Thanks everyone for all this info! I'm definitely going to request a review of my case since it sounds like they shouldn't have counted my tax refund as income. And I'll plan for the lower CTC amount just to be safe with my budget. This community is always so helpful - I learn more here than from my actual caseworker half the time!

I'm so glad you found this helpful! It's really frustrating when we get wrong information from workers who are supposed to be helping us. I've been on CalWORKs for 2 years now and I swear I've gotten different answers about the same question from like 4 different people at my county office. For the case review, you can start by calling your worker directly and asking them to remove the overpayment because tax refunds are exempt income. If they give you pushback, ask to speak to a supervisor. You can also file a formal complaint with the county if needed. And yeah, definitely budget for the lower CTC amount - better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed! Those monthly payments in 2021 were amazing but I'm not holding my breath for them to come back anytime soon.

u got lucky they had someone at the dropbox! at my county office the dropbox is just like a mail slot in the wall lol. no receipts or nothing. glad u got ur SAR-7 in on time tho!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm new to CalWORKs and had no idea there were so many backup options when the BenefitsCal system fails. I've been stressed about submitting my first SAR-7 next month and was worried about what would happen if I ran into technical issues. Reading about the dropboxes, fax options, and the importance of documenting everything really helps me feel more prepared. It's frustrating that we have to deal with these system problems, but at least now I know I'm not alone and there are workarounds. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

This whole thread is so educational! I'm fairly new to CalWORKs (just got approved 3 months ago) and honestly had no idea about so many of these things. The text alerts, keeping organized document folders, the sworn statement option - wish someone had told me all this when I first applied! I've been living in constant anxiety about doing something wrong and losing my benefits. Reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel way more prepared. Already logged into BenefitsCal to set up those text notifications and bookmarked that Claimyr website. Thanks to everyone for sharing your knowledge - this community is seriously a lifesaver for those of us still figuring everything out!

This is such a valuable thread for everyone! I've been on CalWORKs for about a year and I wish I had known about some of these resources earlier. Just wanted to add that if anyone is having trouble getting through to their county office by phone, you can also try going to the office first thing in the morning (like 8:30am when they open) - you'll usually have better luck getting help in person before they get swamped with calls and walk-ins later in the day. Also, if you ever have to submit the same type of verification multiple times (like rent receipts), ask your caseworker if they can put a note in your file about your housing situation being stable - sometimes this can reduce how often they ask for the same documents. Great job getting everything sorted out @Aisha Mohammed and thanks everyone for all the helpful tips!

Thank you everyone for the helpful answers! Really appreciate you all taking the time to explain. I'll mark my calendar for both the SAR7 at 6 months and the full recertification at 12 months. Going to start keeping a folder with all my important documents so I'm prepared when the time comes.

Just wanted to add one more helpful tip as someone who's been through several recertifications - if you have direct deposit set up, make sure your bank account info is still current when you do your recertification! I forgot to update mine after switching banks and it caused a delay in getting my benefits restored after recert. Also, if you're working or have any income changes during your certification period, keep all your pay stubs organized by month. They'll want to see everything during recertification and having it organized makes the process so much smoother.

I'm new to this community but your story really resonates with me because I just went through almost the exact same thing! The misinformation about Emergency Allotments is so frustrating - I was also told by a worker that I should be getting EA payments when they haven't existed for years. It makes you feel like you're going crazy! Based on what you've shared about your expenses ($2,450 rent + utilities + $800 childcare), there's definitely something wrong with your benefit calculation. For context, I have a family of 3 with similar housing costs and we get $400+ monthly, so $40 for your family of 4 seems way off. A few things that might help when you call tomorrow: - Ask specifically if there's a "shelter deduction cap" applied to your case (sometimes they cap this incorrectly) - Make sure they know about ALL your utility expenses (electric, gas, water/sewer, trash, phone) - Confirm they applied the correct standard deduction for your household size The monthly loading issue suggests your case has some kind of "manual review" flag that's preventing automatic issuance. When this happened to me, it turned out there was an old verification requirement that was never properly cleared from my file. You've got great advice from everyone here - definitely push for a supervisor and don't let them dismiss your concerns. Your family deserves the correct benefits and you shouldn't have to fight for them every month!

I'm new to this community but your situation sounds incredibly frustrating and unfortunately all too familiar. I went through something very similar with my CalFresh benefits earlier this year - the constant calling, different information from every worker, and benefits that seemed way too low for my household size. A few things jumped out at me from your post: 1. The Emergency Allotment confusion is sadly common - many workers aren't up to date on the fact that EA ended in February 2023. That worker who told you about getting back payments was completely wrong. 2. Your $40 for a family of 4 with $2,450 rent is definitely incorrect. Even with moderate income, your shelter costs alone should result in much higher benefits. 3. Having to call every month to get benefits loaded suggests there's a system glitch or verification flag stuck on your account. When I had similar issues, what finally worked was calling and specifically asking for an "eligibility review specialist" rather than a regular worker. I also made sure to mention that I needed both a "benefit recalculation due to unreported expenses" AND a "systems review for EBT loading issues." The fact that you applied for both CalWORKs and CalFresh simultaneously might be part of the problem - sometimes those dual applications create ongoing system conflicts even after one program is denied. Don't give up! With your housing and childcare costs, you should be getting significantly more than $40. Document everything when you call and push for a supervisor if needed.