I'm dealing with the same issue! My payment is usually deposited on the 1st and I always see it pending by now, but nothing is showing up in my account or on BenefitsCal. I submitted my SAR7 on time too and got the confirmation. This is really stressing me out because I have bills due this week. Has anyone actually gotten through to their caseworker today? I've been trying the main line all morning with no luck.

This is really scary when you're depending on that payment! I'm having the same issue - my payment is supposed to deposit tomorrow (the 1st) and there's absolutely nothing showing as pending in my bank account or BenefitsCal. I submitted my SAR7 early and got confirmation it was processed. What's making me even more anxious is that I have utilities due on the 3rd and was counting on this payment. From reading everyone's responses here, it sounds like this might be a widespread system delay rather than individual account problems, which is somewhat reassuring but still doesn't help with the immediate stress of bills coming due. I'm going to try calling my caseworker directly first thing tomorrow morning if the payment doesn't show up. Has anyone tried checking their EBT balance to see if that updated even if the cash aid didn't?

I know this probably isn't what you want to hear right now, but even if the EBT customer service can unfreeze your card, I'd strongly recommend requesting an Emergency Draw from your county office if your rent is due in 2 days. If there's any kind of delay in resolving this, you don't want to risk being late on rent. You can request an emergency payment sometimes even if it's a card issue. Bring ID and your rental agreement to the office. Also, check your mail VERY carefully - they're required to send written notice before stopping benefits, but sometimes these notices look very generic and people throw them away thinking they're just regular correspondence. Look for anything from the county in the last 30 days.

UPDATE: I called the EBT customer service number and they said my card was frozen because of "suspicious activity" - probably because I tried multiple ATMs. They unfroze it and I was able to withdraw my money! Thank you everyone for your help. Definitely learned my lesson about not trying too many ATMs in a row. What a relief!

I had something similar happen once but it wasn't unemployment it was when my ex finally started paying child support after like 2 years of nothing lol. I didn't know I had to report that either! Ended up with a $340 overpayment that they took out of my benefits over 3 months. The whole reporting thing is super confusing. Good luck!

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! Got unemployment after my retail job ended and had no clue it counted as income for CalWORKs. Ended up with a $187 overpayment notice that totally freaked me out. Here's what I learned: unemployment is considered "unearned income" and counts dollar-for-dollar against your CalWORKs grant. The good news is you have options! I called and set up a payment plan for $25/month instead of paying it all at once. They were actually pretty understanding once I explained I genuinely didn't know the rules. Also, make sure you report your unemployment going forward on your SAR7 forms. I upload my EDD benefit statements as verification. The key is staying on top of reporting ANY income changes over your IRT within 10 days - learned that lesson the hard way! Don't stress too much about it - overpayments happen to tons of people because the rules really aren't explained clearly. Just be proactive about setting up that payment plan and you'll be fine.

I'm currently going through a similar situation - applied for SSI 6 months ago and still waiting for my decision. One thing I learned that might help you: if you're worried about a gap in payments, ask your worker about "presumptive disability" payments. If your condition is on the compassionate allowances list (which it sounds like it might be since your doctor was optimistic), SSI can sometimes start payments before the final decision if they think you're likely to be approved. Also, regarding rent - make sure your landlord knows about the potential transition. Some are understanding about temporary delays, especially if you have documentation showing SSI is pending. You might also want to look into local emergency rental assistance programs through 211 or your county's social services department as a backup. The fact that you already got scheduled for an assessment so quickly is actually a really good sign! Most people wait months just for that appointment. Keep your fingers crossed - sounds like your case might move faster than the horror stories you're hearing.

I went through this transition about 2 years ago and wanted to add a few things that might help. The good news is that CalWORKs has protections in place specifically for this situation - they can't just cut you off immediately when you apply for SSI, only when you actually start receiving payments. One thing I'd suggest is asking your worker (or a supervisor if your worker isn't responsive) about getting a "good cause" extension if you're having trouble meeting any WTW requirements while dealing with your health issues and the SSI process. This is separate from the medical exemption others mentioned but can provide additional protection. Also, make sure you understand how your SSI backpay will work with the Interim Assistance Reimbursement that someone mentioned. The county will take back what they paid you in CalWORKs during the months covered by your SSI backpay, but they can't take more than what SSI actually sends them. So if your SSI backpay is higher than what you received in CalWORKs, you'll still get the difference. Keep all your medical documentation organized - not just for SSI but also for your CalWORKs case. Having everything in one place made both processes much smoother for me. Good luck with your assessment next week!

I'm a caseworker and want to emphasize something important - your mom should bring documentation showing her relationship to your niece when she applies. This could be a court order giving her custody/guardianship, or other legal documents showing she has the right to care for the child. Sometimes families assume verbal arrangements are enough, but the county will need proof of the caretaker relationship. Also, if there's any child support ordered for your niece (even if it's not being paid), make sure your mom reports that during the application. They need to know about any potential income sources for the child, even if they're not currently being received. One last thing - if your mom applies online through BenefitsCal, she can upload documents directly which sometimes speeds up processing. But given her age and the complexity of her situation as a senior caretaker, an in-person appointment might still be the best route to ensure everything is handled correctly from the start.

I just want to echo what everyone has said about being persistent if you get pushback initially. When I helped my neighbor (she's 71) apply for CalWORKs for her grandson, the first worker kept insisting she needed to do job search activities and kept trying to include her in the assistance unit. We had to ask for a supervisor who immediately knew the rules about senior caretakers. One thing I'd add - when you go to the appointment, write down the worker's name and ask them to note in the case file that your mom is applying specifically as a "non-needy caretaker relative over age 60" and is therefore exempt from WTW requirements. This creates a paper trail in case there are issues later. Also, don't be surprised if the process takes a while. My neighbor's case took about 6 weeks to get approved because it had to go through additional reviews since senior caretaker cases are less common. But once it was approved, she got retroactive payments back to when she applied. Your mom is doing such an important thing raising your niece, especially after such a loss. The system should be supporting families like yours, not making it harder!