Congratulations on getting this resolved! Your experience really shows how important it is to act quickly on these changes. I'm dealing with a similar situation myself - my partner moved out last week and I've been nervous about reporting it because I wasn't sure what documentation I'd need. Your success with getting a landlord letter gives me a clear path forward. It's also reassuring to know that even though your benefits decreased, you were able to keep your case open and avoid any fraud issues. Thanks for sharing your journey from start to finish - it's exactly the kind of real-world advice that helps the rest of us navigate these situations!

As someone who just joined this community, I found this entire thread incredibly helpful! I'm currently going through a similar situation where my roommate (who was on my CalWORKs case) moved out unexpectedly last month. Reading through everyone's experiences has given me the confidence to take action instead of procrastinating out of fear. The landlord letter idea is brilliant - I never would have thought of that as documentation. It's also reassuring to see that even though there might be a benefit reduction, the case stays open as long as you're honest and report changes promptly. Thank you all for being so supportive and sharing real experiences rather than just theoretical advice. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes navigating these systems less overwhelming!

Congratulations on your new job! 🎉 That's such exciting news and you should be really proud of yourself for taking this big step. I just wanted to add one thing that might be helpful - when you do call to report your job (and I agree with others that reporting early is smart even though you're under your IRT), ask your worker about the WTW (Welfare-to-Work) supportive services. Sometimes people don't know about all the additional help available during the transition to employment. For example, you might be eligible for: - Work-related transportation assistance (gas money, bus passes, car repairs) - Professional clothing allowance - Tools or equipment needed for work - Emergency childcare backup if your regular arrangement falls through These supports are specifically designed to help people succeed in their new jobs and can really make a difference during those first few months when you're adjusting to work expenses. Also, since you're at Target, they usually have pretty flexible scheduling which is great for parents. Don't be afraid to communicate with your manager about your needs - most employers would rather work with a good employee than lose them over scheduling conflicts. You're asking all the right questions and being so thoughtful about this transition. That tells me you're going to do amazing! Best of luck with everything! 💪

Congratulations on your new job at Target! 🎉 This is such a huge accomplishment and you should feel really proud of taking this step. I wanted to share something that might help ease your transition - since you mentioned your kids are 4 and 6, look into whether your local school district offers before/after school programs. These are often much cheaper than regular daycare and can be a great bridge while you're waiting for your CalWORKs childcare assistance to get approved. Some districts even offer sliding scale fees based on income. Also, Target is generally pretty good about working with parents on scheduling, but definitely communicate your needs upfront during your first week. Let them know you have young kids and what your childcare constraints are. Most managers appreciate honesty and will try to work with your availability rather than find out about conflicts later. One last tip - when you do report your income, ask your worker to explain the exact calculation they'll use with the earned income disregard. Having those numbers written down really helped me budget during my transition period. With your income level and family size, you'll likely still qualify for some assistance for a while, which can make those first few months much more manageable. You're being so responsible by asking questions ahead of time instead of just winging it. That attitude is going to serve you really well in your new job! Best of luck with your first week! 💪

Congratulations on your pregnancy! As someone new to this community, I wanted to share what I learned from a similar situation. You should absolutely report your pregnancy right away - your mother-in-law is correct! When you report your pregnancy, CalFresh will immediately count you as a household of 2, which should significantly increase your monthly benefits. The increase is retroactive to when you report it (not when you became pregnant), so don't delay. For CalWORKs cash aid, you're right that you typically need to wait until your third trimester unless you have pregnancy complications preventing you from working. However, getting into the system early makes the transition much smoother. I'd recommend using the BenefitsCal website to report online rather than dealing with phone wait times. Make sure to have your pregnancy verification form from your doctor ready to upload - they'll need your due date clearly stated. Also apply for WIC immediately! It's completely separate from CalFresh and you qualify right away when pregnant. WIC provides vouchers for nutritious foods specifically for pregnancy and is much easier to access than other programs. Since you mentioned you and your partner handle food separately, just be honest about your actual living arrangement. The system is designed to help pregnant women, not create barriers. Don't stress too much - you've got this mama! 💕

