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Human Services Department

Economic Assistance Division
County Of Sonoma › Health and Human Services › Human Services › Health + Food › CalFresh / EBT Food Benefits › CalFresh and COVID Benefits
Economic Assistance Division

CalFresh and COVID-19 Benefits

California continues their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic impacts with enhanced CalFresh benefits for households. Many of the additional benefits are temporary and are subject to approval from the Food & Nutrition Service (FNS), which operates under the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Important!

Emergency Allotments ended effective February 2023 and were issued on March 26, 2023. Starting in April you will no longer get the additional CalFresh benefit. You will continue to receive the regular CalFresh benefit amount put onto your EBT card between the 1st and 10th of each month. Your regular benefit amount is based on your circumstances, including your household size, income, and deductions. As this is a required change, there are no hearing rights related to the loss of Emergency Allotment benefits.

Visit HERE for additional community food resources.

For more information on Emergency Allotments ending visit the CA Department of Social Services (CDSS) at CalFresh COVID-19 

  • At this time, there is no waiver or alleviation of reporting requirements. Semi-annual reports and recertifications must be submited by the due date to avoid a potential break in benefits.
  • CalFresh eligibility has been temporarily expanded to students who are eligible for federal or state work study (previously students had to be eligible and participate) or students with an expected family contribution of zero dollars.
  • Emergency allotments have ended effective February 2023. This change is a result of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which ends the issuance of CalFresh emergency allotments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Households will see the final emergency allotment issued on March 26, 2023. For additional information, go to http://calFresh.dss.ca.gov/food/

When will I get my emergency allotment?

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT)

For information on P-EBT, including questions about eligibility and card support, please visit the P-EBT website at https://ca.p-ebt.org/ or call the P-EBT Helpline at (877) 328-9677. Representative are available to assist callers Monday-Friday from 7am-7pm.

The county does not have access to P-EBT eligibility information.