As a navigator for the Health and Wellness department at Catholic Charities of Orange County (CCOC), I support clients with Medi-Cal and CalFresh, assisting them with applications, renewals, and any problems they encounter during the application process.
At one of the outreach events, I encountered a woman who was experiencing difficulties with her CalFresh recertification case. She and her husband had two children, and her husband was the sole provider for the household. Circumstances beyond her control had led her family to rely on CalFresh Food Benefits. Despite submitting all requested documentation to the county, no progress had been made on her case. Additionally, she voiced her concerns to me about the accuracy of her deductions, ultimately requesting my assistance with her recertification.
After signing the Authorize Representative form, which allowed me to speak on her behalf, I contacted the county. During the call, I discovered that she was at risk of losing her CalFresh benefits due to missing documents. Immediately after the call, I contacted her, and she was surprised by the prompt response. She informed me that she had already sent all required documents twice. I reassured her that she could send them again, and I would ensure the county received them. After she forwarded everything to me for uploading, I made another call to the county the following day. The county agent confirmed receipt of all documents, and everything was now ready for processing.
A week later, she contacted me to inform me that everything had been resolved. Her benefits were continued, and she even began receiving more money due to the additional expenses. Thanks for CCOC, she knew she could depend on us when she had nowhere else to turn.
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