Emma, I'm so relieved to see your update! This entire thread has been incredibly helpful for me as someone who's completely new to both this community and the CalWORKs process. Your journey really highlights how important it is to be persistent and advocate for yourself, even when the system makes it difficult. It's absolutely ridiculous that your approval was sitting there for a week while you were stressed about utilities and your kids' needs - the communication breakdowns in this system are just unacceptable. But your determination to go in person despite having to manage transportation and wait 2.5 hours with kids really shows what kind of advocacy we sometimes need to do for our families. Reading through everyone's experiences and advice has been like a crash course in navigating CalWORKs. Learning about the 45-day timeline, emergency assistance options, the importance of documenting everything, and how in-person visits can be more effective than endless phone calls will definitely help me when I start my own application process. Thank you for taking the time to update us with your success story - it gives so much hope to newcomers like me who might be feeling overwhelmed by this system. I hope your EBT card arrives quickly and everything gets much easier for you and your kids from here! This community is amazing for how everyone shares real experiences and genuinely supports each other through these challenges.

Emma, I'm so glad to see your update and that everything worked out! As a newcomer to this community, I've been following your journey and it really shows how important it is to be persistent with this system. The fact that your approval was sitting there for a week while you were stressing about utilities and your kids' needs is just infuriating - these communication breakdowns shouldn't happen when families are already struggling. Your decision to go in person despite the challenges with transportation and waiting 2.5 hours with kids was exactly the right call. It's unfortunate that we have to go to such lengths just to get answers, but your experience proves that sometimes face-to-face contact is the only way to get results when phone lines don't work. This entire thread has been incredibly valuable for someone like me who's new to navigating CalWORKs. Learning about the 45-day processing timeline, emergency assistance options, and the importance of documenting everything will definitely help me if I ever need to go through this process. It's sad that we need to become experts in bureaucracy just to access basic support, but having communities like this where people share real experiences makes such a difference. Thank you for taking the time to update us with your success - it gives hope to everyone who might be going through similar waiting periods. I hope your EBT card arrives quickly and things get much easier for you and your family from here!

Congratulations on your new job! This is such an exciting milestone and you're being really smart to plan ahead like this. I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago and had all the same worries you're having now. Here's what I learned: you absolutely do NOT have to pay back any benefits that are already on your EBT card when you report your job change. Those benefits were issued correctly based on your situation at the time, so they're 100% yours to use even after your case gets updated. The key is to report your job within 10 days of your actual start date (March 3rd), not when you got hired. You can submit your SAR 3 form through BenefitsCal online, call your county office, or visit in person. Make sure to include your exact start date and estimated monthly income from your offer letter. One thing that really surprised me was that I didn't lose ALL my CalFresh benefits like I expected - I still qualified for a reduced amount because of my rent and utility costs. The income limits are actually higher than many people realize once deductions are factored in, so don't assume you'll automatically lose everything! When you report, be really thorough about listing all your monthly expenses - rent, utilities, transportation costs for the new job, phone bill, etc. These deductions can make a significant difference in your benefit calculation. Also, I'd recommend taking screenshots of your BenefitsCal account before and after you report, showing your benefit amounts and case status. This gives you solid documentation of when you reported and what your benefits were at that time. You're handling this exactly right by being proactive and asking questions. This is a really positive step forward and the system is designed to support transitions like this, not penalize people for getting jobs. Best of luck with your new position!

Congratulations on your new job! This is such great news. I just went through this exact same situation about 3 months ago and I completely understand your anxiety about it. Here's what I learned: You absolutely do NOT have to pay back benefits that are already on your EBT card before you report the change. Those were issued correctly based on your circumstances at the time. The county worker explained to me that this overlap is totally normal and expected. Make sure to report within 10 days of your actual start date (March 3rd), not when you got the offer. When I reported mine, I used the SAR 3 form through BenefitsCal and included my offer letter showing my expected monthly income. One thing that really surprised me - I didn't lose ALL my benefits like I thought I would! Because of my rent and childcare costs, I still qualified for $89/month in CalFresh even with my higher income. So definitely don't assume you'll lose everything - let them do the calculations. My biggest tip is to screenshot your BenefitsCal account before and after reporting to document everything, and list ALL your expenses thoroughly (rent, utilities, work transportation costs, etc.) when you submit your change. These deductions really add up! You're being super responsible by planning ahead. The system is designed to help people transition to work, not punish them for it. You've got this!

