Hey Bruno, congrats on your new baby! 🎊 This is definitely a processing error - your CalWORKs cash aid should have increased automatically just like your CalFresh did. I had the exact same thing happen when my son was born last year. What likely happened is your worker updated one system but missed the other. It's frustratingly common! Here's what worked for me: call RIGHT at 8am when they open (much better chance of getting through), and if that fails, go to the office in person with your birth certificate and EBT statements showing the CalFresh increase as proof. When you get someone, ask them to verify your CalWORKs household size includes your baby and request they recalculate your grant amount immediately. Also make sure they add the $30/month diaper allowance - it should be automatic but nothing seems to be with these county offices! The silver lining is you should get retroactive payments once it's fixed. In my case, it was almost $250 in backpay that showed up within a week of them correcting the mistake. Don't give up mama - you and your little one deserve every benefit you're entitled to! Keep us posted on how it goes! 💪

Congratulations on your new baby! 🍼 This is definitely not normal and sounds like a processing error. Your CalWORKs cash aid should have automatically increased when you added your newborn, just like your CalFresh did. I'm a caseworker and see this happen unfortunately often - usually what occurs is the worker updates one system but forgets to process the household size change for the other program. Sometimes different staff handle CalFresh vs CalWORKs updates and things fall through the cracks. Here's what you should do: Call first thing at 8am when the office opens for your best chance of getting through. If you can't reach anyone by phone, go to the office in person with your birth certificate and your EBT card/statements showing the CalFresh increase as proof that they partially processed your case. When you speak with someone, specifically ask them to: 1. Verify your CalWORKs household size includes your newborn 2. Recalculate your grant amount based on the correct household size 3. Apply the $30/month diaper allowance (should be automatic for kids under 3) 4. Process any retroactive payments you're owed Don't let them brush you off - this should have been automatic and you deserve the full benefits you're eligible for. The retroactive payments should cover any months they missed since you reported the birth. Keep pushing until it's fixed!

Good news! Just got both my February and March transportation payments today on my EBT card! Check yours if you haven't already - looks like they're fixing the issue now.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm also missing my February transportation payment and was starting to panic. I'm in Orange County and my WTW worker finally called me back today after I left multiple messages. She confirmed it's the same system issue affecting multiple counties. She said they're processing the back payments in waves and mine should show up by Friday. In the meantime, she told me to keep all my receipts for any transportation costs I had to pay out of pocket - gas, bus passes, etc. - and they can potentially reimburse those too. It's frustrating but at least now I know it's not just me and there's an actual fix coming. Hang in there everyone!

This entire thread has been such a lifesaver for everyone dealing with reporting anxiety! As someone who just started receiving CalWORKs benefits last month, I was completely unaware of so many of these nuances until reading through all your experiences. What really stands out to me is how consistently the dual reporting approach (BenefitsCal online + worker phone call) has worked well for people, and how being under the IRT seems to make such a huge difference in outcomes. @Matthew Sanchez, your follow-up showing everything worked out perfectly really demonstrates that honesty and quick action pay off way more than hiding and worrying. I'm also amazed by how many people mentioned the WTW credit for work hours - that seems like such an important detail that isn't well-communicated in the initial paperwork! For those of us trying to meet participation requirements, knowing that employment hours can count toward that is incredibly valuable information. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences here, especially @Amelia Cartwright for the insider perspective on how these situations are actually handled. This kind of community support and practical advice makes navigating the CalWORKs system feel so much more manageable for newcomers like me!

As someone who's been navigating CalWORKs for about a year now, this whole thread is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that's so hard to find elsewhere! The official materials tell you the rules but don't really explain how things actually play out when life gets complicated. @Matthew Sanchez, I'm so glad you followed up with how everything turned out - that kind of closure really helps the rest of us understand what to expect. Your experience perfectly illustrates what I've learned: the workers really do appreciate honesty and proactive communication, even when you've missed a deadline. The dual reporting strategy everyone's been discussing (BenefitsCal online first, then phone follow-up) is brilliant and something I wish I'd known about earlier. I've always just called, but having that official timestamp from the online system makes so much sense for protecting yourself. For anyone reading this who might be in a similar situation - don't let the anxiety paralyze you! This thread shows that when your income is under your IRT and you handle the situation honestly and quickly, things usually work out much better than the worst-case scenarios we build up in our heads. The CalWORKs system has its challenges, but the workers are generally reasonable when you're trying to do the right thing. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this is exactly the kind of community support that makes all the difference!

I had a similar issue with my CalWORKs and CalFresh interview. I finally contacted my local legal aid office and they helped me resolve it. They can sometimes call the county on your behalf and navigate the system better than we can on our own. Google "legal aid" plus your county name.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - it's absolutely maddening! I went through something similar last year and what finally worked for me was calling first thing in the morning (like 8:00 AM sharp when they open) and asking to speak with a supervisor about the pattern of missed interviews. I also started recording the exact times I was available for each scheduled call in a notebook with dates. When I finally got through to someone with authority, I read off all the missed appointments and they were able to see in their system that I had been marked as "no show" when I was actually waiting by the phone. The supervisor ended up scheduling me with a senior worker who actually called when she said she would. Sometimes you have to escalate to get someone who cares. Don't give up - your kids need those benefits and this is THEIR mistake, not yours!

Sofia, I'm so relieved you found this thread before going the payday loan route! I work for a nonprofit that helps families navigate government benefits, and I can confirm everything people are saying about the Non-recurring Special Needs program. It's real and it works - I've helped dozens of families get approval for refrigerators through this program. A few additional tips from my experience: 1. When you call, ask to be transferred to the "Special Needs Unit" or "Emergency Services" - not all phone operators know about these specialized departments 2. If they say there's no funding available, ask them to check again in a few days - these programs get funding allocated periodically throughout the month 3. Keep calling back if you get different answers - unfortunately, staff knowledge varies widely Also, many appliance stores will accept a "pending approval" letter from CalWORKs and let you take the fridge home with a small deposit (usually $50-100) while the payment processes. Home Depot and Lowe's both have programs like this. You're being such a smart advocate for your kids by asking here first instead of jumping into a predatory loan. The interest rates on those payday loans would have made your situation so much worse. Wishing you the best with your call tomorrow!

Sofia, this thread has been absolutely incredible to read! As someone who's been on CalWORKs for about a year, I had no idea about most of these resources, especially the Non-recurring Special Needs program. I'm bookmarking this entire conversation because the information here is pure gold. I wanted to add one more suggestion that helped me in a similar emergency - if you have a library card, many libraries now have "Library of Things" programs where you can borrow items like coolers, which could help keep some essentials cold temporarily while you're waiting for your fridge situation to get resolved. My local library even had a small mini-fridge I could borrow for a week! Also, if you're on any local Facebook mom groups or neighborhood groups, don't be afraid to post about your situation. I was amazed at how many people offered to help when I shared that my kids needed somewhere to store their milk and snacks for a few days. Sometimes community support comes from the most unexpected places. You've gotten such amazing advice here, and it sounds like you have a really solid plan now. The fact that you reached out here instead of just jumping into a payday loan shows what a smart advocate you are for your kids. Wishing you the best with your CalWORKs call tomorrow - you've got this! Please keep us updated on how it goes!