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!

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!

Congratulations on the job offer! Just wanted to add that you should also ask your new employer about their benefits - some employers offer health insurance, and if yours does, you'll want to coordinate that with your Medi-Cal coverage. Sometimes employer health plans can be better than Medi-Cal, but other times Medi-Cal might cover more services especially for your kids. Also, make sure to keep all your pay stubs once you start working! You'll need them for your quarterly reports to CalWORKs, and if there are any questions about overpayments or underpayments later, having complete records will protect you. I learned this the hard way when my hours got cut one month and I had to prove my reduced income to avoid losing benefits I was still entitled to. One last thing - if this job doesn't work out for any reason, report that change immediately too. People sometimes think they have to wait until their next reporting period, but job loss should be reported right away so your benefits can be restored quickly. Good luck with your new job!

Congratulations on the job offer! This thread has been so incredibly helpful - I'm actually in a very similar situation myself and was having the same worries about losing benefits while working. Just wanted to add something that helped me when I was researching all this - the California Department of Social Services website has a really helpful "CalWORKs Income and Eligibility Calculator" tool where you can plug in your family size and estimated monthly income to see roughly what your benefits might look like. It's not 100% accurate since every situation is different, but it gave me a ballpark idea of what to expect before I called my caseworker. Also, I noticed someone mentioned the Claimyr service for getting through to your caseworker - I actually tried that and it was a lifesaver! Instead of spending hours on hold, they wait for you and call you back when a real person picks up. Made such a difference when I needed to get information quickly. Take that job! From everything everyone has shared here, you're going to be in such a better position financially with work income plus partial benefits plus all the support programs available for working families. The income disregards really are designed to make sure working always pays more than just staying on benefits. You've got this!

I'm new to CalWORKs and this thread is both helpful and terrifying! I just applied last month and my benefits are showing as pending too. Reading all these stories about people waiting weeks without any communication from their workers has me really worried. It seems like the system has some serious issues with transparency and communication. I had no idea that things like one-time child support payments or random system glitches could cause such long delays without anyone telling you what's happening. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and solutions like the Claimyr service and going to the office early in the morning. This community seems way more responsive and helpful than the actual CalWORKs system! Hopefully my case processes faster since it's a new application, but now I know what to look out for and what options I have if I get stuck in pending status too.

This whole thread really highlights how broken the CalWORKs communication system is! I've been dealing with similar pending benefit issues for the past month and it's incredibly stressful when you're already struggling financially. What I've learned from my own experience and reading everyone's stories here is that there are so many different reasons benefits can get stuck - child support payments, income reporting threshold changes, random system glitches, processing backlogs - but they never bother to tell us what's actually happening. We're just left to guess and worry while bills pile up. The fact that we have to rely on third-party services like Claimyr or show up at offices at 7:30 AM just to get basic information about our own cases is ridiculous. Thank you to everyone who's shared their experiences and solutions - this community provides way better support than the actual agency does. For anyone still dealing with pending benefits, definitely try the suggestions people have mentioned here. The system may be broken but at least we can help each other navigate it!

Just to add some clarification on the reporting rules: 1. You must report new employment within 10 days of getting your first paycheck. 2. If your income exceeds your IRT (Income Reporting Threshold), you must report within 10 days. 3. Otherwise, you must report all income on your Semi-Annual Report (SAR 7). And about paybacks - yes, if you delay reporting and receive benefits you weren't eligible for, you'll have to repay the overpayment. However, as someone mentioned, CalWORKs has an earned income disregard, so you might still be eligible for partial benefits even with your new job.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'm definitely going to report within 10 days of getting my first paycheck. I found my IRT letter and it says $1,790 for my household, which is more than I'll make at this part-time job. I'll make copies of my paystubs and upload them to BenefitsCal right away. Really appreciate all the help - definitely don't want to deal with overpayments or fraud accusations!

I'm new to this community but this entire thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who just started receiving CalFresh benefits, I had no idea about all these potential pitfalls - verification requests going to spam folders, mysterious error codes, phone systems that don't work, etc. @Gemma Andrews I'm so glad you persisted and got your benefits restored! Your experience is a perfect case study in why this community is so valuable. @Melina Haruko thank you for explaining the error codes and appeal process - that kind of insider knowledge should be publicly available but clearly isn't. @Chloe Taylor and @Ezra Bates the suggestions about assembly member offices and expedited phone lines are brilliant workarounds I never would have known about. It's honestly shocking that we need services like Claimyr and all these unofficial channels just to access basic government benefits, but I'm grateful people here share what actually works. I'm definitely saving this whole conversation as my go-to resource guide if I ever run into issues. The level of practical help here is better than any official website I've seen!

I'm new to this community and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! Reading through everyone's experiences has given me so much insight into navigating the CalFresh system that I wish I'd known from the start. @Gemma Andrews I'm so relieved you were able to get your benefits restored - your persistence really paid off and thank you for sharing the resolution! The fact that the verification request ended up in your spam folder is such an important lesson for all of us. It's honestly mind-blowing how many unofficial workarounds people have had to develop just to access basic services - Claimyr, assembly member offices, expedited phone lines, checking spam folders religiously, knowing the magic phrases to say. @Melina Haruko your explanation of the error codes and advocacy resources is incredibly helpful, and @Chloe Taylor and @Ezra Bates those suggestions about alternative contact methods are brilliant. As a newcomer, I'm both grateful for this wealth of practical knowledge and frustrated that the official system is so broken that we need all these backdoor solutions. I'm definitely saving this entire conversation as my emergency resource guide. This community provides better support than any government website I've encountered!