impact on their benefit amount. These can be updated on BenefitsCal.com.

In the wake of floods and power outages, recipients can get reimbursement for up to their whole monthly amount if food was damaged. Residents would have to apply within 10 days of the disaster or misfortune to be considered, said Upshaw-Smith, by completing a CF303 form. Scams and theft can also be reported with this method.

Upshaw-Smith said more than $4 million were issued in the county during February 2023. This is set to drop next month, with some seeing a reduction of hundreds per household member.

In negotiations with federal legislators, lawmakers were able to secure funding for families during summer break as a tradeoff for the end of extra allocations. 7,191 children in Humboldt County received EBT benefits in January. Families also might be able to qualify for WIC (a program for women, infants and children the covers the cost of some items) on top of EBT, said Upshaw-Smith.

Upshaw-Smith said the easier application process (implemented as a result of the pandemic) will continue into 2024. A federal grant made it possible for CalFresh’s online system to determine eligibility with only one interview, which made it much easier for people to apply.

Students will face stricter criteria for applying for CalFresh starting June 10. Pandemic efforts softened rules to include all students who do not receive financial support from their parents for college.

Upshaw-Smith says they have been able to reduce wait times for initial interviews. In recent months, staffing issues have caused long wait times for people applying for benefits and accessing the call center. Now, they have hired more eligibility specialists to work with people on their cases.

Sage Alexander can be reached at 707-441-0504.