Just wanted to add my experience - I've been uploading my SAR 7 through BenefitsCal for about 6 months now and it's been mostly smooth. One thing I learned is to make sure your phone camera is set to the highest quality before taking the pictures. Also, if any pages have signatures or handwritten parts, take an extra close-up shot of those sections to make sure they're super clear. I usually upload around the 25th of the month (well before the deadline) and then call 2-3 days later to confirm. The peace of mind is worth the extra phone call! Good luck Emily, you've got this!

I'm new to CalWORKs and this whole SAR 7 process is kind of intimidating, but reading everyone's advice here has been incredibly helpful! I'm definitely going to try the BenefitsCal upload method since it sounds like most people have had success with it. My plan based on everyone's tips: upload each page separately with good lighting, make sure to select "SAR 7" from the dropdown menu, include my paystubs, take screenshots of the confirmation, and then call a few days later to verify they received everything. It's reassuring to know there are so many experienced people here willing to share what works. Thanks for creating such a supportive community!

So glad you're making progress! Just wanted to add one more thing that might help - when you go in person tomorrow, bring copies of EVERYTHING in addition to the originals. Sometimes they need to keep copies and other times they just want to verify the originals. Having both saves you from having to make another trip. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you have your kids' Social Security cards. That's another document that trips people up that wasn't mentioned in your original list. The worker should be able to tell you right then and there if you're missing anything else, which is so much better than waiting weeks for a notice in the mail. Good luck tomorrow - sounds like you're finally getting the help you need!

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress, especially with rent due next week! The CalWORKs system can be incredibly confusing and they really don't make it clear what documents are needed upfront. Based on what everyone else has shared (and they're all spot on!), it sounds like the main culprits are the child support cooperation forms and school verification. I went through something similar last year and here's what I wish I had known: 1. Even if the father isn't involved AT ALL, you still have to fill out the child support paperwork - it's mandatory 2. For school verification, they need it directly from the school on their official letterhead, not just a report card 3. Bank statements need to be complete (all pages) for the past 3 months One thing that really helped me was calling first thing in the morning (like 8:05am sharp) - I had much better luck getting through then versus later in the day. Since you're in such a time crunch with rent, when you go in person tomorrow definitely ask about emergency aid! They can sometimes issue a one-time payment while your regular application is being processed. Also ask about utility assistance through LIHEAP if you haven't already - it can help with past due bills. You've got this! The fact that the worker said you should qualify means you're on the right track, just need to get over this paperwork hurdle.

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I'm new to CalWORKs and just got one of these Golden State Stimulus cards too! I was so confused because I expected everything to come through my regular EBT card. Thank you everyone for explaining the difference - I had no idea these were two completely separate systems. The activation info about using the number from the letter (not the card) is super helpful. One question though - if we don't have to report this as income, do we still need to keep any paperwork about it for our records? I want to make sure I'm doing everything right with my case worker.

This happened to me a few months ago and I was so stressed! Mine didn't show pending for almost a week but the payment still came through on time. What I learned is that the BenefitsCal system sometimes has delays updating the pending status, especially around the beginning of the month when everyone is checking their accounts. Since your case shows as Active and you haven't received any notices, that's a really good sign. The pending notification is just for our peace of mind - it doesn't actually control whether the payment gets processed. I'd say wait until the 3rd and if the money doesn't show up by then, definitely call your worker. But based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like you should be fine. Keep us posted on what happens!

I'm dealing with the same issue right now! My CalWORKs payment is supposed to come on the 3rd too, but there's nothing showing as pending in BenefitsCal. I've been checking multiple times a day and getting really anxious about it. Reading through everyone's responses here is making me feel a lot better though - it sounds like this is a pretty common glitch with their system, especially around holidays. I haven't received any discontinuance notices either, and my case still shows as Active when I log in. It's frustrating that their pending notification system isn't more reliable since we all depend on knowing when our payments are coming. Thanks for posting about this - sometimes it helps just knowing you're not the only one going through it! I'll wait until the 3rd and see if the payment comes through as scheduled, but it's reassuring to hear from others who've had the same experience and still got their money on time.

So glad you got it resolved! This is super helpful info for anyone else who might run into the same issue. The automatic fraud protection makes sense but it's frustrating when you're trying to pay rent and don't know why your card suddenly won't work at ATMs. Good to know that calling EBT customer service directly (not the county office) can fix these blocks immediately. Definitely saving this thread for future reference!

This is such valuable information! I've been on CalWORKs for about 8 months and had no idea that using your EBT card in a different county could trigger an automatic fraud protection block. That's really good to know for future reference. I travel to see family in other counties pretty regularly and would have been completely confused if this happened to me. Thanks for sharing the resolution - it's so helpful to know that EBT customer service can remove these blocks immediately over the phone. The distinction between calling EBT customer service versus the county office is really important too. Glad you got your rent situation sorted out!