If your Social Security check is automatically deposited into your bank account, your Social Security payment will be deposited into your account as usual. If you experience any difficulty getting your payment (for example, if you do not receive your regularly scheduled payment from Social Security as a result of the disaster), please contact your local Social Security office immediately. The online services portal for the Social Security office is available here: https://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/. You can find the office phone number for your local Social Security Office at https://www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/phone.html. For general information regarding your Social Security benefits, you can call (800) 772-1213 (TTY (800) 325-0778), Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. local time (automated telephone services are available 24 hours a day).
If you moved to a new area and want to open a new account with a local bank to receive your Social Security payment, contact the SSA with the routing information for your new account. The staff at the bank where you open the new account should be able to help you make this change. Alternatively, you can create a “my Social Security” account and start or change direct deposit online at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/.
You can sign up for the Direct Express card program. With Direct Express, deposits from federal payments, including Social Security payments, are made directly to the card account on a monthly basis. You can use the card to make purchases at stores and online that accept Debit MasterCard, withdraw cash from ATMs, and get cash back when you make purchases (certain services may be subject to service fees – see https://www.usdirectexpress.com/faq.html for more information). Visit https://www.ssa.gov/faqs/en/questions/KA-02429.html and https://web.usdirectexpress.com/faq for more information on the program and enrollment procedures. If you are currently receiving Social Security and wish to sign up for the Direct Express debit card program, you can also call the Direct Express card enrollment center at (800) 333-1795 (TTY: (800) 325-0778) or visit a local office.
If you have permanently relocated to a fixed address, you should contact the U.S. Postal Service at www.usps.com/move (the fastest method to make the address change) or call its toll-free 24-hour hotline, (800) ASK-USPS/(800) 275-8777, to file a forwarding address. You may also go to your local post office and request a Mover’s Guide® packet. Inside the packet is a PS Form 3575. Fill out the change-of-address form and give it to a postal worker behind the counter, or drop it into the letter mail slot inside the post office. You should receive a confirmation letter at your new address within five postal business days.
For temporary relocations, you can also ask the USPS to forward your mail to a temporary new address for 15 days to one year, or hold it at your local post office for a limited time (for three to 30 days). Please see the following website for more information: https://faq.usps.com/s/article/USPS-Hold-Mail-The-Basics. If your change of address will be long-term, you should report it to the SSA.
You can create a “my Social Security” account and change your address online at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/. Note that this service is not currently available to people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). However, you can still check your address on record with the SSA using this website. If you have a non- U.S. mailing address, check https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/ for more information.
You can also do the following with a “my Social Security” account:
If you are not receiving benefits:
If you are receiving benefits:
You may be eligible to receive expedited SSI benefits in limited circumstances, including (1) an emergency advance payment option and (2) an immediate payment option.
To qualify for a one-time, emergency advance payment, you must be due SSI benefits (including presumptive disability or presumptive blindness benefits) that are delayed or not received, and are facing a “financial emergency,” such as needing money right away due to a threat to health or safety (such as not having enough money for food, clothing, shelter, or medical care). For an emergency advance payment, they will subtract the emergency payment from the payments due to you and pay you the difference. If you are not due past payments, they will subtract the emergency advance payment from your current monthly benefits in up to six monthly installments. Please contact your local field office to apply or see the following website for more information: https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-expedite-ussi.htm.
The state of California provides special assistance to people who are affected by disasters and are unemployed or have lost their jobs. For more information, you can call (800) 300-5616 (English), (800) 326-8937 (Spanish), (800) 547-3506 (Cantonese), (866) 303-0706 (Mandarin), (800) 547-2058 (Vietnamese), or (800) 815-9387 (TTY) or visit https://edd.ca.gov/en/unemployment/Disaster_Unemployment_Assistance/ and https://edd.ca.gov/en/about_edd/disaster_related_services/
Following the Governor’s Emergency Proclamations for a disaster, the one-week waiting period for individuals seeking unemployment benefit payments through California’s Unemployment Insurance (“UI”) program may be waived for claims filed between certain time periods. The waiver is county-specific, so check the website below to confirm the relevant information for your county. The UI program provides partial wage replacement benefits to workers who lose their jobs or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own. The one-week waiver means that individuals can be paid UI benefits for the first week they are unemployed due to a disaster. See the following website for more information: https://edd.ca.gov/en/about_edd/disaster_related_services/#WaitingWeek.
Additionally, employers directly affected by a disaster may request up to a 60-day extension of time, in writing, from the California Employment Development Department (EDD) to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit state payroll taxes without penalty or interest. For more information on how to request an extension and other employer assistance that may be available, refer to the following website: https://edd.ca.gov/en/payroll_taxes/Emergency_and_Disaster_Assistance_for_Employers/.