Congratulations on your pregnancy! As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add my voice to all the excellent advice you've received. Your mother-in-law is absolutely right - you should report your pregnancy immediately! I recently went through this process myself and can confirm that reporting pregnancy increases your CalFresh benefits right away since they count you as a household of 2. My benefits went from around your amount to over $400/month just from reporting pregnancy. The key is getting that pregnancy verification from your doctor with your due date clearly stated. Everyone's advice about using BenefitsCal online is spot on - it's so much easier than trying to get through on the phone. For CalWORKs, you're correct that you typically wait until third trimester, but starting the process early helps everything go smoother. Don't forget about WIC! It's separate from CalFresh and you qualify immediately when pregnant. They provide vouchers for milk, eggs, and other nutritious foods specifically for pregnancy. The WIC office is usually much more responsive than the welfare office too. Since you mentioned handling food separately from your partner, just be honest about your actual living situation. The system is designed to support pregnant women, not create obstacles. You've got this - take that first step and report your pregnancy this week! Best of luck mama! 💕

I'm really grateful for all the detailed responses here! As someone who's been working in social services for over a decade, I wanted to add that your situation is actually quite common and the system handles it well. The mandatory inclusion rule might seem frustrating at first, but it's designed to protect families from exactly the kind of income volatility you might face if circumstances change with your baby's father later on. One thing I'd strongly recommend is requesting a pre-application consultation with a CalWORKs eligibility worker. Many counties offer these informal meetings where they can walk you through scenarios and show you exactly how your benefits would be calculated with all four children included. This takes the guesswork out of the process and helps you make an informed decision. Also, since you mentioned losing your part-time job last month, make sure to apply for unemployment benefits if you haven't already - that income won't disqualify you from CalWORKs but needs to be reported. The combination of partial unemployment, CalWORKs with the child support disregard, and increased CalFresh benefits might actually provide more stability than your previous part-time income alone. Don't let the complexity discourage you - you're doing exactly what these programs were designed for, which is helping families during temporary hardships while maintaining the best interests of all your children.

Hey Eve! I'm a mom of 4 and went through CalWORKs application process twice - once when I tried to be "selective" about which kids to include (spoiler alert: didn't work!) and again when I did it properly. Everyone here has given you spot-on advice, but I wanted to share one more practical tip that really helped me. When you do apply and include your newborn, make sure to ask your caseworker about the "good cause" exceptions for child support cooperation. Since your baby's father is already voluntarily providing support and wants to be involved, this might actually make the paternity establishment process smoother rather than more complicated. In some cases, voluntary support can even count more favorably in your calculations than court-ordered support. Also, I noticed you mentioned feeling confused about "messing things up" - that anxiety is so normal! But honestly, the worst thing you can do is leave someone out or not report income. The CalWORKs system has seen every possible family configuration and they're really good at helping you navigate it correctly. Take advantage of all the resources people mentioned here (especially that pre-application consultation Tyrone suggested) and you'll be fine. The fact that you're asking these questions and wanting to do everything properly shows you're already on the right track!

This is such helpful information! I'm a single dad with a 6-year-old son in San Diego County and currently receive $649/month through CalWORKs. I had no idea about this 5% increase coming in July - my worker definitely hasn't mentioned it during our monthly check-ins. It's frustrating how we have to find out about these things through community forums instead of from the county offices directly! Even an extra $32-35 would help with school supplies and clothes for my son. I'm working part-time at a grocery store while doing my GED classes, so I know my increase might be less because of my income, but anything helps. Thanks to everyone who shared the details about the Notice of Action letters coming in May/June - I'll be watching my mailbox!

This thread has been so informative! I'm a single mom with one toddler in Fresno County and I've been on CalWORKs for about 4 months now. Getting $492/month currently which is really tough to stretch, so hearing about this 5% increase gives me some hope. I was actually starting to panic because I heard rumors that they might be cutting benefits due to budget issues, so this is such a relief! My caseworker hasn't said anything about it either - seems like that's a common theme here. I'm not working right now because I'm taking care of my 18-month-old full time, so hopefully I'll get the full increase amount. Does anyone know if Fresno County is usually quick with sending out those Notice of Action letters, or do they tend to be on the slower side? I want to make sure I don't miss it!