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Hey Connor! Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been on CalWORKs for a while now. I think what might be happening is people are mixing up different programs or maybe hearing about county-specific pilot programs that don't apply everywhere. I've learned the hard way to always double-check any rumors about extra money - last year I heard about some "emergency payment" that turned out to be only for people affected by wildfires in specific counties. One thing that might help with your budget planning though - have you looked into the local food banks and WIC if your kids qualify? I know it's not cash, but it can free up some of your grocery budget for other necessities like those school supplies and winter clothes you mentioned. Also, some school districts have programs that help with supplies and clothing - worth asking at your kids' schools. Good luck with getting the real info from your county office!
Thanks Yara! You're absolutely right about double-checking rumors - I'm definitely learning that lesson now. I actually do get WIC for my youngest and it helps a lot with the grocery budget. I hadn't thought about asking the schools directly about supply programs though, that's a great idea! My kids' school sent home some flyers at the beginning of the year but I didn't pay much attention. I'll definitely look into that when I go to the county office next week. It's frustrating how much misinformation gets passed around but I'm grateful for communities like this where people share real experiences and actual helpful resources.
I'm new to this community but I've been on CalWORKs for about 8 months now with my 3-year-old daughter. Reading through all these responses has been really eye-opening! I had no idea about some of these additional benefits like the diaper allowance - definitely going to ask about that at my next appointment. It's frustrating how much confusing information gets passed around, but I really appreciate everyone taking the time to clarify things. I've been struggling to reach my caseworker too (the phone system is awful), so I'm going to check out that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Connor, I hope your visit to the county office goes well! Let us know what you find out about the childcare assistance - I'm working part-time too and childcare costs are eating up most of my paycheck. Thanks to everyone for being so helpful and sharing real information instead of just rumors.
Welcome to the community Mateo! It's great that you're asking questions and getting informed about all the available benefits. I've been on CalWORKs for about 2 years now and I wish I had known about some of these programs when I first started - would have saved me a lot of stress and money. The diaper allowance is a real lifesaver, especially with how expensive diapers are these days. Also, since you mentioned childcare costs eating up your paycheck, definitely ask about the childcare assistance program when you call. In my county, they can pay most of the childcare costs directly to the provider once you get approved. It took a few weeks to process but it was worth the wait. Good luck navigating the system!
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This thread is so helpful! I've been on CalWORKs for about 6 months now and had no idea about these ATM restrictions. Last week I tried to get cash at 2am when my daughter had a fever and I needed to buy medicine, but the ATM kept declining my card even though I knew I had benefits loaded. I ended up having to wait until morning which was really scary as a new parent. The cash back option at 24-hour stores is brilliant - I'm definitely going to remember that for emergencies. It's frustrating that they don't explain these banking system quirks when they give you the EBT card. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and workarounds!
I'm so sorry you had to go through that scary situation with your daughter! As a new parent myself, I totally understand how terrifying it is when your child needs something and you can't access your own money. It's really unfair that they don't warn people about these system limitations when they hand out the EBT cards. I wish I had known about the cash back trick earlier too - would have saved me so much stress during late night emergencies. Hang in there, and hopefully sharing these tips helps other parents avoid the same panic we've all experienced!
This is such valuable information for everyone! I've been on CalWORKs for about 2 years and learned about these ATM issues the hard way too. One thing I'd add is that some grocery stores like Safeway and Vons also do cash back 24/7, and you don't even need to buy anything expensive - a pack of gum or a banana works. I keep a mental list of which places near me are reliable for emergency cash access. It's really sad that families already struggling financially have to navigate all these banking system quirks just to access our own benefits. The system definitely needs to be more user-friendly, especially for parents dealing with emergencies at odd hours. Thanks to everyone for sharing their workarounds - this thread should be pinned somewhere!
