What to know about CalFresh and Medi-Cal eligibility updates

"San Bernardino County Update", yellow arrowhead and "SBCounty.gov

An image connecting both the CalFresh and Medi-Cal logos. — Changes to CalFresh food assistance and Medi-Cal health coverage include new eligibility requirements. To prevent gaps in benefits, eligible residents should visit BenefitsCal.com.

Prepare for new Medi-Cal and CalFresh eligibility updates. These updates include new work requirements for some adults, changes to eligibility for certain groups of noncitizens, more frequent renewals, and new documentation and reporting requirements.

CalFresh eligibility changes:

Changes to eligibility for certain immigrants (effective April 1, 2026): Some lawfully present noncitizens will no longer qualify for federal CalFresh benefits.
Expanded work rules for able-bodied adults without dependents (effective June 1, 2026): Adults ages 18–64 who do not have a child under the age of 14 in their household may receive only three months of benefits in a 36-month period, unless they complete at least 20 hours a week (80 hours averaged monthly) of qualifying work, education, job training or community service. Children under 18, seniors age 65 and older, people with documented disabilities, and any adult living in a household with a child under 14 are exempt from these CalFresh work requirements.

Medi-Cal eligibility updates:

Reinstatement of asset limits (currently in effect): Medi-Cal has reinstated asset limits for seniors (65+) and people with disabilities. Countable assets (savings, second homes, etc.) are limited to $130,000 for one person and $195,000 for a couple. Assets will be reviewed under the first scheduled annual renewal in 2026.
Changes to eligibility for certain immigrants (effective October 2026): Some noncitizens will no longer qualify for federal coverage.
New community engagement/work requirement (effective January 2027): Most able-bodied childless adults ages 19–64 must complete at least 80 hours per month of work, education, job training or community service.
More frequent renewals (effective January 2027): Certain adults must renew eligibility every six months instead of annually.
New cost-sharing requirements (effective October 2028): Some adults above 100% of the federal poverty level may have copays for certain services.
Most children, seniors, people with disabilities and parents of young children are exempt from the Medi-Cal eligibility updates.

Why timely action matters

Benefit eligibility and processing are determined by the date that documents are received by the San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance Department. Submitting renewals, change reports and verifications as early as possible helps prevent delays, benefit reductions or case suspensions.

Document submittal options

Online

To help avoid late documentation submissions to the Transitional Assistance Department and prevent potential benefit delays or interruptions, residents are encouraged to use online services whenever possible.

The simplest and fastest option is www.BenefitsCal.com, the statewide portal where residents can apply for and manage public assistance benefits. Through BenefitsCal, residents can:

Apply for benefits, including CalFresh, Medi-Cal and CalWORKs.
Report changes such as updates to income, household composition or address
Upload photos or scanned documents, including verifications and renewal forms
Submit renewals or eligibility re-evaluations
View case status, benefit amounts and electronic notices
Sign up for email or text alerts for deadlines and important updates

By mail or in-person

Documents may also be delivered in person or mailed to a San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance Department office. For customers with an assigned case worker, documents should be mailed directly to the office managing the case.

To locate a Transitional Assistance Department office, visit wp.sbcounty.gov/tad/find-an-office.
When sending documents by mail, write the client’s full name and case number on every page. This ensures documents are correctly matched to the case.
- To guarantee a postmark, request a manual postmark at a United States Postal Service counter.

In-person kiosks

The Transitional Assistance Department provides lobby kiosks where residents may scan documents and obtain a printed receipt without needing to wait for a staff member.

For faster processing, please write the client’s full name and case number on every page before scanning. This ensures all documents are correctly matched to the case.

To inquire about current benefits, please call the Transitional Assistance Customer Service Center at 877-410-8829. Live agents are available Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit wp.sbcounty.gov/tad.

Additional County Update News – April 2, 2026