Can't reach CalWorks? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the DSS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the DSS drops your call
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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Liam Cortez
Mine starts with J too and I got it yesterday! Check your EBT balance not just BenefitsCal. My account online still doesn't show it but the money is definitely on my card. I bank with Chase and got a deposit notification when it hit, that's how I knew to check. It might depend on what office handles your case too - I'm under the Clovis office even though we're all Fresno County.
Ellie Lopez
•Thanks for letting me know! I'm under the downtown Fresno office. I'll keep checking my card directly. Did you get a separate letter or anything about it?
Liam Cortez
•No letter at all! Just the money showed up. I didn't get any notification except from my bank when the deposit hit my EBT account.
Kylo Ren
Wat is the school age supplement???? Is this different from regular CalWORKs? I have 3 kids and never heard of this but we get cash aid. Do I need to apply for something extra?? Nobody told me about any school money!!!
Jason Brewer
•It's an automatic supplement for families with school-age children who receive CalWORKs. You don't need to apply separately. It's meant to help with school supplies, clothing, etc. Each eligible child (4-18 years old) should get $439 this year. If you get regular Cash Aid and have eligible children, you should receive it automatically based on the alphabetical schedule they're using.
Kylo Ren
•Omg thank u!! Nobody ever explained this to me. My kids are 5, 7 and 12 so they should all qualify. Going to check my EBT card right now!
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QuantumQueen
I tried claimyr when they stoppe my benefits for no reason and it worked pretty good. u still have to wait but at least u dont have to keep redialing all day. keep us updated on what happens!
Zara Khan
•I'll definitely update once I figure out what's going on! Thanks for the suggestion.
Zara Khan
UPDATE: I finally got through to the county this morning! They said there was a "system flag" on my case because I reported a change in my work hours (I got a few more hours at my job last month). Even though my income is still well below the IRT limit, they had to verify it before releasing my payment. The worker said my cash aid should be deposited by tomorrow, and they apologized for the confusing letter. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
Luca Ferrari
•Glad you got it resolved! This happens way too often. For future reference, any time you report a change in income - even a small one - there's a good chance they'll put a temporary hold on your payment until they verify it. Always report changes early in the month if possible to avoid these delays.
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Cass Green
Final update: Finally got through to a worker (used that Claimyr service someone suggested and it actually worked). Turns out they needed verification of my new rent amount after I moved last month, but the notice went to my old address! The worker was able to take my verbal statement about the new rent and reset my CalFresh. Benefits should be available tomorrow. She also updated my address in all their systems so I don't miss future notices. Check your address on file if you moved recently!
Good to hear you got it resolved! This happens more often than it should with address changes. For anyone reading this in the future: whenever you move, make sure you update your address in BOTH BenefitsCal AND directly with your county office. Sometimes the systems don't communicate well with each other. Also, set up text alerts if your county offers them - they'll often text you about missing documents before they discontinue benefits.
Malia Ponder
•thanks for the update! im going to check if thats my problem too, i did move 2 months ago and updated it online but maybe they still sent something to my old place
did u check ur income reporting threshold (IRT)? if u made more money than ur IRT amount even for just 1 month they can cut ur food stamps but usually not the cash aid for some reason
Cass Green
•No, my income has been the same for months. But good point about the IRT - for anyone else reading this, your IRT is on your approval notices and you have to report if you go over that amount even if it's not time for your SAR7!
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Carmen Vega
i didnt get mine either and when i finaly got thru they said it was bcuz i didnt turn in some paper they needed eventhough i never got any notice about needing to turn in anything?? might wanna check if theres somethng missing from ur case cuz they dont always tell u
That's a good point - sometimes eligibility can depend on having all your verification documents up to date. If you had any pending verification requests (even ones you weren't aware of), that could delay your stimulus payment. Always worth checking your BenefitsCal account messages and your physical mail regularly.
Update: I FINALLY got through to my worker after trying that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Turns out my payment is scheduled for next week! They said they're sending them out in batches based on the last 2 digits of your case number. Mine ends in 78 so I'm in the April batch. Just wanted to let everyone know in case you're still waiting too. Such a relief to know it's coming!
Ethan Clark
•THANK YOU for the update!!! mine ends in 83 so i guess i'm in the same batch as you. this whole process has been so confusing and stressful. wish they would just post this info somewhere so we all knew what was happening!!!
Liam O'Sullivan
Thank you so much for this information. I'm going to ask about retroactive benefits specifically. I did apply for CalFresh separately and that got updated properly, but for some reason CalWORKs is stuck. I'll definitely bring up the WTW program too since I'm actively looking for work.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
mine took 6 weeks to update and i had to borrow money for rent its so messed up
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