No. Many recipients of CalFresh are employed, elderly or disabled who need assistance purchasing nutritional food.

 If you qualify for CalFresh, you should receive benefits no later than 30 days from the date the office received your application. If you have very little or no income and less than $100 in cash, you may be eligible to receive CalFresh within 3 days.

 Households can use CalFresh to buy any food or food product for human consumption as well as seeds and plants for use in home gardens to produce food. Households cannot buy:
• Alcoholic beverages and tobacco
• Lunch counter items or food to be eaten in the store
• Vitamins and medicines
• Pet food
• Any non-food items such as soaps, paper products, and household supplies.

Yes

 Most resources including cars, cash, and bank accounts are not counted in the CalFresh Program. An eligibility worker can answer any other question you have.

 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) guidelines permit immigrants and their children to use certain non-cash benefits and special purpose cash benefits without affecting their immigration status including:

• Medi-Cal (Unless you use these services to pay for long-term care i.e., long-term nursing home care)
• CalFresh
• Healthy Families
• Emergency Medical Assistance
• WIC (Women, Infants and Children)
• Job Training Programs
• Foster Care and Adoption Assistance
• Non-Cash benefits funded under CalWORKs
• Emergency Disaster Relief
• Testing & Treatment of Communicable Diseases
• One time emergency payments
under CalWORKs
• Prenatal Care
• County Health Programs
• Immunizations
• Nutrition Programs
• Housing Assistance
• Energy Assistance
• Educational Assistance
• Child Care Services
• Transportation Vouchers

Some of the above programs may provide cash benefits. The purpose of such benefits is not for income maintenance but rather to avoid the need for on-going cash assistance for income maintenance; therefore, they are not subject to public charge consideration. Important Notice to Immigrants