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I'm so glad you got this resolved! This exact same thing happened to my sister last year - benefits just disappeared for no reason and it took forever to get someone on the phone who could actually help. It's scary how often these "system errors" happen right when people need their money most. For anyone else dealing with this, I'd also recommend documenting everything - take screenshots of your BenefitsCal account showing your case is active, write down the date your benefits were supposed to load, and keep notes of every phone call you make. When my sister finally got her payment, she had to provide all this documentation to get reimbursed for the overdraft fees she got hit with. The whole system puts so much stress on families who are already struggling. Thanks to everyone who shared helpful resources like Claimyr - I'm saving that info in case we ever need it!
This is such good advice about documenting everything! I wish I had known to take screenshots before this happened. I was so panicked when I saw the money wasn't there that I didn't think to document anything until after I'd already called around. Definitely going to be more prepared going forward. It really shouldn't be this hard to get the benefits we're entitled to, but at least this community helps us figure out how to navigate the system when it fails us.
This is such a relief to read that you got it sorted out! I've been dealing with CalWORKs for 3 years now and these "system errors" seem to happen way too often, especially right before major bills are due. It's like the system knows the worst possible timing! I'm definitely bookmarking that Claimyr service - I had no idea something like that existed. I've literally spent entire days trying to get through to someone at the county office, only to get disconnected or transferred around in circles. Having a service that can actually get you to a real person sounds like a lifesaver. Also really appreciate everyone sharing the tips about emergency payments and documenting everything. I learned the hard way last year when my benefits got held up for "additional verification" (which turned out to be a mistake on their end) and I didn't know I could request immediate assistance. Ended up having to borrow money from family just to keep the lights on. It's so frustrating that we have to become experts in navigating their broken system just to get the help we're supposed to receive, but at least we have communities like this to share information and support each other through it!
Yes, it really does feel like these "system errors" happen at the worst possible times! I'm just grateful this community exists because trying to navigate all this alone would be so much harder. Everyone's advice here literally saved me - I never would have known about Claimyr or requesting immediate need payments without you all sharing your experiences. It's sad that we have to become experts in their system just to get basic assistance, but at least we can help each other out. Definitely keeping all these tips for future reference because unfortunately, this probably won't be the last time something like this happens!
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This whole thread is so helpful! I've been on CalWORKs for about 4 months and I had the exact same confusion. Last week I desperately needed money for groceries and tried my card around 11:30 PM on my deposit day - nothing. Then I tried again at 12:05 AM and boom, there it was! I thought it was some kind of system glitch or that maybe I had gotten lucky. It's such a relief to know this is actually how it's supposed to work and that I don't need to worry about any overpayment issues. I really wish they would include this kind of practical information in the welcome packet or during the eligibility interview. Knowing that both CalWORKs and CalFresh follow the same midnight schedule is going to make budgeting and bill paying so much easier. Thanks for asking what we were all wondering!
I'm new here but this thread has been incredibly informative! I just got approved for CalWORKs last week and my first payment is supposed to come on the 22nd. I've been so anxious about when exactly it would be available because I have rent due that morning. Knowing that I can access it right at midnight is such a huge relief! It's really disappointing that they don't explain these basic details during the approval process. I spent hours on the phone trying to get through to someone at the county office just to ask about timing, and never got through. This community is already proving more helpful than the official channels. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's making this whole process feel less overwhelming for someone just starting out with the system.
Welcome to everyone who's new to CalWORKs! This thread really highlights how much the system could improve in terms of basic communication. I've been receiving benefits for over a year and I still learn new things from this community regularly. One tip I'd add - if you're ever unsure about your specific deposit date or need to verify when your benefits will be available, you can check your balance and transaction history 24/7 by calling the EBT customer service line on the back of your Golden State Advantage card, or by creating an account on the ebtEDGE mobile app. Both are much faster than trying to reach your county worker directly. Also, keep in mind that while the midnight availability is standard, it's always smart to have a small buffer when possible since occasionally there can be system maintenance or technical delays that might push availability to early morning hours instead.
