Everyone here is givin great advice but nobody mentioned the income reporting threshold (IRT)! When u get on CalWORKs they'll give u an amount and if u make more than that before taxes u HAVE to report it within 10 days even outside ur regular reporting period. If u dont report over IRT income they can say u committed fraud even if it was a mistake so pay attention to that letter when u get it!!

Something nobody has mentioned yet - if you start receiving CalWORKs cash aid, you'll need to assign your rights to child support to the county unless you have good cause not to cooperate (like domestic violence concerns). This means if your child's other parent isn't in the picture, the county will pursue them for child support automatically. Most of that money goes to reimburse the state for your cash aid, but you'll get the first $100 per month of child support collected (called a disregard payment) without it affecting your benefits. Just something to be aware of when applying.

Just to add some additional information - if you're concerned about your Cash Aid not arriving when expected, it's also good to check your BenefitsCal account or MyBenefits CalWIN portal (depending on your county). You can see if the payment has been issued but just hasn't hit your bank yet. And if you're consistently having issues with timing and your rent due date, you can request a payment issuance date change from your worker in some counties. It's not guaranteed they'll approve it, but worth asking if the current schedule is causing hardship with your rent payments.

Did your deposit ever show up? Was curious if it worked out for you or if you ended up having to contact your worker.

For license-exempt providers like relatives, the payment rate is 70% of what licensed providers receive. The exact amount depends on your county, the age of your children, and how many hours of care are approved. For example, in Los Angeles County, a license-exempt provider might receive around $8.50-9.50/hour per child for full-time care, while licensed providers get about $12-14/hour per child. But the most important thing right now is getting your mom in the system correctly. Once the first payment comes through, the rest should be more regular. Make sure your mom submits her attendance sheets on time every month - even one day late can cause delays.

Update: I finally got through to someone at the Alternative Payment Program office. Turns out they never processed my mom's TrustLine application, and that's why nothing was moving forward! They're expediting it now and said payments should start within 2 weeks. They're also going to backpay her for all the care she's provided since I was approved. Thank you everyone for your help! I would have never known to ask about TrustLine specifically.

they made me bring bank statements to my interview last year but the worker barely looked at them lol. just asked if i had over $10k total. but i think it depends on who u get some r really strict and some dont care that much

The whole system is designed to invade your privacy and make you feel ashamed for needing help! They want access to EVERYTHING - bank accounts, personal spending habits, who lives with you, etc. Meanwhile big corporations get billions in tax breaks without anyone checking their bank accounts!!! But yes, they definitely check bank balances. I had a friend who got denied because she had $12,000 saved for a down payment on a house. The system literally punishes people for saving money and trying to get ahead!!!

just wait till tomorrow morning. cash aid and calfresh always show up different for me. sometimes one day apart.

UPDATE: My Cash Aid just posted to my account this morning! The supervisor was right about the overnight deposit timing. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. For anyone dealing with this in the future - they really do seem to process Cash Aid and CalFresh separately, and the system does update overnight.

did u check ur SAR7 is due soon? sometimes they send approval letter but then need ur SAR7 and shows pending til they get it

Just checked and my SAR7 isn't due until September, so that shouldn't be the issue. Thanks for suggesting it though - I've definitely had payments held up before when I was late with paperwork!

My sister in law uses chime for her calworks but she said she had to do a bunch of paperwork first. Something about verifying her identity twice? Maybe its different in each county tho. I use the regular EBT card for my CalFresh so idk about cash aid specifically.

Update: I went ahead and submitted the direct deposit form with my Chime account info yesterday. My worker said the first payment might still come as a paper check while they process the direct deposit setup, but after that it should go smoothly. Thanks everyone for the advice! I'll update again once I get my first deposit to let you know if there were any issues.

One thing to note: if you're really in an emergency situation while waiting for the benefit theft investigation, ask about the immediate need payment option. The county can issue up to $200 in emergency funds if you're facing eviction, utility shut-off, or have no food. This is separate from the benefit replacement process. Also, document EVERYTHING. Every call, every person you speak with, date and time. This will help if you need to escalate your case or file for a state hearing if your claim is denied.

UPDATE: I just spoke with an EBT customer service supervisor who confirmed that benefit replacement for EBT theft is taking about 15-20 days right now due to high volume of cases. So definitely ask about emergency assistance while you wait.

After your recertification is complete, don't forget to check your status on BenefitsCal in about 3-5 days. Sometimes there can be processing delays or issues that aren't communicated well. If your benefits don't load on the expected date, call right away rather than waiting. The sooner you address any potential issues, the less likely you'll experience a gap in benefits. Also, if you're meeting your WTW hours through employment, make sure your worker notes that in your case file. Sometimes they forget to update that information which can trigger unnecessary WTW notices later.

Just wanted to check in - how did your recertification interview go? Mine was yesterday and I got approved on the spot! Hope yours went well too!

The $100 disregard is per family for one child. If you had two or more children receiving support (even from different fathers), the disregard would be $200. But since you just have one child, you'll receive the first $100 of support collected each month, and the county will retain anything above that to recoup your Cash Aid. Also, after they find him, they'll probably schedule a genetic test to establish paternity officially (if that wasn't already done). Just be prepared that might be one of the first steps before they even get to discussing support amounts.

Has your CalWORKs case ever been sanctioned for non-cooperation with Child Support in the past? If so, make sure you tell your worker about this new development right away so they can lift any sanction and restore your full benefits. The fact that you've been cooperating all along is good - some people refuse to provide information and get their grants reduced. Also, once child support starts coming in, you'll get a notice from both DCSS (child support) and CalWORKs explaining how the payments affect your benefits. Pay close attention to these notices because sometimes they contain errors that you'll need to appeal quickly if you spot them.