CalWORKs Cash Aid suddenly discontinued with no notification - anyone else not get their deposit this month?

The exact same thing happened to me this month!!! My Cash Aid usually hits at 12am but NOTHING showed up and when I checked online it says DISCONTINUED. I have 2 kids and our rent is due in 4 days. No letter, no email, nothing explaining why. I've been calling the service center all morning but keep getting the "high call volume" message then it hangs up. This is NOT right - they can't just cut people off with no warning!!! Has anyone gotten through to find out what's going on???

This happened to me about 6 months ago. There are a few things that could be causing this: 1. Did you miss an appointment? Sometimes they schedule mandatory phone interviews and if you miss it, they discontinue your benefits. Check your voicemails carefully. 2. Check if you went over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Even if it's not time for your SAR7, you're supposed to report within 10 days if your income exceeds your IRT limit (it's listed on your last approval letter). 3. Sometimes the system automatically discontinues cases if verification documents weren't processed correctly, even if you submitted them. 4. There could be a system glitch - this happened county-wide in LA County last December. First thing to do is request an immediate hearing. This gets you "aid paid pending" while they figure it out. You need to specifically ask for this when you request the hearing. You can request it online through the state website here: https://acms.dss.ca.gov/

omg this happened to me to!! i was supposed to get cash aid yesterday and my card is empty!! going to check benefitscal now to see if mine says discontinued to. so stressed right now 😭

I work with CalWORKs recipients, and I've seen this happen several times recently. One common reason that might not be obvious: the county may have sent you a "verification request form" for something specific (like proof of school attendance for teens in your household, immunization records for children under 6, or child support cooperation verification). These forms look different from regular SAR7s and redetermination packets, so they're easy to miss or think they're not important. If you don't respond to them within 10 days, they can discontinue your benefits without additional notice since the form itself serves as the notice. Another possibility is a quarterly data match flagged something in your case - like unreported income, property ownership, or someone in your household who isn't listed on your case. Definitely request a hearing immediately through the state website as mentioned above, but also try to contact your worker directly. If your worker has an email, that's often faster than calling.

If your trying to call the county office I recommend using Claimyr.com it helped me get through to a real person when I had this exact issue last month. Got disconnected like 5 times trying to get through the normal way. The Claimyr service called and waited on hold for me then connected me once a real person was on the line. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE In my case they said they sent me a verification request for my childcare receipts but I never got it. They reinstated my benefits same day once I talked to someone and sent in what they needed.

The same thing just happened to me!! I've been on CalWORKs for almost 2 years with no problems, then suddenly this month - nothing! When I finally got through (after calling literally 26 times), they told me they sent a verification request for my daughter's school attendance THREE MONTHS AGO that I supposedly never responded to. But I NEVER received any letter! I asked them to show proof they sent it and they couldn't! They're reinstating my benefits but I have to go through the appeal process and it might take 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, I'm screwed for rent. Check if it's something like that - some random verification they claim they requested but never actually sent. The system is broken.

Update for everyone in this thread: I've heard from multiple clients today that there was indeed a system issue affecting CalWORKs cases in several counties. The system incorrectly flagged many cases for discontinuance. The counties are aware of the problem and working to fix it, but they're asking affected recipients to contact their workers directly to have their cases reinstated. Specifically ask if your case was affected by the "April 2025 batch processing error" - using those exact words helps the workers identify if you're part of this group. If so, they should be able to reinstate your benefits without requiring a hearing. For those who can't get through on the phone, you can also: 1. Email your worker directly if you have their email 2. Visit your county office in person (bring ID) 3. Send a message through BenefitsCal (though responses may be delayed) 4. Contact your county's ombudsperson (each county has one) Remember to request emergency assistance while waiting for your regular benefits to be reinstated.

UPDATE: I finally got through to my county office! Turns out it WAS a system error like people mentioned here. They said a batch of cases were incorrectly marked as discontinued due to a "quarterly matching process error" (whatever that means). The worker fixed it while I was on the phone and said my benefits should be deposited within 24-48 hours. For anyone else dealing with this - keep calling and specifically mention there was a system error in April that may have affected your case. Once I said that, they immediately checked and confirmed I was part of the affected group. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

I'm so relieved to see this thread because I thought I was going crazy! The same exact thing happened to me - woke up this morning expecting my CalWORKs deposit and found nothing. My case also shows "discontinued" on BenefitsCal with zero explanation. I have a 6-year-old and we depend on this money for groceries and utilities. Reading through everyone's responses, it sounds like there's definitely a widespread system error happening. I'm going to try calling my county office today and mention the "April 2025 batch processing error" like @GalacticGladiator suggested. Has anyone tried the Claimyr service that @Omar mentioned? I've been on hold for 2 hours already this morning and keep getting disconnected. This is so stressful - they really need to have better systems in place so people don't panic when stuff like this happens. At least now I know I'm not alone and there's hope it can get fixed quickly. Will update once I get through to someone!