StarSurfer
This entire thread is both infuriating and validating - I thought I was going crazy dealing with this exact same situation! Filed my redetermination on January 28th and I'm now on week 7 of the "supervisor approval" delay. What really bothers me is how they make it sound like supervisor approval is just a quick rubber stamp, but clearly something is seriously broken in their system if dozens of us are all stuck at this same bottleneck for months. I've started wondering if there even IS a supervisor reviewing these cases or if they're just buying time hoping we'll give up. The financial stress is unbearable - I've already had to use my security deposit money for rent and I'm terrified about what happens next month. My caseworker won't return calls and the general line just keeps giving me the same scripted responses. I'm definitely going to try the assembly member route and the 8 AM calling strategy that others mentioned. It shouldn't take a village and political intervention to get basic benefits processed, but here we are. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it helps knowing we're not alone in this nightmare. Has anyone kept track of how long their case ultimately took once they got past the supervisor approval step? I'm trying to mentally prepare for how much longer this might drag on.
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Isabella Silva
•I'm so sorry you're dealing with this too! Seven weeks is absolutely unacceptable. I'm new to this community but reading through everyone's experiences has been eye-opening - it's clear this isn't isolated incidents but a systematic breakdown. From what I've gathered from the other posts, once people finally got past the supervisor approval bottleneck, it seemed to move pretty quickly - like within 24-48 hours for final processing. The real issue seems to be getting OUT of that approval limbo in the first place. I'm definitely taking notes on all the strategies people have shared here - the assembly member contact, early morning calls, documenting employee IDs, and sending urgent messages through BenefitsCal. It's ridiculous that we need a whole battle plan just to get our legally entitled benefits, but I'm grateful for this community sharing real solutions. The financial anxiety is the worst part. You're right that it feels like they're hoping we'll just give up. But seeing how many people have eventually gotten through this gives me hope that persistence really does work, even though we shouldn't have to fight this hard. Hang in there - from everything I'm reading, you WILL get through this!
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Sofia Ramirez
This is absolutely outrageous! I just joined this community after searching desperately for help with my own redetermination nightmare. Reading through everyone's experiences, I'm shocked at how widespread this "supervisor approval" delay problem really is. I submitted my CalWORKs redetermination on February 12th and I'm going on 6 weeks of the same exact runaround - "we sent an email to the supervisor" every single time I call. Meanwhile, I'm behind on utilities and my kids are asking why we can't go grocery shopping like we used to. What really gets me is that they act like WE'RE being unreasonable for wanting updates on OUR benefits that we depend on to survive. The lack of transparency is infuriating - we can't talk to supervisors directly, we can't get real timelines, and we're just supposed to sit in limbo indefinitely while they "process" cases that should be straightforward renewals. I'm going to try every single strategy mentioned here - the 8 AM calls, assembly member contact, documenting employee IDs, urgent BenefitsCal messages, everything. It's insane that it takes a community support group to figure out how to navigate what should be basic government services. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions. At least now I know I'm not alone and there ARE ways to fight back against this broken system!
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Dana Doyle
•Welcome to the community, Sofia! I'm so sorry you're dealing with this too - 6 weeks is completely unacceptable, especially when you have kids depending on these benefits. Reading through this thread has been both heartbreaking and helpful. It's clear that DPSS has a serious systemic problem with their redetermination process right now. The fact that so many of us are stuck at the exact same "supervisor approval" bottleneck for months shows this isn't about individual case complexity - it's about their broken internal processes. I'm taking notes on all the strategies people have shared here too. The assembly member contact option really caught my attention since Ravi had success getting his case prioritized that way. It's ridiculous that we need political intervention for basic services, but if that's what works, then that's what we have to do. The stress of not knowing when our next payment will come while bills pile up is honestly traumatic. But seeing how persistent everyone has been and that people ARE eventually getting through this gives me hope. We shouldn't have to fight this hard, but at least we're not fighting alone. Keep us posted on how the strategies work for you - this community seems to be the best resource for real solutions to navigate this nightmare system!
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