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Im in the same boat, that $95 is my utilitys every month. im so scared about what happens. does anyone know if we can appeal this or something?? its not fair they just stop it when everythings so expensive now!!
Unfortunately, this isn't something you can appeal. The emergency allotments were always temporary and tied to the public health emergency. I know it's really tough timing with inflation. If you haven't had a mid-year adjustment to your regular CalWORKs grant based on income changes, you might want to report any decreased income or increased expenses (like rent) to see if your regular benefit amount could increase.
One thing to know - you should see an increase in your regular CalWORKs grant starting January 2025 due to the annual cost of living adjustment. It's not going to make up for the whole $95, but it should help a little bit. My worker told me the standard 2025 COLA should be around 3.7% which isn't huge but it's something at least.
Update: I finally got through to my worker using that Claimyr service someone suggested. You were all right - they were projecting my income based on my hourly rate and weekly hours. My worker explained they use my hourly rate ($13.50) × hours per week (20) × 4.33 weeks = $1,169.10, which they rounded to $1,170.83 with some adjustment I didn't fully understand.She also explained about the income disregards, so my actual benefit reduction isn't as bad as I initially thought. Thanks everyone for your help! I'm going to be much more careful with tracking my income reporting going forward.
That's definitely a deduction they should have applied! The childcare expenses alone could make a significant difference in your benefit calculation. When you get through to them, make sure to tell them about those expenses. And definitely ask about enrolling in the Stage 1 Childcare program - they should pay your childcare costs directly while you're working, which would save you that $350/week!
UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at the county office! You all were right - I qualify for CalWORKs childcare assistance even with the tiny cash grant. The worker is sending me the forms today. This will save us around $1,500 a month in childcare costs! They're also reassessing my Cash Aid amount since they didn't factor in my childcare expenses. Thank you all so much for your help and advice!!
Owen Devar
Can I ask how you got your benefits stolen? I'm terrified of this happening to me. Did you report it to the police too or just to the county? I keep hearing about people getting their EBT cards skimmed.
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Miles Hammonds
•I'm pretty sure it happened at this small market I went to. The cashier took my card to the back to run it because their machine was "broken" - I should've known better! I filed a police report and they said there's been several cases at that same store. Now I'm super careful about where I use my card.
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Ruby Blake
•omg thats scary!! i never let anyone take my card outta my sight now. i even cover the keypad when i type my pin bc ive heard they can have cameras watching
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PrinceJoe
Update us after you go to the office! I'm curious if they give you a check or actual cash. When I had to get an emergency payment once, they actually gave me a cash voucher that I had to take to the cashier window. The whole process was confusing.
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Miles Hammonds
•I went to the office this morning! You were right about the lines - it was packed. After 2.5 hours, I finally talked to someone who gave me a paper check! I was able to cash it at my bank right after. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Micah Franklin
•Glad you got it resolved! Just a tip for the future - if this ever happens again, ask them to put a note in your case file that you prefer EBT replacement rather than check replacement if possible. It's usually faster since you don't have to physically go pick anything up.
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