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Update 23-07: Changes to CalFresh Electronic Theft Replacement Policy
Common Place Handbook
| Date | References | Clerical | Handbook(s) Revised |
| 12/7/2023 (Revised 10/9/2024) | ACL 23-92; ACL 24-62; ACL 24-62E | N/A | EBT Theft Section |
Background
Congress passed the Consolidated Act of 2023, which approved federal funding to replace CalFresh benefits stolen through electronic theft such as skimming, cloning, scamming, and other similar fraudulent methods from October 1, 2022, through December 20, 2024.
Policy Changes
The following changes are made to the EBT Theft Section handbook:
- Electronically stolen CalFresh benefits (including the stated-funded California Food Assistance Program) will be replaced with federally funded food benefits.
- CalFresh recipients victimized by electronic theft can receive up to two months of their last monthly CalFresh allotment during the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY), which runs from October 1 to September 30.
- Recipients are no longer required to report the theft within 10 days, but they must submit the form EBT 2259 Report of Electronic Theft within 90 calendar days from the date of theft.
- The Form EBT 2259A EBT Scamming Acknowledgement is no longer required for electronic food benefit theft claims.
- Fraud referrals for investigation for CalFresh and CalWORKs.
For more detailed information, refer to the Common Place Handbook's Electronic Theft and Referrals for Investigation sections.
Implementation
These changes are effective December 1, 2023.
Forms
The revised EBT 2259 is available in the DEBS Forms Library and CalSAWS.
Notices
EWs can generate EBT Replacement NOAs in CalSAWS.
Other Programs
The changes addressed in this update only impact replacing electronically stolen CalFresh benefits, except for the new fraud referral process.
Supervisors
Supervisors must review this Update with their unit EWs immediately.
Angela Shing, Director
Department of Employment & Benefit Services
Contact Person(s): Michelle Demetrius, Tino Sacasa, Elizabeth Garay, and Vivien Phan, SSA BPIS, 408-755-7540