CalFresh benefits for March will be issued on a single day — Friday, March 1, 2019 — rather than the normal staggered issuance cycle of the first through the tenth of the month. This change will mitigate the effects of the early issuance of February benefits and the resulting gap in food assistance. All other CalFresh operations will continue as usual.
Background
The Federal government shutdown that began December 22, 2018, raised concerns that households might not receive February benefits if there was a lapse in federal appropriations for the program. To prevent this problem from occurring, February CalFresh benefits were issued early, between January 15, 2019 and January 16, 2019. (The shutdown ended on January 19, 2019.)
Although the total amount issued was the same, this raised concerns that the long gap between February and March issuances could make it harder for households to manage their benefits and make them last. Therefore, March benefits are being issued on Friday, March 1, 2019, rather than the normal staggered issuance cycle of the first through the tenth of each month. With March benefits issued on March 1, 2019, the longest gap in benefits will be 45 days, whereas if the normal staggered issuance cycle were followed, the longest gap in benefits would be 54 days (January 15, 2019 to March 10, 2019).
We appreciate the efforts of advocates, retailers, and stakeholders to minimize any client and retailer confusion.
Going forward
At this time, the plan from April forward is to issue April benefits per the usual staggered issuance cycle of the first through the tenth of the month. If that changes, we will inform clients again.
