CalWORKs Cash Aid never deposited to EBT card - case active but no money showed up

yea this hapnd to me in febuary. turns out my worker put my case on hold bc they needed some proof of rent but never told me!! check ur mail carefully, might be a letter saying what they need. so stupid they don't even text or email before just not paying us!

This is actually quite common with CalWORKs (unfortunately). There are a few specific reasons this could be happening: 1. A verification or document was flagged as missing - even if you weren't properly notified 2. Your Semi-Annual Report (SAR 7) due date might have passed without being processed 3. Your income may have been reported or estimated above the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) 4. A system glitch where your case shows active but payment issuance failed 5. Sometimes there's a lag between approval and first payment issuance Your best bet is to speak directly with your eligibility worker. If you can't reach them by phone, you can try sending a secure message through BenefitsCal. You might also want to check if your county has an emergency assistance program for situations like this while you sort it out.

SAME THING happening RIGHT NOW to me!!! I was supposed to get $976 for my family on the 1st and NOTHING!! My case says active online too and I'm freaking out because my landlord doesn't care about CalWORKs problems, he just wants his rent money!! I went to the office yesterday and the security guard said they're having a "system issue" but couldn't tell me when it would be fixed. So we just don't eat or pay bills because of their mistakes?? This system is BROKEN.

Check if u recently got ur Medi-Cal renewed. Sometimes when they do renewals they accidentally put a hold on cash aid too. My sister had this happen and they fixed it but took like 10 days. Have u tried calling right when they open? Thats usually best time.

After spending 3 weeks dealing with a similar issue, I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual person at my county office. It costs a bit but was worth it because I was about to get evicted. They connected me to my worker in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE or just go to claimyr.com Turned out my worker had been trying to call me about income verification but had an old phone number. Once I talked to her, she released my payment same day. Sometimes you just need to get someone on the phone.

UPDATE! Finally got through to someone! Turns out there WAS a letter sent 3 weeks ago requesting verification of my new apartment lease (I moved in February). The letter got lost in the mail or something because I never received it. The worker I spoke with was actually helpful and said she'd release the payment tomorrow once I email her a copy of my lease. So if anyone else has this issue - KEEP CALLING and check if they need documents from you!

glad u got it fixed! this happens way too often tbh. i always take pictures of every paper i give them now and ask for receipt numbers for everything. ive been on calworks for 3 years and learned the hard way lol

This is such a common issue and it's really frustrating how the system works! I'm glad you got it sorted out. For anyone else dealing with this, I've found that if you can't get through by phone, sometimes showing up at the office first thing in the morning works better. They can't hang up on you in person! Also, if you have a smartphone, you can upload documents directly through the BenefitsCal app instead of emailing - sometimes that processes faster. Keep all your confirmation numbers and screenshots too. The whole system really needs better communication but at least there are workarounds.

Wow, reading through all these responses really shows how broken the communication system is! I'm dealing with something similar right now - my case shows active but no payment for over a week. What really gets me is how they can just stop payments without proper notice and then act like it's our fault for not knowing. For anyone still struggling with this, I've found that filing a complaint with the state ombudsman sometimes lights a fire under the county office. You can do it online and they're supposed to respond within 10 days. It's frustrating that we have to jump through all these hoops just to get the benefits we're entitled to, but at least there are options when the normal channels fail. Stay strong everyone - we shouldn't have to choose between rent and food because of their system glitches! 💪

This thread is so helpful - I'm bookmarking it! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation where my CalWORKs payment didn't come through this month even though my case shows active. Reading everyone's experiences, it sounds like missing verification requests are super common. One thing I wanted to add that helped me in the past - if you have a local legal aid organization, they sometimes have advocates who can help navigate these CalWORKs issues for free. They know exactly which buttons to push and can sometimes get faster responses than we can on our own. My county has a welfare rights organization that helped me when I was wrongfully denied benefits last year. Also, for anyone dealing with immediate food needs while sorting this out, don't forget about emergency food stamps! You can get CalFresh expedited (within 3 days) if your income is super low or you have less than $150 in resources. It won't solve the cash aid problem but at least helps with groceries while you're fighting the system. Hope everyone gets their payments sorted out soon! 🤞

Just wanted to jump in here as someone who's been navigating CalWORKs for a while now. Reading through all these experiences really highlights how frustrating the system can be, but it's also reassuring to see people helping each other figure out solutions! A few additional tips that have helped me over the years: 1. Keep a log of every phone call, including date, time, and who you spoke with (or if you got disconnected). This documentation can be super helpful if you need to escalate later. 2. If your county has a "same day services" option for urgent issues, take advantage of it. Some offices will see you without an appointment if you explain you haven't received your payment and are facing eviction/utility shutoff. 3. Don't forget about your county supervisor's office - they often have constituent services that can help when regular channels aren't working. I've seen them work miracles when someone's about to lose housing. It's really unfortunate that we have to become experts in navigating bureaucracy just to access basic assistance, but this community sharing knowledge makes such a difference. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences and solutions here! ❤️

This whole thread has been so eye-opening! I'm dealing with a similar payment delay right now (going on day 6 with no deposit) and was starting to panic. It's both frustrating and comforting to see how common this issue is. What really struck me from reading everyone's experiences is how often the problem comes down to verification requests that we never received or weren't properly notified about. It seems like the postal system and their notification process is just as broken as everything else! I'm definitely going to try some of the strategies mentioned here - especially the BenefitsCal app for document uploads (had no idea that was faster than email) and calling right when they open. The idea about taking photos of everything and getting receipt numbers is genius too. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions, especially those who came back to update us on what worked. This is exactly the kind of mutual aid and community support we need when the system fails us. Wishing everyone quick resolutions to their payment issues! 🙏

This entire thread is incredibly valuable - thank you to everyone who shared their experiences! I'm experiencing something similar where my payment hasn't come through this month despite having an active case. Reading through all the responses, it's clear that missing verification requests (that we never received) are a huge part of the problem. The fact that they can just stop payments without proper notification is really unfair to families who depend on this assistance. I'm going to try several of the strategies mentioned here: - Calling right at 8am when they open - Checking if there are any unreceived verification requests - Using the BenefitsCal app to upload documents instead of email - Keeping a detailed log of all my attempts to contact them - Looking into my county's legal aid resources It's frustrating that we have to become experts at navigating their broken system, but I'm so grateful for communities like this where people actually help each other with real solutions. The mutual support here is exactly what we need when the official system fails us. Hoping everyone gets their payment issues resolved quickly! We shouldn't have to choose between rent and food because of their administrative failures.

This thread has been such a lifesaver! I've been dealing with the exact same issue for almost two weeks now - my CalWORKs case shows active but zero payment deposited. Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel less alone in this struggle. What really stands out to me is how many people discovered they had missing verification requests that were never properly communicated. It's like they set us up to fail and then blame us when payments get stopped! I'm definitely going to try the strategies everyone mentioned - calling right at opening, using the BenefitsCal app for uploads, and keeping detailed records of everything. The tip about taking photos of all documents and getting receipt numbers is something I wish I had known from the start. Thank you especially to those who came back with updates after getting their issues resolved. It gives the rest of us hope that there IS a way through this mess, even if we have to jump through ridiculous hoops to get there. We really shouldn't have to become welfare system experts just to access basic assistance, but I'm grateful we have each other to share what works. Solidarity to everyone still fighting for their payments! 💪