Beyond Covered: Grocery Support Program
Receive assistance with food costs.
About the Program
The Beyond Covered by Covered California: Grocery Support Program offers grocery assistance to Covered California members with chronic health conditions experiencing food insecurity. Eligible members enrolled in the program receive funds deposited onto a reloadable debit card to purchase food.
An invitation to participate will be sent to Covered California members who:
- Have a chronic health issue
- Have household incomes at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level
To be eligible, a family must also be experiencing food insecurity.
- Invitations will be sent via email, text, or phone call starting in February 2025.
- Eligible members will be invited to create an account, consent and enroll.
- Only one eligible member per household may enroll.
- Participation is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participants will receive a pre-paid debit card in the mail and either:
- Monthly payments on the debit card for 12 months, or
- A lump sum payment on the debit card at the end of the 12 months (equal to 12 monthly payments).
Payment amounts are determined based on household size.
Funds can be used to purchase approved food items.
Participants will be asked to complete surveys at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the program to help evaluate its effectiveness.
Participants who complete certain surveys will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card.
How Do I Get Started?
If you are an eligible member, you will receive a personalized invitation via email, text, or phone with a unique link to set up your account. Invitations are sent only to individuals identified by Covered California as meeting the program’s health condition and household income eligibility criteria.
If you receive an invitation, click the link or visit the URL and follow these steps:
- Enter your email or phone number to find your account.
- Verify your identity using the 6-digit code sent to you.
- Confirm your Login ID or select a new one. If selecting a new Login ID, confirm it by entering another 6-digit code sent to your updated email or phone number.
- Create a password.
- Log in to your account using your new Login ID and password.
If you have trouble with any of these steps, FORWARD is here to help!
Email coveredca-support@forwardplatform.zendesk.com or call 1-888-913-8480.
After creating your account, you will —
Complete an enrollment form, including with your consenting to participate in the program.
FORWARD will then review your enrollment form, and you will be notified if you have been approved to
participate in the program. If you are approved, you will find out whether you will receive your
payments on a monthly basis or in one lump-sum and your payment amount.
If you have trouble with any of these steps, FORWARD is here to help!
Beyond Covered by Covered California
How Will I Get Paid?
Once your enrollment is approved, you will receive funds to purchase approved food items. You will receive either:
- Monthly pre-paid debit card payments for 12 months, starting in March 2025. Payments will be reloaded automatically on the 15th of each month.
- Or, a lump sum payment (equal to 12 monthly payments) issued on a card in March 2026.
The amount you receive is determined by the size of your household.
The card can only be used to purchase:
- Fresh food: Fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and other perishable items.
- Packaged food: Ready-to-eat meals, frozen meals, canned goods, and snacks.
- Baby food and formula.
- Non-alcoholic drinks.
The card cannot be used for:
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Other gift cards
- Non-food items
If prohibited items are purchased, participation in the program may be discontinued.
Frequently Asked Questions
General Enrollment Questions
FORWARD is a technology company that powers the enrollment portal. FORWARD offers enrollment services for programs such as this nationwide. Covered California has partnered with FORWARD to manage the Beyond Covered by Covered California: Grocery Support Program enrollment and distribution of awards to eligible individuals.
Yes, the FORWARD platform is available in multiple languages. To view the information and questions in your preferred language, select the globe icon at the top right of the page while logged into the FORWARD portal. The globe icon is labeled “English.” Once you click the icon, select which language you prefer from the list; Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Traditional Chinese.
FORWARD is committed to protecting your privacy and will never share or disclose your information without your consent. Read FORWARD’s Privacy Policy.
Yes. You will receive an email confirmation from coveredca-grocery@forwardplatform.com once you are approved. Check your spam/junk folder if you are still waiting to receive an email shortly after being approved.
Yes. The portal is mobile-friendly.
If you need help with this online enrollment portal or have a program question, please email coveredca-support@forwardplatform.zendesk.com or call FORWARD at 1-888-913-8480. Both email and phone support multiple language options.
When the program begins, if you are eligible, you will receive instructions for registering for your account and completing enrollment.
After you have registered for your account, you may access it anytime by logging into FORWARD at CoveredCA.forwardplatform.com with your account information.
Covered California’s newly launched initiative, the Quality Transformation Initiative (QTI), funds this program. QTI is a health plan accountability program to improve health-care quality, the health of members, and reduce health disparities. Read more about QTI here.
Beyond Covered by Covered California: Grocery Support Program Questions
The Beyond Covered by Covered California: Grocery Support Program offers grocery assistance to individuals with chronic conditions experiencing food insecurity. Eligible consumers enrolled in the program receive a reloadable debit card to purchase food.
This program aims to improve food security among Covered California members.
To be eligible to enroll in the program, an individual must:
- Have active Covered California health plan coverage
- Have a chronic health condition
- Live in a household with income under 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
- Be experiencing food-insecurity
The window to provide consent and answer your food security questions will open in February 2025 and will remain open until program funds have been exhausted.
After you have completed your consent and food insecurity questions, you will proceed to an optional baseline survey to complete. After the baseline survey you will be notified of your approval (and for what amount) or that your enrollment was found ineligible (and the reason why).
Funds will be distributed in early March via preloaded cards provided by our card vendor Usio, which will be mailed to the mailing address you provided to FORWARD. These cards function like debit cards and can be used at merchants selling fresh or packaged food, baby food and formula, and non-alcoholic drinks.
