I gotta say be careful about how much you take out at once. When my benefits first got approved, I was so happy I went and withdrew it all. Then I lost my wallet the next day with $550 inside! The county won't replace stolen/lost cash. Now I only withdraw what I need for a couple days at a time.

Welcome to CalWORKs! So happy to see another family getting the support they need. Just wanted to add a couple quick tips from my experience: 1. Download the ebtEDGE mobile app - you can check your balance anytime without having to call or go to an ATM 2. Keep your receipt from ATM withdrawals! Sometimes there are system glitches and having the receipt helps if you need to dispute anything 3. If you're planning to pay rent or utilities with your cash aid, some companies accept money orders which you can buy at grocery stores or post offices - sometimes safer than carrying large amounts of cash You're asking all the right questions and it sounds like you've got great advice from everyone here. Don't be afraid to call your caseworker if you run into any issues - they're there to help!

have u tried contacting ur local legal aid office? they help with calworks issues for free. my friend got help from them when her worker was saying she was over the income limit when she wasnt

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - it's incredibly stressful when you're already struggling financially and the system that's supposed to help you is making things worse. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is contacting your state assemblymember or state senator's office. They have constituent services staff who specifically handle problems with state agencies like CalWORKs. I had a similar issue where my worker was being completely unreasonable, and after calling my assemblymember's office, someone from their team contacted the county director directly. My case was reassigned within a week and the new worker immediately accepted the same documents the previous worker had rejected. You can find your representatives at findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov - just enter your address. Their staff deal with CalWORKs issues all the time and they know exactly who to contact to get things moving. Also, while you're working on getting a new worker, you might want to ask about the CalWORKs Immediate Need payment that someone mentioned earlier. Even if your regular benefits are delayed, you may qualify for emergency assistance to help with your rent deadline. Hang in there - you have rights and there are people who will help you enforce them!

nobody mentined but u can also do online classes at some places. thats what im doing cause i have 3 kids at home. my worker counted my zoom classes + they gave me 10 hrs of study time each week. just make sure the school can track ur attendance somehow or they mite not aprove it

Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble reaching your worker, you can also visit the office in person to submit your WTW plan update request. I know it's a pain, but sometimes showing up physically gets faster results than trying to call. Also, once you get education approved, make sure you understand exactly what documentation they need from you each month. My county wants class schedules, attendance records, and grade reports every 30 days. Missing any of these can cause them to stop counting your hours even if you're doing great in school. Good luck with whatever path you choose - education really can open doors!

I'd suggest preparing for your call with your worker by gathering: 1. Recent pay stubs from both your regular job and DoorDash 2. Your most recent approval notice showing your benefit amount 3. Bank statements showing the reduced deposit 4. Any mail you've received from the county in the last 2-3 months Also, ask specifically about: - Whether they processed your address change correctly - If they're missing any required verification documents - Whether there was a change in your reported household composition - If there are any sanctions or penalties being applied It's much easier to resolve these issues when you have documentation ready.

I'm so sorry this happened to you! The same thing happened to my neighbor last year - her benefits dropped from $400 to $31 overnight with no explanation. It turned out the county had flagged her case for review because she reported working some temp jobs, but they never sent her the paperwork requesting additional verification. One thing that might help while you're waiting to reach your worker - check your BenefitsCal account online to see if there are any pending requests or notices you might have missed. Sometimes they post things there even if the mail doesn't reach you properly after an address change. Also, if you're really struggling to make rent next week, you might want to call 211 or check with local churches/community centers for emergency rental assistance while you sort this out with CalWORKs. Many places have one-time help available for situations exactly like this. Good luck - I really hope you get answers soon!

Thanks everyone for the helpful answers! I'm going to report the tax refund on my SAR7 but clearly mark it as TAX REFUND. I'll also keep a copy of everything just in case. It's a relief to know it won't count against my Cash Aid eligibility. This system is so complicated sometimes!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm new to CalWORKs and just received my first tax refund since being on benefits. I was panicking because I didn't know the rules. Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel more confident about reporting it correctly. One question though - if I got my refund deposited into the same bank account where my CalWORKs benefits go, will that make it easier for them to verify when I report it on my SAR7? Or does it not matter which account it went into?