THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST US!!! they make it impossible to reach anyone when u have questions then suddenly cut ur benefits with barely any notice. i was working my butt off in their stupid wtw program for YEARS and they still cut me off at 48 months even tho i was doing everything they asked!!

Wow thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I had no idea about the exemptions or that months when my daughter was under 1 might not count. I'm definitely going to try to reach someone to get my Time on Aid calculation and see if I qualify for any extensions. It's a relief to know my daughter will still get benefits even after I time out. I'm going to start planning for that reduced amount now. Appreciate all the advice!

Just checking back - is today the 7th? Did your CalFresh benefits load? If not, you should definitely call the county office first thing tomorrow morning. Sometimes there are processing delays, but they can usually expedite it if you're at risk of food insecurity.

Sorry to hear you're still having issues! When you call tomorrow, make sure to ask specifically if there are any pending verification items for your CalFresh case. Also ask them to check if your case is in "pending" status rather than "active" status. Sometimes the online portal will show everything as active even when there's an issue on the backend. If they say something is missing, ask them to send you an official notice listing exactly what they need. And definitely request expedited processing if you're out of food!

Make sure you get the Stage 1 to Stage 2 childcare transition paperwork started as soon as possible! After you've been in CalWORKs for a while, your childcare moves from Stage 1 to Stage 2, and if you don't get the paperwork done in time, there can be a gap in coverage. Happened to me and I had to pay out of pocket for 2 weeks. Just an FYI so you don't get caught by surprise!

One more thing - if you're meeting your Welfare-to-Work hours through employment, education, or approved activities, CalWORKs should cover childcare for those hours PLUS reasonable transportation time. So if you work until 5:30 but need 30 minutes to get to the childcare provider, care until 6pm should be covered. Make sure this is clearly documented in your WTW plan and childcare authorization.

alot of ppl don't no that when u get the homeless assistance u CANT get it again for same family members ever so make sure this new place will work long term. my worker never told me that n i wasted mine on a bad apartment that had roaches n i had to leave after 3 months but cudnt get the assistance again. also make sure ur cousin will accept the payment from the county cus some landlords dont want to deal with all the paperwork n inspection.

To summarize the advice here: 1) Submit a mid-period report about your pregnancy with medical verification immediately, 2) Ask specifically for the pregnant woman supplement since you're in your third trimester, 3) Apply for Permanent Homeless Assistance with documentation of your current overcrowded living situation, 4) Ensure you have a formal rental agreement with your cousin at market rate, and 5) Get this all done BEFORE the baby arrives. Your grant should increase both for the pregnancy and again when the baby is born if you follow these steps.

u know whats crazy, is that they expect us to have everything perfect but then they lose our stuff all the time and were just supposed to deal with it?? like how is that fair?? and then we gotta wait while our kids are hungry

Update us on what happens! And remember to request a State Hearing if they don't resolve this quickly. You can request a hearing online through the CDSS website. Having a pending hearing sometimes motivates counties to resolve issues faster. Also, make sure to document every conversation - who you spoke with, date/time, and what was said. This will be important if you need to escalate the issue. Take names and ID numbers of everyone you speak with.