Maya, I'm a single mom who just finished my associate degree while on CalWORKs and CalFresh, and I want to add something that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure to ask your financial aid office about Emergency Financial Assistance programs! Many colleges have small grants (usually $200-500) for things like car repairs, emergency childcare, or unexpected school expenses that can help reduce the "excess" portion of your regular financial aid. Also, if you're planning to take any online classes, keep track of your internet costs, computer expenses, and even printer ink - these can all count as educational expenses if they're required for your coursework. My worker accepted receipts for all of these when I showed they were necessary for my online classes. One more tip: if you have to miss any CalWORKs appointments because of class schedules, most counties will reschedule around your school commitments as long as you provide your class schedule. Education is considered a priority activity, so they're usually very accommodating. The learning curve is steep at first, but once you get the documentation system down, it becomes routine. I'm now working in my field making enough to be off assistance entirely, and it all started with that scary first step of applying for financial aid while on benefits. Your future self will thank you for taking this leap! You're not just changing your life - you're showing your kids that education is powerful and achievable. Keep pushing forward! 💪🎓

Maya, I'm a single mom who recently went through this exact process, and I want to share something that really helped me - the CalWORKs Student Success Team program! Many community colleges have this specific program where they assign you a counselor who understands both the academic and benefits side of things. They helped me create an educational plan that was approved by CalWORKs, which made reporting so much smoother. One thing I learned is that you can also count childcare costs while you're in class as educational expenses - even if you're using informal childcare like paying a neighbor or family member. Just make sure to keep receipts or write up simple agreements showing what you're paying for childcare during your class hours. Also, if your county offers the CalWORKs 48-month time limit exemption for students, make sure to apply for it! This gives you additional time to complete your education without worrying about hitting the time limit on benefits. My biggest piece of advice: don't wait until you receive the aid to start the conversation with your worker. I actually brought my acceptance letter and preliminary aid information to my worker before the semester even started, and we worked out a plan together. This prevented any surprises or misunderstandings later. You're making such a smart choice for your family's future! I'm now in my final semester and already have job interviews lined up in my field. The temporary stress of managing benefits while in school is so worth it for the long-term opportunities you're creating. Your kids will be so proud watching their mom graduate! 🎓✨

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely inspired by this incredible success story and the amazing level of support everyone provided! @Zainab, huge congratulations on your well-deserved victory - your persistence through three different workers to finally get someone who understood the rules is exactly the kind of advocacy that makes a real difference. What really strikes me is how this case perfectly illustrates both the challenges and the power of community knowledge. The fact that multiple eligibility workers didn't understand that VA Chapter 35 benefits are educational assistance rather than regular income reveals serious training gaps that probably affect countless other veterans' families. It's heartbreaking to think how many eligible students might give up after the first wrongful denial. The expertise shared here is remarkable - from specific MPP section citations to practical tools like Claimyr, this thread has become an invaluable roadmap for navigating these bureaucratic challenges. Your detailed follow-up about what actually worked (bringing documentation, citing regulations, escalating to knowledgeable supervisors) will be incredibly helpful for other families facing similar battles. This is exactly why communities like this are so crucial - when people share their hard-won knowledge and experiences, it helps others overcome barriers that shouldn't exist in the first place. Thank you for not giving up on your daughter and for taking the time to document your journey. Your victory is really a victory for all students struggling with these systems!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely amazed by this incredible success story and the outstanding level of support everyone provided throughout this thread! @Zainab, huge congratulations on your hard-fought victory - your determination to persist through multiple incorrect denials is truly inspiring and shows what effective advocacy can accomplish. What really strikes me as someone new to understanding these benefit systems is how your experience exposes such concerning training gaps among eligibility workers. The fact that you had to escalate three times just to find someone who understood that VA Chapter 35 benefits are educational assistance rather than regular income is deeply troubling - and it makes you wonder how many other deserving students are being wrongfully denied without knowing they can fight back. This thread has become an absolutely invaluable resource! From the specific MPP section citations to practical tools like Claimyr, the community's response demonstrates the power of shared knowledge and experience. Your detailed documentation of what actually worked - bringing specific regulations, VA documentation, enrollment schedules, and escalating to knowledgeable supervisors - creates a perfect roadmap for other families facing similar bureaucratic battles. This is exactly why communities like this are so essential. When people share their hard-won expertise and real-world strategies, it helps others overcome systemic barriers that shouldn't exist in the first place. Thank you for refusing to give up on your daughter's case and for taking the time to update us with your victory. This thread will undoubtedly help countless other veterans' families secure the benefits they're rightfully entitled to!

