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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.
One more important thing - when you go to the office tomorrow, ask specifically about a \
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.
what ever u do DONT CALL THEM!!! if they made a mistake in your favor just keep it lol. I got extra $$ once and called like an idiot and they took it back the next month. sometimes its better not to ask questions just sayin
That's actually not good advice. If it's an error and they find out later (which they almost always do during reconciliation), they'll consider it an overpayment and you'll have to pay it back regardless. Better to know what it is so you can plan accordingly. If it's rightfully yours, great! If not, at least you won't be surprised when they reduce future payments to recoup it.
Update: So I finally got through to my worker! It IS the diaper benefit! She said they've been rolling it out and doing retroactive payments for eligible families. Since my daughter has been on my case for 12 months, I got $360 ($30 x 12). Going forward it'll just be included in my regular payment. Thanks everyone for your help!
Great news! This is exactly why it's always good to check. Glad you got confirmation and now you can use that money without worrying. The diaper benefit has been super helpful for many families - glad you're getting it too!
sorry to hijack but this reminds me. does anyone know if the incoming child support payments affect your calworks amount? my ex finally got a job and they're taking child support from his check but i'm worried my cash aid will get reduced. should i even report it?
Yes, you absolutely need to report child support income! The first $100 of child support is disregarded (won't affect your CalWORKs), but anything over that will reduce your cash aid dollar for dollar. The county already knows about it since it goes through the Department of Child Support Services, so not reporting it could create an overpayment you'll have to pay back later. Always better to report and avoid potential fraud accusations.
This happened to me too, and it turned out my card was blocked because they sent me a new one that I never received! Call the EBT customer service line (not the county) at 1-877-328-9677 and ask if a new card was issued or if your current one is blocked for any reason. Sometimes they send replacement cards without telling you if your old one is about to expire. The county never notifies you, it's ridiculous.
UPDATE: System is back up and running! Card works now. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions. I'm going to be better prepared next time by having some emergency cash set aside. And now I know about Claimyr for getting through to workers quickly - that's a lifesaver for single parents like me who can't spend hours on hold!!
Salim Nasir
The WORST part about CalWORKs is how they never tell you ANYTHING. Like they expect us to be mind readers?! I swear they deliberately make it hard to contact them so they can save money when people give up trying. Did your job put you over the income limit? Because that could explain it, but they're still supposed to TELL YOU with a Notice of Action!!!
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Shelby Bauman
•Definitely not over the income limit - I only make about $750/month at this job and my IRT is $2,800. I agree about the communication though - it's so frustrating not knowing what's happening with money you depend on!
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Shelby Bauman
UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! Used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got connected to a real person in about 15 minutes. The worker confirmed my payment was on hold for an income review but said there was no reason for the delay since everything was properly reported. She manually released the payment and said it should be in my account within 48 hours. She also noted in my file that I'm well below my IRT so this shouldn't happen again. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!
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Hazel Garcia
•Glad to hear you got it resolved! This happens more often than it should with income changes. One tip for the future: whenever you report new income, ask your worker to note in your file that it's below the IRT and no payment hold is needed. Sometimes that prevents the automatic system flags. Good luck with the new job!
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Salim Nasir
•SEE? That's exactly what happened to me! The system automatically puts payments on hold even when you do everything right. At least your worker was helpful - mine gave me attitude like I did something wrong. So infuriating!
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