EBT Cards are used for federal unemployment insurance benefits, as well as for certain state benefits such as CalWorks and CalFresh. For help in obtaining a replacement EBT card, call (877) 328-9677. The system will prompt you to enter a card number, but do not enter any number. You will be prompted to enter a number on your telephone keypad to report your card as lost or stolen. Once reported, your old EBT card will be disabled, and you will be told how to get a new card. It is important to call customer service as soon as possible if you determine that your EBT card is permanently missing, as the benefits currently on the card may not be replaced. For additional information, see the FAQs on the following website: https://www.ebtproject.ca.gov/Clients/clientfaq.html, as well as https://www.cdss.ca.gov/ebt-card. For victims of fraud, there is now an EDD fraud hotline (800) 229-6297 (or fax (866) 340-5484).
If you need food, even if you are not currently receiving CalFresh benefits, you may qualify for Disaster CalFresh (also known as D-CalFresh), which can provide a temporary, 30-day benefit to households who may have been impacted by the disaster and who are not normally eligible for CalFresh. If you already receive CalFresh but do not receive the maximum allotment for your household size, you can request supplemental CalFresh benefits up to the maximum amount, and you can inquire about replacement benefits for any food destroyed by the disaster (if you lost food due to the disaster, you must report that within 10 days to CalFresh). You may qualify for “expedited service” and receive CalFresh benefits within three calendar days if you are homeless or have very little cash, or if you are impacted by domestic violence.
For general information on the CalFresh program, please see the following website: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calfresh. In addition, you can connect to your local county office by calling (877) 847-3663 (FOOD), or by visiting your local county office using the online office locator tool at https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/. Additional information on automatic supplementation, deadlines, locations, and disaster supplementation can be found on the Disaster CalFresh website at https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/calfresh/disaster-calfresh and at https://www.fns.usda.gov/disaster/california.
If you are a qualified immigrant, you may be eligible for CalFresh benefits. Qualified immigrants may also qualify for the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP). California provides state-funded food stamps through CFAP for non-citizens who do not qualify for federal benefits. In order to be eligible for CFAP, noncitizens must currently be ineligible for CalFresh benefits solely due to their immigration status. Examples of eligible noncitizens include lawful permanent residents who have not met the five-year residency requirement, parolees, conditional entrants, or those who are battered or abused. CFAP benefits are issued through the same case as federal food stamp benefits. See https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/cdss-programs/calfresh/cfap/what-is-cfap. If you are not a qualified immigrant, you cannot get CalFresh (or CalWORKS) for yourself, but you should be able to obtain CalFresh (including D-CalFresh, if available, and CalWORKS) for your children or family members if they are U.S. citizens or qualified immigrants. Please see the following website for more information and to help determine benefit eligibility: https://www.nilc.org/resources/guide-to-immigrant-eligibility-for-federal-programs/.
Please also refer to the following website for a listing of food banks by county: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/food-banks. Food banks throughout California provide families with emergency food assistance at no cost, regardless of immigration status. You may also dial 2-1-1 to locate local available food resources.
If your family currently receives assistance from CalWORKs and you were impacted by a disaster, you may be eligible for additional assistance, including a one-time, non-recurring special needs assistance payment of up to $600; however, the amount of benefit awarded will vary by the type of need, as each need has its own individual cap. The county can also provide goods and resources instead of cash. To qualify for this special payment, you must have an emergency need due to sudden and unusual circumstances beyond your control and $100 or less in cash resources. If you qualify for a special needs assistance payment, the money can be used to repair or replace clothing or household items, provide assistance for damage to your home, including moving or storage payments due to such damage, or pay for interim shelter if your home is destroyed or made uninhabitable or inaccessible. You should contact your caseworker for additional information.
If you are homeless, you may apply for temporary and permanent housing assistance. Applicant families who have received homeless assistance in the last 12 months and who have been impacted by a disaster may be entitled to an exception to the once-every-12-months limit – this can include payments for temporary housing or permanent housing assistance. Alternatively, you may be eligible for an immediate needs payment of up to $200 if you have $100 or less in cash resources. You may be able to get an immediate needs payment within one to three days.
Please note that CalWORKs regulations exclude counting of federal disaster and emergency assistance for eligibility determination purposes; thus, FEMA relief, American Red Cross relief, and D-CalFresh will not impact your eligibility for CalWORKs. Typically, financial or other support due to the disaster will not negatively impact your eligibility for other disaster/public benefits programs.
If you do not wish to receive CalWORKs on an ongoing basis, consider applying for CalWORKs diversion payments, which are short-term, non-recurring benefits designed to deal with a specific crisis or item of need and may be appropriate for some displaced families.
For additional information regarding CalWORKS benefits, contact your county’s social services agency. For a complete list of CalWORKS offices, visit https://www.cdss.ca.gov/county-offices.
If you currently receive benefit payments from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) via electronic funds transfer, payment will be made to your account as usual. For information, call (800) 827-1000 or visit the nearest VA benefits office. To find your closest VA benefits office, visit https://www.va.gov/find-locations/. Before making an in-person visit, call in advance to confirm the office is open for in-person visits. Information about your benefits can also be obtained at https://benefits.va.gov/benefits/.
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) may be able to assist eligible veterans with accelerated claims processing, temporary housing, and suspended debt payments. Veterans who are experiencing chronic homelessness or homelessness due to a disaster can find information about housing assistance for veterans at https://www.va.gov/homeless/housing.asp.
