I'm in Imperial County and went through this process just two weeks ago! Applied March 10th, interview March 18th, approved March 26th - so 8 days after my interview. The EBT card arrived 4 days later and cash was available right when I activated it. I was in almost your exact situation - down to $52 with rent due and completely panicking about eviction. What absolutely saved me was calling the morning after my interview and saying exactly what everyone else has mentioned: "I have less than $100 and my rent is due next week - I need to request immediate need payment." They processed it within 2 business days! A few things that really helped: - Call RIGHT at 8 AM when they open - I got through in about 6 minutes vs being on hold for hours later - Have your case number and application date ready when you call - Since you have two kids under 6, emphasize that immediately - they have special expedited processing protocols - Ask about both immediate need payment AND any additional emergency housing assistance One thing I learned that might help - if you qualify for immediate need, ask them to expedite your regular EBT card delivery too. Sometimes they can rush the card production which can cut down the waiting time by a couple days. The anxiety when you're in survival mode is absolutely brutal, but reading everyone's advice here shows the system really does work when you advocate for yourself. With two young kids and your financial situation, you clearly meet all the criteria for emergency help. Call first thing tomorrow and don't hesitate to be persistent - you deserve this assistance! 🙏 Hang in there - you're going to get through this! Set that alarm for 7:45 AM and you've got this! 💪

I'm in Alameda County and just went through this process last month! Applied February 18th, interview February 28th, approved March 8th - so 8 days after my interview. The EBT card arrived 3 days later and cash was available immediately. I was in your exact situation - down to about $43 with rent due and absolutely terrified. What saved me was calling first thing the morning after my interview and using the exact wording everyone else mentioned: "I have less than $100 and my rent is due next week - I need to request immediate need payment." They approved it within 2 business days! Since you have kids under 6, definitely mention that every single time you call - it really does expedite your case. Also, they'll backdate your benefits to your application date, so your first payment will be larger. Here's what worked for me: - Call RIGHT at 8 AM when they open - I got through in under 5 minutes - Keep your case number handy - If your worker isn't available, ask for any eligibility worker who can process immediate need - Ask about expedited EBT card delivery too One thing I wish I'd known - you can also ask about emergency rent assistance through the county while you're waiting. Some counties have additional programs specifically for families with young children facing eviction. The waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking when you're in survival mode, but with two young kids and your financial situation, you clearly qualify for emergency help. Call tomorrow morning and advocate for yourself - you deserve this assistance! The system works when you know what to ask for. You've got this! 💪

I'm also new to CalWORKs (got approved just last month) and have been dealing with the exact same confusion! BenefitsCal is honestly terrible on mobile - I kept getting error messages and couldn't find anything useful. What finally worked for me was a combination of things people mentioned here: 1. Downloaded the Connect EBT app - it's literally night and day compared to the website. You can see your balance and transaction history clearly without all the confusing navigation. 2. Called 1-877-328-9677 with my EBT card ready. Had to wait about 20 minutes but they gave me my exact payment schedule over the phone. Turns out my payments come on the 7th of each month. 3. Found my payment date in my original approval paperwork under "benefit issuance schedule" - I had completely missed it in all the overwhelming paperwork from my interview. For budgeting with kids, I started using a simple phone calendar where I mark my CalWORKs payment date, rent due date, and other bills so I can see the whole month layout. It's really helped reduce the anxiety about timing. Also Klaus, definitely talk to your landlord about your payment schedule! Most landlords who work with tenants on benefits understand that payments come on specific government dates. Better to communicate early than stress in silence. The system is definitely not user-friendly, but once you know your routine it gets so much easier. Hang in there!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I just got approved for CalWORKs three weeks ago and have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out the payment schedule. Like everyone else here, I got completely lost in BenefitsCal - it's like they designed it to be as confusing as possible! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. I had no idea about the Connect EBT app or that you could call 1-877-328-9677 to get your payment schedule directly. I'm definitely going to try both of those options today. Klaus, I totally relate to the stress about rent timing - I'm in the same boat! My rent is due on the 1st and I've been panicking about whether my CalWORKs payment will come in time. But after reading everyone's advice about being upfront with landlords, I think I'm going to have that conversation today instead of worrying in silence. Also want to thank everyone who mentioned the additional resources like childcare assistance and the Welfare-to-Work program. My caseworker didn't tell me about any of these during my interview, and it sounds like there might be help available that I didn't even know existed. This community has been way more helpful than trying to navigate the system alone. It's such a relief to know that other people have gone through this same confusion and figured it out. The first few months really are overwhelming when you're trying to learn all these systems while already stressed about money!

To summarize what everyone's saying: While there's no automatic system that will immediately cut your benefits if your mother claims your child on taxes, it creates a contradiction that could cause problems. For CalWORKs, you're saying you have primary responsibility for your daughter. For IRS purposes, your mother would be claiming she provides more than half of your daughter's support. If you want to avoid potential complications with your benefits, the safest approach is to make sure your tax filing is consistent with what you report to CalWORKs. This means you should be the one claiming your daughter as a dependent.

