CalWORKs 48-month time limit in Stanislaus County - will they drop just me or my daughter too?
I just got my CalWORKs renewal paperwork and I realized I'm approaching my 48-month time limit soon (maybe like 3 months left?). I've been on Cash Aid on and off since my daughter was born, and she's 7 now. I'm freaking out a little because I'm working part-time but definitely still need the assistance. Can anyone tell me what happens when I hit that 48-month limit? Will they just remove me from the case but keep my daughter getting benefits? Or will they close our whole case? I've heard some people can get extensions but don't know how that works. I live in Stanislaus County if that makes any difference with how they handle things. My caseworker is impossible to reach so figured I'd ask here before I spend days trying to get through to someone. Thanks for any help!! Just trying to prepare myself financially for what's coming.
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Anastasia Sokolov
Your daughter will continue to receive Cash Aid even after you time out at 48 months. Only the adult (you) will be removed from the assistance unit, but your child will remain eligible until she turns 18. You'll see a reduction in your grant amount but not a complete cut-off. Stanislaus County follows the same state rules as other counties when it comes to the 48-month time limit. Your worker should have been sending you Time on Aid reports showing how many months you've used, but they often don't do this consistently.
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Diego Ramirez
•Thank you so much! That's a huge relief to know she'll still get something. Do you know approximately how much the grant gets reduced by when the adult times out? Just trying to budget.
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Sean O'Connor
Im in the same boat hit my 48 months last year. They just took me off but my kids still get there portion. Its less money but atleast its something. My worker never warned me it was coming up just got a notice one day saying i was being removed but kids would stay on.
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Diego Ramirez
•Oh wow, no warning? That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Did you notice a big drop in the amount when they took you off?
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Sean O'Connor
•Yea it went down like $200 something. Not gonna lie it hurts but I picked up more hours at work. The kids still get there medicaid too so thats good.
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Zara Ahmed
There are several exemptions and extensions to the 48-month time limit that you might qualify for. These include: 1. Disability that prevents working 2. Caring for an ill family member 3. Advanced age (60+) 4. Domestic violence situations 5. Living in an area with high unemployment (24% rule) Stanislaus County absolutely should evaluate you for these exemptions before removing you from the grant. If you've had months where you should have been exempt but weren't coded properly, you can also request a review of your Time on Aid calculation. Additionally, if you're working at least 20-30 hours per week (depending on your child's age), some of those months might qualify for the Earned Income Disregard and not count toward your 48 months.
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Diego Ramirez
•I didn't know about the high unemployment exemption! Stanislaus does have pretty bad unemployment. I'm working 25 hours a week right now - would those months really not count toward my time limit? No one ever told me that.
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Zara Ahmed
•If you've been working 25 hours per week, those months *might* not count depending on when you were working those hours. The rules changed over time, but it's worth asking your worker to check which months counted. The Earned Income Disregard can be complicated, but essentially if you're meeting Welfare to Work participation requirements through employment, some of those months might not count toward your time limit. And yes, the high unemployment exemption could apply in Stanislaus County during certain time periods. You should definitely ask about this specifically when you speak with your worker.
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Luca Conti
they took me off after 48 months but my 3 kids still get money each month. the amount went down but not by as much as i expected tbh. this was in stanislaus too. happened last year
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Nia Johnson
I hit my 48 months back in 2022 and let me tell u trying to reach someone at Stanislaus County was IMPOSSIBLE!!! I kept calling and calling and would wait on hold for hours just to get disconnected. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at the county in like 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE When I finally talked to my worker, they confirmed my kid would stay on the case but my portion would stop. They also checked if I qualified for any exemptions (I didn't). But seriously try that service if you're struggling to reach someone.
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Diego Ramirez
•Thank you for this! I've been trying to reach someone for weeks. I'll check out that service because I really need to talk to someone before I time out. Did they give you any warning before removing you?
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Nia Johnson
•They're supposed to send you a notice 45 days before your 48 months are up, but mine came literally like 2 weeks before I timed out. Definitely try to talk to someone ASAP to see if you qualify for any extensions. The service was the only way I actually got through after trying for days on my own.
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CyberNinja
Does anyone know if months on CalWORKs in different counties count together? I was on it in San Joaquin for like 2 years before moving to Stanislaus. Do they track all that together or is it separate??
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Yes, all months on CalWORKs in any California county count toward your 48-month time limit. The state tracks this in a central system. Months from other states' TANF programs usually count too, though there are sometimes exceptions if you can prove you weren't receiving cash benefits in another state.
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Mateo Lopez
As others have mentioned, your child will continue to receive benefits after you reach your 48-month time limit. The grant amount will decrease because your portion will be removed, but it won't eliminate the entire benefit. One important thing to check is whether you've received accurate Time on Aid (TOA) counts. Many counties make mistakes in calculating the 48-month limit. Some situations that DON'T count toward your time limit include: - Months when you were exempt from Welfare to Work requirements due to having a child under 12 months old - Months when you were exempt due to disability or caring for a disabled family member - Months when you met the federal work participation requirements (varies by year) - Months when you received a domestic violence waiver Ask your worker for a detailed TOA calculation that shows exactly which months counted and why. People often find errors that can give them additional months of eligibility.
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Diego Ramirez
•This is really helpful. I had no idea about these exemptions. I did have a period when my daughter was under 1 year old, so maybe those months shouldn't have counted? And I've been working part-time for a while now. I'll definitely ask for that TOA calculation. Thank you!
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Sean O'Connor
THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST US!!! they make it impossible to reach anyone when u have questions then suddenly cut ur benefits with barely any notice. i was working my butt off in their stupid wtw program for YEARS and they still cut me off at 48 months even tho i was doing everything they asked!!
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Zara Ahmed
•While the system definitely has problems, your WTW participation should have created some exemptions from the time limit if you were meeting the federal standards (generally 30+ hours per week for a single parent). It's possible your case wasn't coded correctly. You might want to request a TOA review and possibly a state hearing if you believe you should have received exemptions for those months.
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Diego Ramirez
Wow thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I had no idea about the exemptions or that months when my daughter was under 1 might not count. I'm definitely going to try to reach someone to get my Time on Aid calculation and see if I qualify for any extensions. It's a relief to know my daughter will still get benefits even after I time out. I'm going to start planning for that reduced amount now. Appreciate all the advice!
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