Program ineligibility can result from:
- Failure to complete food security questions
- Failure to consent to program participation
- Not meeting all program eligibility criteria
- Program funds are exhausted before you complete your application and enroll in the program.
A Notice of Ineligibility will be sent to the email address and delivered via text or phone call.
Ineligibility decisions are final and are not eligible for reconsideration.
Participation in surveys is voluntary but encouraged. Completing specified surveys will enter you into a raffle for a $50 digital gift card.
You will be notified when a new survey has been added to your enrollment in the FORWARD Platform. You can complete the survey through the platform or by phone:
To complete the survey in the FORWARD Platform:
- Log in to FORWARD with your account information by clicking here: CoveredCA.forwardplatform.com
- Navigate to the available survey
If you have never logged in to the FORWARD platform please call for assistance: 1-888-913-8480
The findings will provide valuable insights into the benefits and challenges of grant programs, which may inform future policy decisions regarding the program’s continuation or modification.
Social Interventions Research and Evaluation Network (SIREN) from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) researches health sector strategies to improve social conditions. SIREN will conduct a rigorous evaluation of the impact of the Beyond Covered by Covered California: Grocery Support Program through qualitative and quantitative methods and contribute to peer-reviewed studies of food interventions.
No, this program will not impact other benefits.
No, Beyond Covered is a benefit of your Covered California health coverage.
Only one member within a household will be permitted to enroll in the Beyond Covered by Covered California: Grocery Support Program; however, the benefit amount increases as household size increases.
The benefit amount increases by household size according to the multiplier used by CalFRESH. Household size will be determined based on Covered California’s household tax filing data.
These funds are intended to be used at merchants selling fresh or packaged food, baby food and formula, and non-alcoholic drinks. If you attempt to use your card at a merchant that does not sell food, the transaction will be declined.
Enrolled participants will receive either monthly payments for 12 months or a lump sum payment at the end of the 12-month period.
You will receive a pre-paid, reloadable debit card in the mail (mailed to the mailing address you provided FORWARD) from our card vendor Usio. Payments will be deposited onto that debit card.
If you encounter any issues related to your payments, such as not receiving your card or facing difficulties with transactions please contact Usio.
Customer Service Phone Number: 1-855-449-2273
Email Address: cs@akimbocard.com
If you registered your card through the Usio website, you may request a replacement card directly through Usio. However, if the card has not been registered online, you must first contact FORWARD to obtain your Card ID# before reaching out to Usio. Usio will require the Card ID# to process any replacement requests for unregistered cards.
Usio Customer Service:
Phone: 1-855-449-2273
Email Address: cs@akimbocard.com
FORWARD Customer Support
Phone: 1-888-913-8480
Email: coveredca-support@forwardplatform.zendesk.com
If you do not utilize your full balance each month the funds will roll over to the ongoing month.
Moving and/or ending Covered California medical coverage does not impact your benefits after you have been enrolled in this program; however please let FORWARD, and Usio, know of any changes in contact information so we may keep your information up to date.
Usio Customer Service:
Phone: 1-855-449-2273
Email Address: cs@akimbocard.com
FORWARD Customer Support
Phone: 1-888-913-8480
Email: coveredca-support@forwardplatform.zendesk.com
You may withdraw from the program at any time by submitting a request via email or phone to customer support at coveredca-support@forwardplatform.zendesk.com or 1-855-582-3973. Upon receiving your cancellation request, we will review it and provide confirmation. Please be advised that once your participation is canceled, it cannot be reinstated.
If you received a mailed consent form it means you recently started your program enrollment over the phone, and the final step is to sign and return the enclosed physical copy of the program consent form. Please be aware that your enrollment will not be considered complete until the signed consent form is received by us.
To ensure timely processing, please return the signed consent form within three weeks of the initial mailing date. The signed form must be postmarked within the three-week period to be considered valid. If you would like to complete your Consent to Participate online, go to coveredca.forwardplatform.com and use your phone number to claim your account.
A message that funds have been exhausted means that the maximum number of Covered California members have already enrolled for the Beyond Covered by Covered California: Grocery Support Program. Unfortunately, there are no remaining program funds to support your enrollment.
This selection process was based solely on a first come, first serve basis, without considering factors like need, seniority, or neighborhood.
If additional funding becomes available in the future the program may re-open for continued enrollment. If you are eligible for these funds FORWARD will reach back out to you.
Remember, you may still qualify for other California assistance programs.
California Department of Social Services (CDSS): We know how important it is to have access to the right resources for your family. In addition to our program benefits, we want to share information about the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), which provides a variety of services to support families. Whether you need help with healthcare, housing, or other essential services, CDSS is here to ensure your family’s needs are met. Learn more about how CDSS can assist you here: CDSS Benefits & Services.
Employment Development Department (EDD): Finding the right support can make a significant difference for you and your loved ones. The Employment Development Department (EDD) offers a wealth of resources related to employment, financial assistance, and job training. If you’re looking for unemployment benefits or additional support services, EDD is here to help with a variety of tools and programs designed just for you. Utilizing these resources can empower you to navigate your options and find the support you need. To discover more about what EDD can offer, visit: EDD Additional Resources.
FORWARD is the trusted partner accelerating opportunity and access for our communities. FORWARD’s comprehensive program administration solution transforms how public resources and funding are delivered, creates stronger connections between government and the communities they serve, and drives lasting positive change.