Newly Eligible For CalFresh In Sonoma County: SSI, SSP Recipients

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Effective June 1, seniors and persons with disabilities on Supplemental Security Income or Supplemental Security Payment are newly eligible for CalFresh government food benefits that can help increase their monthly food budgets, officials with the County of Sonoma Human Services Department said Monday.

SSI or SSP benefit amounts will remain unchanged for these new CalFresh clients, county officials said.

"This is the first time that residents on SSI or SSP have been eligible for CalFresh nutrition benefits since the program started," said Felisa Pinson, director of Sonoma County Human Services Department Economic Assistance Division. "The ability to purchase healthy amounts and types of food will improve their basic quality of life and health."

SSI and SSP are needs-based programs that provide monthly stipends to residents who are blind, elderly or have a disability. In Sonoma County, an estimated 3,500 low-income households may be affected.

Nearly 30,000 low-income residents already receive monthly CalFresh benefits, which for one person range from $15-$192 per month, according to Kris Montgomery, spokeswoman for the county's Human Services Department.

The county will contact households already receiving CalFresh food benefits about adding someone with SSI or SSP at the time of their next mid-year report or re-certification; they do not need to re-apply or contact the county's Economic Assistance Division, Montgomery said.

Individuals and households new to CalFresh can apply online at GetCalFresh.org, by phone at 877-847-FOOD (3663), or in person between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Economic Assistance office, 2550 Paulin Dr. in Santa Rosa or the Human Services South County Center, 5350 Old Redwood Highway North, Suite 100 in Petaluma.

If calling by phone, information is offered in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Russian, Vietnamese and Korean. Calls will be routed to the local Economic Assistance office, where staff members are prepared to field a surge of calls and visits from new applicants.

"We project that our phone and offices will be extra busy this summer with new CalFresh applicants," Pinson said.

Adult & Aging Division In-Home Supportive Services social workers can also help their clients with SSI or SSP to apply for CalFresh benefits.

After applying, residents must complete an eligibility interview in-person or by phone, and may need to provide more information about their household situation.

CalFresh clients receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, similar to a bank debit card, to use at participating grocery stores and farmers markets. Funds are added once a month, and the cost of food purchased is then deducted.