Smart decision! I went through something similar and learned that consistency across all government systems is crucial. Your mom probably means well, but the potential risk to your stability just isn't worth it. One thing to consider - if your mom is providing significant support through childcare and purchasing items for your daughter, make sure you're accurately reporting any cash assistance she gives you on your SAR7 forms. The county needs to know about all sources of support, but as long as your daughter lives with you primarily and you're her main caretaker, you should be fine claiming her on taxes yourself. Also, once you complete your WTW program and get stable employment, you might be able to revisit the tax situation with your mom if circumstances change. But for now, protecting your Cash Aid is the priority.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share some hope from my own recent experience. I just went through a CalWORKs fraud investigation that was also initiated by an ex who was trying to get back at me. The whole process took about 4 months from start to finish, but I want you to know that it IS possible to get through this without losing everything. A few key things that made a difference in my case: 1. I created a detailed timeline of every day I worked and exactly how much I earned, even when I could only estimate amounts. Having this organized before my interview showed I was taking responsibility seriously. 2. My cousin provided a written statement confirming that the work was truly irregular - sometimes I'd work 3 days one month, then not at all for 6 weeks. This helped establish it wasn't regular employment I was deliberately hiding. 3. During my interview, I immediately acknowledged that I should have reported all income, regardless of the amounts or irregularity. I explained that I genuinely thought cash work under a certain threshold didn't need immediate reporting, but I took full responsibility for not understanding the rules correctly. They classified it as an inadvertent overpayment rather than intentional fraud. I'm paying back $1,950 over 18 months through benefit deductions, but I kept my CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and my children's portion of Cash Aid throughout the entire process. The investigator actually told me that my honesty and preparation made their job easier, and that they could tell I wasn't someone trying to cheat the system - just a parent trying to make ends meet who didn't fully understand the reporting requirements. Stay strong - you're handling this the right way by being proactive and seeking advice. The waiting is the hardest part, but most people in situations like ours do get through it without criminal charges or losing all benefits.

I'm new to this community but going through a very similar situation right now. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. I wanted to add one more resource that might be valuable - many counties have ombudsman programs specifically for welfare issues that can advocate on your behalf during investigations. Also, something I learned from my caseworker: if you do end up with an overpayment determination, you have the right to request a hearing to dispute it if you believe the calculation is incorrect or the classification (inadvertent vs intentional) is wrong. You have 90 days from the notice to request this hearing, and it's completely free. One practical tip for your interview preparation: practice explaining your situation out loud beforehand. When you're nervous, it's easy to ramble or leave out important details. Having a clear, concise explanation of what happened, why you didn't report the income, and what you've learned from this experience can really help during the actual interview. The fact that you're being so proactive about gathering information and preparing for this process shows you're taking it seriously, which investigators do notice and appreciate. You're not alone in this - this community has shown that so many people have successfully navigated similar situations. Keep focusing on honesty, organization, and cooperation, and you'll get through this too.

I'm so sorry you're going through this! EBT theft is becoming way too common and it's absolutely devastating when you need that money for rent. I experienced this about 6 months ago - lost $721 overnight to transactions in stores I'd never been to. Here's what I learned that might help: **Go to your county office IN PERSON first thing tomorrow morning** - don't just rely on phone calls. Bring your EBT card, ID, screenshots of fraudulent transactions, and your claim number. Face-to-face interaction gets much better results. **Ask specifically for "emergency replacement benefits"** - they won't always offer this automatically! I got about $400 back within 5 days as emergency aid while waiting for the full investigation. This literally saved me from missing rent. **Make sure you have ALL required docs submitted together:** EBT 2259 form, police report (you can file online in most counties), signed affidavit, and copy of your card front/back. Missing anything delays the whole process. The good news is California has really improved the timeline - I got my full amount back in 9 business days once everything was submitted properly. Much better than the horror stories from a few years ago. Also change your PIN immediately and consider withdrawing cash benefits the same day they deposit from now on. EBT cards have terrible fraud protection compared to regular bank cards. You WILL get your money back! Stay persistent but polite when following up. Keep us posted on how it goes!

I'm so sorry this happened to you! EBT theft is absolutely terrifying - I can't imagine waking up to find almost $1000 just gone like that. From reading all these responses, it sounds like you have a really solid action plan now. The fact that multiple people here got their money back within 10-14 days (with emergency aid even faster) is really encouraging and shows California has definitely improved this process. A couple things I wanted to add based on what I've learned helping friends through similar situations: - When you go to the county office tomorrow, bring copies of everything, not just originals. Sometimes they need to keep paperwork and it's good to have your own records. - If possible, ask the worker to walk you through exactly what happens next and what the timeline looks like. Getting specific expectations upfront can help reduce anxiety while you wait. - Consider setting up account alerts or checking your balance daily going forward. I know it shouldn't be our responsibility, but unfortunately these cards just don't have the same protections as regular bank accounts. The support in this thread has been amazing - it's clear this community really looks out for each other. You're handling this crisis really well by taking quick action and getting organized. Please keep us updated on how everything goes with the emergency replacement benefits tomorrow. We're all rooting for you! 💙