The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has granted California’s request for a waiver to allow automatic CalFresh replacement because of wildfires and utility shutoffs.  FNS granted replacement of 40 percent of CalFresh benefits for households who were issued January benefits before January 6, 2025 in parts of Butte, Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Tuolumne, and Ventura Counties.  California requested 70 percent replacement.

Counties must process individual request for replacement benefits received before or after waiver implementation. Households that receive replacement based on an individual application do not receive the mass replacement.  Households can individually request more than the mass replacement amount.  (Letter from Food and Nutrition Service, January 28, 2025.)

In general, CalFresh cannot be used to purchase hot food.  California requested a waiver to allow purchase of hot food because of the Los Angeles wildfires.  The Food and Nutrition service granted that waiver.

The hot food waiver is not extended until March 10, 2025.  This allows purchase of hot food with CalFresh benefits in Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura Counties through March 10, 2025.

The waiver does not allow purchase of food from restaurants unless the household is eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program (which are elderly, disabled, or homeless households.)   (Letter from Food and Nutrition Service, February 4, 2025.)

In general, CalFresh benefits can be replaced if a household reports loss of food purchased with CalFresh within 10 days.  California requested a waiver of the 10 day reporting requirement for replacement of food purchased with CalFresh benefits that was lost because of the Los Angeles wildfires and related utility shutoffs.  The Food and Nutrition Service granted the waiver of the 10 day reporting requirement through March 6, 2025.  Reports of loss of food purchased with CalFresh benefits because of the Los Angeles wildfires will be timely if submitted by March 6.  The waiver includes Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. (Letter from Food and Nutrition Service, February 5, 2025.)

The California Department of Social Services has issued guidance and information regarding implementation of Disaster CalFresh for the Los Angeles fires.

Disaster CalFresh provides one month of temporary food assistance to households affected by natural disasters who were not already receiving CalFresh.

To be eligible for Disaster CalFresh, a household must have:

1) Lived or worked in the disaster impacted county at the time of the disaster;

2) Purchased or planned to purchase food during the benefits period, which is January 7, 2025 through February 5, 2025;

3) Experienced an adverse effects because of the disaster, such as food loss, loss of income, inaccessible resources, or disaster-related expenses;

4) Meet the Disaster Gross Income Limit.  To be eligible, the household’s income received plus accessible liquid resources, minus disaster related expenses, must be less than the Disaster Gross Income Limit.

A Disaster CalFresh household includes people who lived and purchased and prepared food together on the start date of the disaster. A Disaster CalFresh household does not include people who the applicant is temporarily staying with at the time of application due to the disaster. A Disaster CalFresh household may include people who had been excluded from an ongoing CalFresh household at the time of the disaster.  Households are eligible even if they are temporarily residing outside of the disaster impacted area at the time of application. Households who have moved out of California but were living in the disaster impacted area at the time of the disaster can apply.

Disaster CalFresh requires verification of 1) Identity; 2) Residency and loss/inaccessibility of income or liquid resources, if possible; 3) Household composition and 4) food loss, when questionable.

While identity verification is required, a specific type of documentary proof is not Acceptable identity verification may include, but is not limited to, a driver’s license, a work or school identification card, an identification card for health benefits, a voter registration card, a foreign passport, and “matricula consulares.”

A social security number is not required to apply for D-CalFresh.

To the extent possible, verification of residency should be satisfied via information from other sources, such as a rent or mortgage billing statement, utility billing statement, and identity documents. No specific type of documentary proof is required.

Counties must assist households in obtaining necessary verification. This includes, with the client’s permission, verifying information through alternative sources such as online banking or utility accounts, and using collateral contacts.

Certified households must be able to access benefits within 72 hours of application, which begins to run on the day of the interview.

Authorized representatives may assist with Disaster CalFresh applications following the same policy as for regular CalFresh.

The Disaster CalFresh application  period is February 10, 2025 through February 14, 2025, and February 18, 2025 through February 19, 2025.

The filing date is the day that the interview is completed and not the day that county receives the application.  Applicants must complete the CF 385 form and submit it during the application period.  Applications can be submitted by phone, or in person. When accepting Disaster CalFresh applications by phone, verbal attestation is acceptable. Applications must be processed within 72 hours.

Disaster CalFresh interviews should be done in-person when possible, but they can be done by phone.  For telephone applications, the county can document verbal attestation instead of a signature.

Counties may mail the EBT card if the household cannot pick it up.  Counties must contact households who miss an appointment to pick up their EBT card.

Reports of electronic theft of Disaster CalFresh are handled in the same was as electronic theft of any other CalFresh benefits as described in ACL 23-92.  (ACWDL, February 4, 2025.)