Can't reach CalWorks? Claimyr connects you to a live DSS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the DSS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the DSS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
To summarize what everyone's saying: While there's no automatic system that will immediately cut your benefits if your mother claims your child on taxes, it creates a contradiction that could cause problems. For CalWORKs, you're saying you have primary responsibility for your daughter. For IRS purposes, your mother would be claiming she provides more than half of your daughter's support. If you want to avoid potential complications with your benefits, the safest approach is to make sure your tax filing is consistent with what you report to CalWORKs. This means you should be the one claiming your daughter as a dependent.
Thank you all for the advice! I'm going to talk to my mom and explain that while I appreciate everything she does for us, having her claim my daughter could put my benefits at risk. I can't afford to lose my Cash Aid or have it delayed during an investigation. Better to keep everything consistent between CalWORKs and taxes.
Smart decision! I went through something similar and learned that consistency across all government systems is crucial. Your mom probably means well, but the potential risk to your stability just isn't worth it. One thing to consider - if your mom is providing significant support through childcare and purchasing items for your daughter, make sure you're accurately reporting any cash assistance she gives you on your SAR7 forms. The county needs to know about all sources of support, but as long as your daughter lives with you primarily and you're her main caretaker, you should be fine claiming her on taxes yourself. Also, once you complete your WTW program and get stable employment, you might be able to revisit the tax situation with your mom if circumstances change. But for now, protecting your Cash Aid is the priority.
This is really helpful advice, especially about reporting support on the SAR7 forms. I want to make sure I'm being completely transparent with the county. My mom helps with childcare and occasionally buys clothes or groceries for my daughter, but she doesn't give me direct cash payments. Should I still be reporting the value of the childcare and items she purchases? I don't want to accidentally underreport anything that could cause issues later.
Join the conversation
As a newcomer to this community, I can't express how helpful this entire thread has been! I'm currently dealing with the exact same situation - got approved for CalWORKs last week and BenefitsCal shows my Cash Aid as "deposited" since Monday, but my EBT card still shows $0. I was starting to panic thinking something went wrong with my application, but reading everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief. It's incredibly frustrating that caseworkers don't explain this 3-4 business day processing delay upfront - the word "deposited" is so misleading when the money isn't actually available yet! The stress of staring at that zero balance when you desperately need the funds for rent and groceries is something they really should warn people about. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and creating such a supportive space. I'm definitely bookmarking that Claimyr tip too in case I need to reach my caseworker quickly. This community seems like such a valuable resource for understanding how the system actually works versus what we're told officially. Fingers crossed my payment shows up by Thursday!
Welcome to the community @Andre Laurent! I'm also new here and can completely relate to your experience - that panic when you see "deposited" but still have a $0 balance is so real! I went through the same thing just recently and this thread has been a lifesaver for understanding that this delay is unfortunately normal. It's honestly unacceptable how they use "deposited" when it's clearly just queued for processing - that terminology should definitely be changed to something more accurate like "pending" or "processing." The anxiety of waiting when you need that money for essential expenses like rent is something they really should warn people about during the approval process. Hopefully your payment comes through by Thursday as expected! This community has been such an amazing resource for getting real answers about how the system actually works versus the official information that often doesn't match reality.
As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful I found this thread! I'm currently experiencing the exact same issue - got approved for CalWORKs two weeks ago, and while my CalFresh loaded immediately, the Cash Aid shows "deposited" in BenefitsCal but my EBT card balance is still $0. I was starting to worry that my case had been reversed or something went wrong, but reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief. It's really frustrating that they don't explain this processing delay upfront - using the word "deposited" when the money isn't actually available yet is so misleading! The stress of watching that zero balance when you're counting on the funds for basic necessities is something no one should have to go through without fair warning. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and supporting each other. This community provides the honest answers about how the system actually works that we don't get from official sources. I'm definitely saving that Claimyr tip for future reference too. Hopefully my payment shows up within the next few days!
Welcome to the community @Finley Garrett! I'm also a newcomer here and can totally relate to your experience - that worry about your case being reversed is so scary when you're already in a vulnerable position! Two weeks is definitely concerning, especially when others have mentioned the typical 3-4 business day window. It's really telling how many of us newcomers are all dealing with the exact same issue - shows just how broken the communication is between what caseworkers tell us and how the system actually works. The fact that CalFresh loaded immediately but Cash Aid is stuck in processing limbo makes it even more confusing. At this point, you might want to consider using that Claimyr service @Amaya Watson mentioned to get through to your caseworker and make sure there isn t'a specific hold on your case. Keep us posted when it finally comes through - your experience helps all of us understand the range of processing times we might face!
Join the conversation
I'm new to the CalWORKs system and this whole thread is incredibly helpful! I just applied last week and am dreading the child support process. My daughter's father has been dodging responsibilities for over a year now. Reading everyone's experiences gives me hope that they'll actually be able to find him. He doesn't have any court cases that I know of, but he does have a job (or at least he did 6 months ago). One question - if they do establish a support order but he just doesn't pay, does that affect my CalWORKs benefits at all? I'm worried about getting penalized if he's just completely uncooperative with everything.
