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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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i stoped trusting benefits cal website completely!!!! my worker says its not updating right. they cut my cash aid last month and the website still said active for 2 more weeks!!! Always call ur worker dont trust the computers
That's messed up! I'm definitely gonna try calling again tomorrow morning
Just wanted to update that I checked with a colleague who works for the county. There was a system update this week that's causing pending payments not to display properly in BenefitsCal, but it's not affecting actual payment processing. Unless you've received a discontinuance notice, your payment should arrive as scheduled. They're aware of the display issue and working to fix it.
OMG THANK YOU!! That makes me feel so much better. I was freaking out thinking my rent was gonna be late. I'll update here if my payment comes through on the 3rd like normal
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Does anyone know if they're ever bringing back any of those pandemic increases? My Cash Aid is $213 less now than it was during COVID and with inflation everything costs so much more. I'm having to work extra shifts just to make up the difference and my childcare costs are eating all that extra money anyway!!! The system is so broken.
Unfortunately, all the pandemic-related benefit increases have ended and there are no plans to bring them back. However, CalWORKs did have a standard grant increase in October 2024 (though it was relatively small). Since you mentioned childcare costs - make sure you're enrolled in the CalWORKs childcare program if you're working. They should cover most or all of your childcare expenses while you're working or in an approved Welfare to Work activity. Many people don't realize they qualify for this benefit!
Update: I finally got through to my worker today. Turns out during the pandemic they weren't counting my husband's disability income the same way, and now they are. She explained that it wasn't actually about emergency allotments (I had that wrong), but about special income calculation rules during COVID. She also said I definitely should submit a SAR 3 for the rent increase. I filled it out today and dropped it off at the office with proof of the new rent amount. Thanks everyone for your help sorting this out!
glad u got it figured out! hope the rent increase helps u get more benefits
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my cousin told me calworks people get audited more if they file taxes so be careful lol
This is absolutely not true. Filing taxes has nothing to do with increasing your audit risk as a CalWORKs recipient. Please don't spread misinformation that might prevent people from getting credits they're legally entitled to.
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does anyone know if its still 48 months lifetime limit for calworks? i heard they extended it but my worker never tells me anything
It's still a 48-month lifetime limit for adults receiving CalWORKs in California. There were some extensions during COVID, but those have expired. However, there are exemptions that can stop your clock from ticking in certain situations. If you're concerned about your time limits, you can request a Time on Aid (TOA) report from your worker to see exactly how many months you've used.
UPDATE: I got through to a worker this morning (calling right at 8am when they opened helped). Turns out I was missing the school attendance verification for my older kid. For some reason, this affected CalFresh but not CalWORKs! Worker said they'll reactivate my CalFresh once I submit the form. So weird how one missing document affects one program but not the other. Thanks everyone for your help!
Glad you got it sorted out! Yes, the verification requirements can sometimes differ between programs even though they're managed by the same department. For future reference, school attendance is specifically required for CalFresh for school-age children, while CalWORKs has a separate school verification process that often runs on a different schedule. Make sure to put a reminder in your calendar for your next SAR7 and annual renewal so this doesn't happen again!
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another thing nobody mentioned - if u get backpay from SSI they'll take some of it to repay the calworks u got during the waiting period. its called "interim assistance reimbursement" or somethin like that. my sister had to sign a form agreeing to this when she applied
Yes, this is correct. It's called Interim Assistance Reimbursement (IAR). Essentially, if you receive SSI backpay for months you also received CalWORKs, the state will recover the CalWORKs payments from your SSI backpay. This happens automatically - SSI sends your backpay to the county first, they take what you received in CalWORKs during that period, and then send you the remainder.
Since you mentioned your doctor referred you for SSI due to worsening health conditions, I wanted to add that you should apply for a WTW exemption right away using the CW 61 form. Don't wait until your SSI is approved, which could take a long time. With the exemption, you won't have to do the Welfare to Work activities, and as someone else mentioned, those months won't count toward your 48-month lifetime limit on CalWORKs. Also, when your case converts to child-only, the income and resource limits will change, and the grant amount will be different. The good news is that with a child-only case, there are no WTW requirements for you since you're not in the assistance unit anymore.
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Thank you! I'll specifically ask about reopening rather than reapplying - that would save so much time. And we're definitely prepared for the WTW requirements. My husband is already job searching every day and would be happy to document everything. He just needs something to tide us over until he finds a new job, which hopefully won't take more than a couple months.
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That's great news! So glad she finally got some answers. The immediate need payment should come through quickly to help with the current situation. Make sure she keeps a record of who she spoke with today in case she needs to follow up.
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Update: I called my worker today and got through right away (miracle). She confirmed they have all the info about my new job correctly recorded for both CalFresh and CalWORKs! The paystubs I submitted were processed correctly and there's nothing else I need to do except report if I go over my IRT. She also updated my WTW plan to count my current employment hours. Thanks everyone for your help!
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did u try calling ur worker? i kno its impossible to get thru sometimes but if u keep calling right when they open sometimes u can catch them. or go in person if u can. they always treat u better face to face than on the phone i swear
I've tried calling multiple times but our county office is ALWAYS busy. I'm going to try going in person next week. The office is pretty far from us but at this point it's worth the bus fare if I can get this fixed.
anyone know if they can garnish wages for calworks overpayments??? im so worried they're gonna start taking $ from my paychecks for an overpayment from 2 yrs ago that i never paid
Yes, they can eventually refer unpaid CalWORKs overpayments to the Franchise Tax Board for collection, which can lead to wage garnishment or tax refund intercepts. But they have to send multiple notices first, and there's a process. If you're worried about an old overpayment, call and try to set up even a small payment plan ($5-10/month) to show good faith - that usually prevents them from taking more aggressive collection action.
Dylan Wright
Glad you got it sorted out! One more tip - keep your CalWORKs eligibility worker's direct phone number in your contacts for the future. If you ever can't get through to EBT customer service again, your worker can sometimes help with card issues or at least escalate it through internal channels. Also, make sure to document all ATM fees you're charged while out of state - in some cases, if they're excessive, you can request a review of those charges when you return to California.
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Giovanni Gallo
•That's really good advice about keeping track of the fees. I'll definitely do that. And I do have my worker's number but I always get voicemail when I call. Can never seem to reach an actual person.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
did the walmart atm end up working for u? jw for next time I travel
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Giovanni Gallo
•Yes! Once the block was removed Walmart ATM worked perfectly. The fee was less than at Bank of America too.
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