CalWORKs 48-month time limit hit - why did they cancel my sister's CalFresh too?

They definitely shouldn't have cut her CalFresh just because she hit her CalWORKs time limit! Those are completely separate programs with different eligibility requirements. The 48-month time limit ONLY applies to the Cash Aid portion of CalWORKs, not CalFresh benefits. She needs to contact her caseworker immediately and request they reinstate her CalFresh. They likely made an error during the transition off Cash Aid. Also, since she's a student working 20 hours a week AND has children, she should absolutely still qualify for CalFresh under the student eligibility rules.

same thing happened to my cousin! they cut everything at once and she was like ??? turns out they messed up on their end and had to fix it. tell ur sister to call and be super clear shes asking about calfresh specifically not calworks

This is unfortunately a common error. When the 48-month time limit hits, the computer system sometimes automatically processes it as a full case closure rather than just ending the Cash Aid portion. Your sister needs to: 1. File an appeal immediately (she only has 90 days from the Notice of Action date) 2. Request continued benefits while under appeal 3. Contact her County office to speak with a supervisor about the error Also, since she's working 20 hours weekly AND is a full-time student with children, she might qualify for specific CalWORKs extensions beyond the 48 months. Has her worker discussed any exemptions or extensions with her? There are several categories that can extend benefits, especially for those pursuing education while working.

If she's studying nursing, she might qualify for a time limit extension! Under CalWORKs rules, there are several exemptions that can extend beyond the 48-month limit: 1. Education/training extension - for approved career pathways like nursing 2. Working a certain number of hours but still meeting income requirements 3. Barriers to employment exemptions She should specifically ask about the educational extension since nursing is considered a high-demand field. Some counties are terrible about informing recipients about these options because it means more work for them.

I had so much trouble reaching an actual person to fix errors like this. After getting disconnected 5 times trying to reach my caseworker, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got someone on the phone for me in about 20 minutes. You might want to check out their video demo: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE It really helped when my benefits got cut off incorrectly and I needed to speak to someone right away instead of waiting days for a callback that never came. Your sister needs to talk to a supervisor asap about this error.

tell her too apply for calfresh seperate now. sometimes u have to do new application when calworks ends its dum but thats how the system works. they dont automatically keep u on calfresh when calworks stops u gotta reapply. thats what my worker told me

Just wondering, did they reduce her CalFresh amount before completely cutting it off? When I was on CalWORKs, my CalFresh benefit was higher because they count them together somehow. Then when my Cash Aid ended, my CalFresh went down but didn't stop completely. Maybe they just calculated her new amount wrong based on her income?

The county offices are TERRIBLE about following their own rules. They just want to kick as many people off as possible to save money! Your sister should absolutely file for a fair hearing IMMEDIATELY. Don't wait! And document EVERYTHING. Take screenshots, save emails, write down names and times when she talks to workers. The system is designed to frustrate you until you give up. I was wrongfully denied CalFresh TWICE before I finally got a fair hearing and won. The judge was shocked at how badly they messed up my case.

One more important thing: if your sister gets her CalFresh reinstated (which she should!), she might qualify for a higher amount than before. When someone receives both CalWORKs and CalFresh, their CalFresh amount is typically lower because Cash Aid counts as income. Now that she's not getting Cash Aid, her CalFresh should actually INCREASE to help compensate for that lost income, assuming her other income and expenses remain the same.