Welcome to the system! Your CalWORKs benefits won't be affected if he doesn't pay once the order is established. The requirement is just that YOU cooperate with child support - providing information, attending hearings if needed, etc. If he chooses not to pay, that's on him and DCSS will use enforcement tools like wage garnishment, asset seizure, license suspension, etc. As long as you're doing your part, your benefits are safe. It's actually pretty common for non-custodial parents to be uncooperative initially, but DCSS has a lot of ways to collect once they establish the order.
I'm also new to CalWORKs and dealing with the child support requirement for the first time. This thread has been really eye-opening! I had no idea about the $100 disregard rule or that most of the collected support goes back to the county. My situation is a bit different - my ex moved out of state about 6 months ago and I'm not even sure which state he's in now. He used to work construction so he moves around a lot for jobs. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with DCSS tracking down parents who've left California? Does it take longer when they have to work with other states? Also, thanks to everyone who mentioned requesting address confidentiality - I hadn't thought about that but it's definitely something I need to do. My ex has anger issues and I really don't want him knowing where we're living now.
Interstate child support cases definitely take longer - usually 3-6 months just for location when they've moved out of state. DCSS works through something called UIFSA (Uniform Interstate Family Support Act) to coordinate with other states. They'll search employment databases, tax records, and other state systems to track him down. The good news is that once they find him, collection can actually be more reliable because they can work directly with his employer for wage garnishment regardless of which state he's in. Construction workers are often easier to track than you'd think because they usually have to register with state licensing boards and workers' comp systems. Definitely get that address confidentiality request in ASAP - especially important with anger issues. You can also ask about getting a "good cause" evaluation if there's any history of domestic violence or threats. Stay strong!
Join the conversation
That's awesome that you got it sorted out! Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this - if you're in a WTW program and NOT getting these payments automatically, definitely speak up. Sometimes there are system glitches or your program might not be coded correctly in their system. I had to push my worker to check why mine weren't coming through, turns out my vocational training wasn't marked as "approved" even though it was on the state list. Don't assume you're not eligible - advocate for yourself!
This is such important advice! I'm actually in a similar situation - just started a medical assistant program three weeks ago and haven't received any transportation payments yet. My worker said I was approved for the program but maybe it's not coded right in the system like you mentioned. I'm going to call tomorrow and specifically ask them to check if my program is marked as "approved" for WTW payments. Thanks for sharing your experience - it gives me hope that I might actually be entitled to these payments too!
Great to see this thread helping so many people! I went through something similar when I started my pharmacy tech program. For anyone still confused about WTW supportive payments, here are the main types you might see: transportation (most common), childcare assistance, work clothes/uniforms, books/supplies, and tools/equipment. The amounts vary by county and your specific situation. If you're not getting payments you think you should be getting, ask your worker to review your WTW plan - sometimes they need to update it to include supportive services. Also, keep attending your program regularly because they do track attendance and can stop payments if you're not participating consistently. Good luck to everyone in their programs!
This is so helpful! I had no idea there were different types of WTW payments beyond just transportation. I'm in my second month of the CNA program and only getting the transportation payment, but I actually had to buy scrubs and a stethoscope which was pretty expensive. Should I ask my worker if I can get reimbursed for those supplies? Or is it too late since I already bought them? Also wondering if anyone knows - do you have to be in the program for a certain amount of time before you can request these other types of support?
Keisha Thompson
As a new community member, I'm so impressed by the wealth of practical information shared here! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational. I wanted to add one thing I learned when I applied for benefits in another county - if you're having trouble with your application being processed on time, you can also contact your local Assembly member or State Senator's office. They often have staff who specialize in helping constituents navigate state benefit programs and can sometimes help expedite cases that are stuck in the system. Many people don't know that elected officials' offices provide this kind of constituent service for free. Also, for anyone feeling overwhelmed by all the paperwork and requirements, remember that you're not just applying for benefits - you're accessing programs specifically designed to help families succeed. Don't let the complexity of the system discourage you from getting the support you and your children deserve. This community is proof that there are people who want to help you navigate it successfully!
0 coins
Andre Moreau
•@Keisha Thompson That s'such valuable advice about contacting elected officials offices!' I had no idea that Assembly members and State Senators provide constituent services to help with benefit applications. As someone who s'new to both this community and the CalWORKs system, I really appreciate you sharing that tip. It s'reassuring to know there are multiple avenues for getting help if the regular channels aren t'working. Your reminder about these programs being designed to help families succeed really resonates with me too - sometimes it s'easy to feel like you re'asking for a handout rather than accessing support you re'entitled to. Reading through everyone s'experiences and advice in this thread has been so empowering. It s'amazing how much this community shares to help newcomers like us navigate what can feel like an overwhelming system. Thank you for contributing such helpful information!
0 coins
Sean Doyle
As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by how comprehensive and supportive all these responses are! The detailed breakdown of the $976 maximum benefit for a family of two, information about applying during pregnancy for the higher rate, and all the additional programs like the diaper stipend and childcare assistance is exactly what people need to know. I'm particularly grateful for the practical tips about documentation, calling early in the morning, and the community resources like the Community Action Partnership and 2-1-1 helpline. It's clear that while navigating CalWORKs can be challenging, having access to this kind of peer knowledge and support makes such a difference. For anyone just starting this process, don't be discouraged by the complexity - this thread shows there are people and organizations ready to help you succeed. Thank you all for creating such a valuable resource for families in need!
0 coins