Pay nothing until a live DSS agent is on the phone with you.
Can't reach CalWorks? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
$0 upfront. We only hold your card.
No live agent, no charge.
$9.99 is charged only once a live DSS agent is on the phone with you.
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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Lola Perez
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!
Nora Brooks
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.
Jayden Reed
•Thank you! This is exactly what I need. My WTW plan actually says "employment plus reasonable transportation time" but nobody explained what that actually meant in terms of the childcare hours. I'll make sure it's noted that I need that extra time for pickup.
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update: i got thru to the office this morning! i asked for a supervisor right away & explained everything. they said they'd review my case & call me back. fingers crossed!
Nia Williams
•let us know what happens!! my worker always promises to call back and never does 🙄
That's great! How long did it take you to get through? I've been trying all morning and still can't reach anyone. Did they give you any timeline for when they'll call back?
Just to clarify for everyone: Under CalWORKs regulations (MPP 40-126.31), the county is required to document their attempt to contact you. When you submit your good cause request, you have the right to see this documentation. Ask specifically: What number did they call? What time exactly? How many attempts were made? This puts the burden of proof back on them. If they can't provide this documentation, they must reschedule your interview without any break in benefits. Also remember that for phone interviews, they're supposed to attempt contact at the scheduled time, AND make a second attempt within 30 minutes if they don't reach you the first time. Many counties aren't following this procedure.
Luca Ricci
•THIS is the kind of info they never tell us! Thank you for sharing. So they're actually required to call twice within 30 mins? My worker definitely didn't do that last time.
Thank you for this information! I've been documenting everything and will definitely ask for their call logs when I finally get through. Update: I managed to submit a good cause request through BenefitsCal and got an automated response saying someone will review it within 3 business days. Still hoping to talk to someone sooner though.
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can u use these at same places as regular ebt? i got mine but some stores say they dont take them but they take my regular ebt card??
Andre Dupont
•They should work anywhere that accepts EBT for food purchases. If stores are having trouble processing them, it might be because the system is still catching up with the new program. Ask them to run it as a regular EBT food transaction. If they still have problems, you can call the number on the back of the card for help.
Carmen Lopez
Update: I activated the cards and checked the balances. Each one has $120 just like you all said! So grateful for this extra help with groceries this summer. The kids are home all day and honestly they eat SO MUCH more than during school. Thanks everyone for explaining what these are!
good for u! my kids r eating me out of house and home this summer lol. this really helps with the grocery bill
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Benjamin Kim
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
EXACTLY!! If we're late with paperwork even by ONE DAY they cut us off immediately. But when they make mistakes we just have to wait and suffer. It's so frustrating.
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.
I will definitely update! And thank you for the reminder about documenting everything. I've started keeping notes of all my calls in a notebook, but I didn't think to ask for ID numbers. That's a good tip.
Haley Bennett
UPDATE: My benefits just posted at 4:32pm! From what the worker told me, they had a major system update that went wrong last night and it affected the automatic payment processing. Everyone should get their benefits by tonight, but if you don't see them by tomorrow morning, you should definitely call your county office.
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Douglas Foster
•mines still not there this isnt fair they no we got bills n kids
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Rami Samuels
FINAL UPDATE: My benefits FINALLY posted at 7:15pm! Nearly a whole day late, but at least they're there. The maintenance on MyCAlWIN is over too - the system is back up. Thanks everyone for confirming it wasn't just me having problems. This forum is seriously a lifesaver sometimes.
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Nina Chan
•Glad you got your money! I feel like these system issues are happening more and more lately. Maybe write down the date this happened so if they ever try to discontinue you for "not using your benefits" you can prove it was their system error. That happened to my cousin last year!
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