Hundreds of Northern California residents lost their CalFresh food benefits overnight on Wednesday as new federal work requirements took full effect, with thousands more cases now under review across the region. Sacramento County reported 55 people cut off that day alone, while Stanislaus County saw 156 residents lose benefits, Placer County reported 106 discontinued, and Yuba County logged 148 residents losing aid.
The cutoffs stem from a federal policy overhaul that reshaped California’s Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents rules, according to KCRA. Under the revised rules, CalFresh recipients ages 18 to 64 who are not disabled and do not have a dependent child under 14 must now meet specific work or community engagement criteria to keep receiving benefits. The federal government revised these work and community engagement requirements in June 2026, formally rolling them out statewide on June 1 under the broader H.R. 1 legislation, according to the California Department of Social Services.
Those rules require non-exempt recipients to document at least 80 hours per month of work, job training, or volunteer service, or face a strict three-month limit on food aid within a 36-month window, per the Western Center on Law & Poverty. Although screening began June 1, the fixed 36-month period started January 1, 2026; October 1, 2026, was the earliest benefits could be terminated, three months after screening began, per the Western Center on Law & Poverty.
Who Lost Protections, Who Still Has Them
The policy marks a sharp reversal from 2023 federal rules. Unhoused individuals and veterans were previously exempt from the CalFresh work requirements, but the 2025 federal legislation revoked those automatic exemptions, along with protections for former foster youth under age 25. Those populations must document work hours or qualify for another applicable exemption, such as one based on pregnancy, caregiving, qualifying programs, or tribal status, the Western Center on Law & Poverty’s report notes…