I just went through this exact situation a few months ago! You definitely need to report the SDI approval to your CalWORKs worker ASAP, even though you haven't received payments yet. I made the mistake of thinking I could wait until the money actually hit my account, and it created a mess that took weeks to sort out. Here's what I learned: Call your worker tomorrow and tell them you were approved for disability in July but are still waiting for payments. Ask them to document this in your case notes - this creates a paper trail showing you reported proactively. When your payments do start coming (mine took 4 months!), you'll already have everything set up properly. Also, don't panic about losing all your benefits. SDI counts as unearned income, so after the $90 monthly disregard, it reduces your CalWORKs cash dollar-for-dollar. But here's the good news - you can stay on CalWORKs with $0 cash aid and keep your Medi-Cal, childcare, and other supportive services. That was actually better for me because the disability paid more than CalWORKs anyway. One more thing - definitely ask about disability exemptions from your WTW requirements when you call. If your condition affects your ability to work, you might qualify for Good Cause which can exempt you from workfare hours. This was huge for me when I was dealing with my health issues. The phone system is brutal but don't give up! Some people mentioned Claimyr which helps you get through faster. Whatever you do, don't wait - protecting yourself from overpayments is worth the hassle of making that call.

I'm new to this community but going through something similar right now! Just got approved for SDI two months ago but still waiting on my first payment. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it's clear I need to call my CalWORKs worker ASAP to report the approval even without getting paid yet. What really helped me understand this was seeing how many people got hit with overpayments when they waited vs. those who reported proactively. The tip about asking them to put a note in the case file is brilliant - I'm definitely going to request that when I call tomorrow. One question for those who've been through this: did any of you have trouble getting your worker to understand that you wanted to report income you hadn't received yet? I'm worried they might think I'm confused or wasting their time since there's no actual money to report right now. Also, thanks everyone for explaining the $90 disregard and how SDI counts as unearned income. As someone completely new to navigating these systems, this thread has been incredibly educational. It's such a relief to know I can keep childcare and Medi-Cal even if my cash aid drops to zero once the disability payments start.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience since it might help others in similar situations! I was on CalFresh for about 6 months without reporting a small savings account (had maybe $200 when I applied), and when I lost my job last month and needed to apply for CalWORKs, I was really anxious about potential issues. I decided to be completely transparent on my CalWORKs application and reported ALL my accounts, including the one I hadn't mentioned for CalFresh. During my eligibility interview, I even brought up my concern about the unreported account. My worker was actually really understanding and explained that CalFresh and CalWORKs have different asset verification processes, so not reporting it previously wasn't going to be an issue as long as I was being honest now. She confirmed that CalWORKs does much more thorough bank account verification than CalFresh typically does, using their Asset Verification System. My account had about $800 at the time (well under the $10,000 limit), and she said that was totally fine - especially since some of it was from my tax refund. The whole process went smoothly, and I was approved! The key really is just being upfront about everything on your new application. Don't let worry about past applications prevent you from getting the help you need now. The county workers understand that different programs have different requirements, and they appreciate honesty over anything else.

I'm new to this community and wanted to thank everyone for sharing their experiences! I'm in a very similar situation - been on CalFresh for about 7 months and didn't report my checking account when I applied because it only had around $180 at the time. Now I'm facing possible job loss and considering CalWORKs, but I was really worried about the unreported account. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. The consensus seems clear - be completely honest on the CalWORKs application going forward, regardless of what was reported on previous CalFresh applications. It makes total sense that different programs have different asset verification requirements. My account currently has about $720 from some freelance work, so I'm well under the $10,000 resource limit. Based on everyone's advice here, I'm going to be totally transparent about all my accounts when I apply for CalWORKs. It's such a relief to know that honesty is appreciated by the county workers and that so many people have successfully navigated similar situations. This thread has been a lifesaver for understanding these confusing benefit requirements - thank you to the original poster for asking this important question and to everyone who shared their experiences!

I'm also new to CalWORKs and just got approved for Stage One childcare! My mom will be watching my 2-year-old and 6-year-old while I complete my WTW hours. This thread has been incredibly helpful - so much better than the vague information my caseworker provided. From reading everyone's experiences, I'm now prepared for the 4-6 week wait for the first payment and understand about the 70% rate for family providers. One question I have that I haven't seen addressed - does anyone know if the childcare payments are affected at all if you're also receiving other CalWORKs benefits like CalFresh? I want to make sure there won't be any issues or reductions when multiple programs are involved. Also, for the attendance forms, do you submit one form per child or is there a single form that covers all children being watched? My mom will have kids of different ages so I want to make sure we're tracking everything correctly from the start. Thanks to everyone who's shared their real experiences here - it's made this whole process feel much more manageable for us newcomers!

I'm also brand new to CalWORKs and just starting the childcare approval process! My grandmother is going to watch my 4-year-old twins while I attend my job training program. This entire thread has been incredibly informative - thank you all for sharing your real experiences! From reading through everyone's responses, I'm getting a much clearer picture of what to expect: the 4-6 week wait for first payment, the 70% rate for family providers (around $4-5/hour per child), and the importance of submitting those monthly attendance forms by the 10th. I do have one question - has anyone dealt with childcare for twins specifically? I'm wondering if there are any special considerations or if the payment is just calculated as two separate children at the regular rate. Also, since my grandmother is in her 70s, are there any age restrictions or additional requirements for older family providers? The tip about calling the childcare payment unit directly instead of trying to reach your regular caseworker is golden - I'm definitely going to try that for county-specific rate information. Thanks again everyone for making this process feel so much less overwhelming for us newcomers!