Reading through this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm a single mom with twin 6-year-olds and I've been on CalWORKs for about 8 months now after my ex stopped paying child support. I just got offered a part-time position at a local credit union - 28 hours a week at $18.50/hour, which would be about $2,146 monthly gross. I was honestly terrified to even consider it because I thought I'd lose everything immediately, but seeing everyone's real experiences and the detailed breakdown of the income disregard has completely changed my perspective. The fact that @Vincent confirmed everything as accurate from a case worker's view is especially reassuring. My biggest concern is childcare for twins - that's double the cost! But hearing about the Stage 1 Child Care program and that it's completely covered while working gives me so much hope. Does anyone know if there are any special considerations for twins or multiple children when it comes to childcare assistance? I'm definitely going to call my worker this week and ask for that budget projection everyone mentioned. This community is amazing - thank you all for sharing your journeys and making this transition feel less scary!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm a single dad with a 3-year-old daughter, currently receiving CalWORKs benefits, and I've been offered a position at a warehouse that would be $15.75/hour for about 32 hours a week (roughly $2,016 monthly gross). Reading everyone's experiences has given me the confidence to seriously consider this job. I was especially relieved to learn about the income disregard calculation - I had no idea they don't count all your earnings against your benefits! And knowing that childcare assistance is available is huge since my daughter would need daycare while I'm working. One question I have is about the timing of everything - how quickly do the benefit changes take effect after you report your new job? I want to make sure I understand the timeline so I can budget properly during the transition period. Also, does anyone have experience with warehouse work specifically while on CalWORKs? I'm wondering if the physical demands or potential overtime opportunities create any special considerations I should be aware of when reporting to my worker. Thank you all for sharing your stories - it's made such a difference knowing that taking this job could actually improve our financial situation rather than hurt it!

As someone new to this community, I'm really grateful to have found this thread! I've been dealing with CalWORKs for about 6 months now and had no idea about the Aid Paid Pending rights until reading everyone's responses here. I wanted to add one more resource that helped me when I was struggling with documentation issues - many counties have a CalWORKs Ombudsman who can help advocate for you if you're having ongoing problems with your case. You can usually find their contact info on your county's DPSS website or by asking at the front desk when you visit the office. Also, for anyone who might be in AstroAlpha's situation in the future, I learned that you can also request a copy of your entire case file before your hearing. This lets you see exactly what documents the county has on file and can help you identify what might be missing or incorrectly processed. There's usually a small copying fee, but it's worth it to know exactly what evidence they have. It's so encouraging to see how this community comes together to share knowledge and support each other through these complicated processes. The system can be overwhelming, but threads like this make it so much more manageable!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really moved by how supportive and knowledgeable everyone has been throughout this thread! Reading through all the responses has been incredibly educational for me as someone who's still learning to navigate the CalWORKs system. I wanted to add one more tip that might help others in similar appeals situations - if you're preparing for your hearing and need help organizing your evidence or understanding the process, many local libraries have free legal aid clinics or can connect you with pro bono attorneys who specialize in public benefits cases. I discovered this resource recently when I was struggling with my own case issues. Also, for anyone who might be dealing with language barriers during the appeals process, you have the right to request an interpreter for your hearing at no cost to you. This should be arranged when you file your appeal, but you can also request it later if needed. It's wonderful to see how AstroAlpha's situation worked out, and I'm sure their March 18th hearing will go well with all the preparation and documentation they've gathered. This thread is a perfect example of why community support matters so much when dealing with complex benefit systems. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences - it's making a real difference for people like me who are still learning!

This whole thread is a goldmine of practical advice! I've been on CalWORKs for about a year now and have definitely experienced the frustration of unreachable caseworkers. One thing I learned that might help - if you're in a county that uses the BenefitsCal system, you can actually check the status of your case online to see if any actions are pending or if your worker has left notes about your situation. It won't solve the communication problem, but at least you can see if they're aware of your attempts to contact them. Also, I keep a simple notebook just for CalWORKs stuff - date, time, who I talked to (or tried to), what it was about, and what happened. Sounds old school but it's saved me twice when there were discrepancies about what was reported or when. Sean, definitely try that 8am call strategy - it's worked for me more times than not. And don't beat yourself up about this situation - the system is designed poorly, not you!

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! Been trying to reach my worker for over a week about reporting some changes before my SAR7 deadline. What's been working for me is calling right at 7:58am and staying on the line - sometimes I get through to someone even if it's not my assigned worker. Also, I discovered you can send secure messages through the BenefitsCal portal and they're supposed to respond within 2 business days (though that doesn't always happen). The key thing someone told me is to always send a follow-up email summarizing any phone conversations you do manage to have - that way there's a paper trail. I've also started taking photos of my call log showing all the attempted calls as backup documentation. It's ridiculous that we have to work this hard just to follow their rules, but at least we're not alone in this struggle! Definitely try that 8am call strategy everyone's mentioning - it seems to be the magic time when people actually pick up.

This is such an important thread for anyone dealing with CalWORKs and CalFresh! I've been on the system for about a year now and I wish someone had told me this when I first started. The BenefitsCal system is really misleading because that "received" status makes you think everything is handled automatically, but it's basically just confirming your upload worked - not that anyone is actually reviewing it. I learned this lesson the hard way about 6 months ago when my quarterly report sat unprocessed for almost a month. Like others mentioned, I now take screenshots of everything I submit and set calendar reminders to call within a week. It's frustrating that we have to manage the county's workflow for them, but it's better than losing benefits unexpectedly. For anyone new reading this: definitely adopt the follow-up calling strategy everyone's talking about. Also, if you're having trouble getting through on the phone, try calling right when they open in the morning - I've had better luck getting connected that way. And always ask for the worker's direct extension if they'll give it to you, because calling the main line can be a nightmare. Thanks for sharing your experience and the positive update, Lena! Stories like this really help the community understand how to navigate this confusing system.

This is such a valuable thread for newcomers like me! I just got approved for CalWORKs benefits a few weeks ago and had no idea about any of this. The way everyone describes the BenefitsCal system makes so much sense now - I was wondering why it felt like such a basic upload system when everyone talks about how "digital" and "streamlined" it's supposed to be. Reading through all these experiences, it's clear that the "received" status is basically just confirming your file uploaded correctly, but doesn't mean anyone is actually looking at it or prioritizing it for review. I'm definitely going to implement the strategies everyone mentioned here - taking screenshots, setting follow-up reminders, and calling within 5 business days of any submission. It's pretty disappointing that a system designed to make things easier actually requires the same level of phone follow-up as the old paper system, but at least now I know what to expect. Lena, thank you for sharing your story and especially for updating us with the resolution! Knowing that they were able to fix it quickly once you got through and that you'll receive the full month's benefits is really encouraging. This community is amazing for learning how things actually work in practice versus how they're supposed to work on paper.

Happens EVERY holiday but they NEVER bother to tell anyone! I've been on CalWORKs for 5 years now and I still get confused when my payment date shifts. Would it kill them to send a text notification? "Your payment will arrive early due to the holiday" - how hard would that be? The communication from the county is absolutely terrible. Same with EBT deposits - they also come early before holidays.

I'm pretty new to CalWORKs (just got approved last month) and this really threw me off too! Got my payment today instead of next week and I was worried they made some kind of mistake. Reading through all these comments is so helpful - I had no idea this was normal for holidays. Definitely going to save that calendar someone posted! It's kind of frustrating that they don't tell you about these things when you first sign up. Like a simple "hey, your payments might come early around holidays" would have saved me from stressing out this morning. Thanks everyone for explaining!