I work with families in similar situations frequently. Here's what you need to know: 1. You must report all household members accurately, including those who are there part-time 2. For CalWORKs, children in shared custody situations can potentially be on two cases, with benefits prorated based on time in each home 3. When you report, specify exactly how many days/nights the child spends in your home 4. Provide documentation of the custody arrangement 5. Be prepared to explain the situation clearly The system has protocols for this exact situation. It's not considered fraud when both parents accurately report a shared custody arrangement. What would be problematic is if either parent claimed the child was in their home 100% of the time when that's not true. If your worker isn't clear about how to handle this, ask to speak with a supervisor who can explain the shared custody policies more thoroughly.

I went through something similar last year with my stepson. The key thing that helped me was being super clear with my caseworker about the exact custody schedule from day one. I brought in the custody agreement AND created a simple calendar showing which days he's with us vs his mom. My worker really appreciated having it all laid out clearly. The system handled it fine - we get benefits for him for the time he's with us, and his mom gets benefits for her time. No red flags, no problems. The caseworkers deal with this situation all the time, so don't stress too much about it. Just be honest and thorough with your documentation. You're doing everything right by trying to report accurately!

waait did someone say $3,682?? thats way higher than i thought! i been turning down extra shifts cuz i thought id lose my cash aid if i made over like $2000 lol

I've been through this exact situation! Don't panic - while you should have reported within 10 days of starting work, the fact that you're being proactive now will help. When you finally reach your worker, be honest about when you started and explain that you were confused about the reporting requirements. In my experience, they're usually more understanding if you come forward voluntarily rather than them finding out through a data match later. Also, keep detailed records of all your pay stubs and hours worked - you'll need them for your case review. The good news is that with a part-time job at 25 hours/week, you're probably still eligible for some assistance even after they calculate the disregards. Good luck getting through to them!

Just wanted to update everyone - I just received my payment today! No notice or anything, it just appeared in my account. So they're definitely still processing them. Hope everyone else gets theirs soon!

I'm in a similar situation - been waiting since February for my $500 dependent payment. I have one child and we're on CalWORKs in LA County. It's really frustrating because I keep hearing mixed information about when these are supposed to come through. Some people got theirs weeks ago, others are still waiting like us. I've been checking my EBT account daily and calling the office but can never get through to a real person. The automated system just keeps saying to check BenefitsCal online, but there's no specific information about the stimulus payment status there either. Really hoping it comes through soon because we could definitely use that money for school supplies and some overdue medical bills. Thanks for posting this - at least now I know I'm not the only one still waiting!

To answer your original question about timing - the official guideline is that CalWORKs does annual redeterminations (once every 12 months), plus they require the Semi-Annual Report (SAR7) at the 6-month mark between redeterminations. However, they can also do what's called a "mid-period report" interview if: 1. Your income exceeds the IRT 2. They received information that affects your eligibility (often from income verification systems) 3. There's a special review of your Welfare-to-Work participation 4. There are questions about child support cooperation Bring your paystub and work schedule to the interview. They probably won't cut benefits during the call - they'll usually process everything afterward and send you a Notice of Action with any changes. Just be honest about when you started working and you should be fine.

Just wanted to add some reassurance - I went through a similar situation last year when I got a random redetermination call after starting a new job. I was terrified they'd cut me off, but the worker was actually pretty understanding when I explained I didn't know about the 10-day reporting rule. They did calculate a small overpayment for the weeks I was working but didn't report it, but they set up a payment plan that was very manageable. The key is really just being upfront and cooperative during the interview. They deal with people who genuinely didn't understand the rules versus people trying to commit fraud all the time, and they can usually tell the difference. You'll get through this!

Health issues can absolutely qualify as good cause for a late SAR7! Make sure to mention this during your interview. The worker might ask for some basic details about how your health affected your ability to submit the report on time. You don't need to provide extensive medical documentation for good cause in many cases - a reasonable explanation is often sufficient. If they approve your good cause claim, they might be able to restore your benefits without a gap, depending on how long it's been since the discontinuance. This would be ideal since you wouldn't have to wait for a new application to be processed.

I work at a county eligibility office and can confirm this is totally normal! The denial letter and interview scheduling often happen simultaneously because they're processed by different parts of the system. The denial is usually automatic when certain deadlines are missed, but caseworkers can still schedule interviews to give you a chance to provide missing information or establish good cause. Since you mentioned health issues caused you to miss the SAR7 deadline, definitely bring this up right away in your interview. Health problems are one of the most common and accepted reasons for good cause. The worker will likely ask you to briefly explain how your health affected your ability to submit the report on time. Also, since you reapplied within the same month, there's a good chance they can restore your benefits retroactively if they approve your good cause claim. This means you might not have any gap in aid at all. Make sure to ask about this specifically during your interview. One tip: if the worker approves your case but says it will take a while to process, ask about emergency aid if you're facing eviction or utility shut-off. Counties have some flexibility to provide immediate assistance in crisis situations.