Thanks everyone for the replies! I think I'm going to start keeping better records of everything and make sure what we report monthly matches what goes on the tax return. I'll bring copies of our 2024 return to our next redetermination appointment in September just to be safe. Better to be upfront than deal with overpayments later! I really appreciate all the advice.

Just wanted to add my experience - I've been on CalWORKs for 3 years and my husband does landscaping work (self-employed). They asked for his tax returns during our very first application but haven't asked since then. However, our worker did tell us that they randomly audit cases and can request documentation going back several years. What really helped us was creating a simple spreadsheet to track his monthly income and expenses. We keep all receipts in a shoebox and update the spreadsheet weekly. This way, when we fill out the monthly reporting forms, we have exact numbers that will match our tax return at the end of the year. Also, don't forget that you can deduct mileage for work-related driving! For handyman work, that's usually driving between job sites. It's 65.5 cents per mile for 2023 taxes. Keep a log of work miles - it can significantly reduce your net income calculation.

This thread has been so incredibly helpful! I'm in the exact same situation - no diploma, no work experience, and I was really scared about what WTW would expect from me. But reading everyone's experiences has completely shifted my perspective from fear to actual excitement about the possibilities. I love seeing all the success stories about people getting their GED first and then moving into real career training programs. The medical assistant, medical coding, and CNA paths everyone mentioned sound amazing - actual careers with decent pay and benefits instead of being stuck in minimum wage jobs forever. Based on everything I've read here, I'm definitely going to: - Call my worker ASAP to specifically request GED as my primary WTW activity - Ask about ALL supportive services (childcare, transportation, clothing allowance) - Get everything approved in writing - Be clear that I want sustainable career training, not just any random job placement The tip about connecting with job counselors at the career center (not just your regular worker) is gold too. And knowing that GED programs usually count toward your participation hours makes the whole thing feel so much more manageable. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences - both the good and the challenges. You've given me the confidence to advocate for myself and actually see this as an opportunity to build a better future instead of something to be afraid of. I'm calling my worker tomorrow!

Reading through all these experiences has been so eye-opening! I'm in a very similar situation - no diploma, no work history, and honestly pretty intimidated by the whole WTW process. But seeing how many people here successfully got their GED first and then moved into actual career training is really encouraging. I had no idea about so many of the supportive services like childcare assistance, transportation help, and even clothing allowances. My biggest worry was how I'd manage everything with my kids, but it sounds like they really do provide support if you know to ask for it. The advice about being proactive and calling your worker before orientation to specifically request GED as your primary activity seems crucial. I definitely don't want to get stuck in the situation where they just assign me random job search activities that don't lead anywhere. For those who went through GED programs - how long did it typically take from start to finish? And did you feel prepared for the actual test, or did you need additional study time beyond the class hours? I'm trying to get a realistic timeline in my head for when I might be able to move on to vocational training. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - both the successes and the challenges. It's making this whole process feel way more manageable knowing there are people who've been in my exact situation and made it work!

Just wanted to add - if this happens again in the future, you can also try calling the main CalWORKs customer service line at 1-877-847-3663. They can sometimes patch you through directly to your worker or at least document that you were waiting for the call. Also, if you're in a county that uses the GetCalFresh portal, you can submit a complaint there about missed appointments. It creates a paper trail that can be helpful if you need to escalate later. Really glad you got it resolved though - system outages are unfortunately pretty common and it's not always the worker's fault!

So glad you got it resolved! This is actually really common - I work as a benefits advocate and see this happen to clients all the time. System outages, scheduling mix-ups, and worker overload are unfortunately just part of the reality with CalWORKs right now. For anyone reading this thread who might face this in the future: always call the same day if your worker doesn't call at the scheduled time. Don't wait! And definitely keep records like others mentioned - date, time, who you spoke with, what was said. I tell all my clients to treat these appointments like job interviews - be 10 minutes early, have all docs ready, and follow up immediately if something goes wrong. The system has flaws but most workers really are trying their best with impossible caseloads.