I'm going through the exact same thing! My CalWORKs deposit didn't show up yesterday and my case is showing discontinued on BenefitsCal. I have twin 3-year-olds and this money is essential for our daycare payments. I've been trying to call all morning but keep getting the automated runaround. After reading through this thread, it's clear this is a widespread system error affecting multiple counties. I'm going to try the Claimyr service that @Omar mentioned since I can't afford to spend all day on hold. Will definitely mention the "April 2025 batch processing error" when I get through. This is so scary when you're already living paycheck to paycheck. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - at least now I know what to ask for when I finally reach someone. Really hoping they can fix this quickly for all of us!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! My CalWORKs didn't deposit yesterday and when I checked BenefitsCal this morning, my case shows as discontinued with no explanation. I have an 8-year-old daughter and was counting on this money for her school supplies and our groceries this week. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm relieved to know it's a system error and not something I did wrong. I was panicking thinking I had missed some important paperwork or deadline. I'm going to call my county office today and specifically mention the "April 2025 batch processing error" that @GalacticGladiator mentioned - that seems to be helping people get their cases identified and fixed faster. Has anyone heard if there's an estimated timeline for when all the affected cases will be resolved? I'm worried about my daughter's after-school program payment that's due Friday. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions - this community is a lifesaver when these bureaucratic nightmares happen!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare! My CalWORKs deposit was supposed to hit yesterday and there's nothing on my EBT card. BenefitsCal shows my case as discontinued with zero explanation or warning. I have two kids (ages 5 and 9) and rent is due in three days - I'm absolutely panicking right now. Reading through all these responses is both terrifying and reassuring. Terrifying because this seems to be affecting so many families, but reassuring because it sounds like there's actually a system-wide error and it's not something we did wrong. I was convinced I had somehow messed up my paperwork or missed a deadline. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service that @Omar mentioned since I've already wasted 4 hours today trying to get through the regular phone lines. And I'll make sure to mention the "April 2025 batch processing error" when I finally reach someone - that seems to be the key phrase that gets workers to immediately understand what's happening. This whole situation really highlights how broken the system is. They can cut off hundreds of families without proper notice, but we have to fight tooth and nail just to get someone on the phone to fix THEIR mistake. At least we have this community to help each other navigate these bureaucratic disasters. Will update once I get through to someone!

This is absolutely terrifying and I'm so sorry this is happening to so many families! I just discovered my CalWORKs didn't deposit either and my case shows discontinued on BenefitsCal. I have a 7-year-old son and we literally depend on this money for everything - rent, food, his school lunches. I was up all night worried I had done something wrong or missed some important paperwork. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and especially for the practical advice about mentioning the "April 2025 batch processing error" when calling. I'm going to try the Claimyr service that several people recommended since I've already been on hold for over 2 hours this morning with no luck getting through the regular way. It's both a relief and infuriating to know this is a widespread system error. Relief because it's not our fault, but infuriating because they can just cut off hundreds of families with kids without any warning or proper notification. The stress this causes when you're already struggling financially is unreal. I'll update once I get through to someone. Hoping everyone else gets their cases resolved quickly too - this community has been a lifesaver during this nightmare situation!

I'm new to this community but had to jump in because I'm experiencing the exact same issue! My CalWORKs deposit didn't show up yesterday and my case is now showing as discontinued on BenefitsCal with absolutely no explanation. I have a 4-year-old daughter and this money covers our childcare and basic needs - I've been panicking all day thinking I somehow messed up my paperwork. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief (and also infuriating) to realize this is a widespread system error affecting so many families. Thank you @GalacticGladiator for the info about the "April 2025 batch processing error" - I'm definitely going to use that phrase when I call. And @Omar, I'm going to try the Claimyr service you mentioned since I've already spent 3 hours today getting nowhere with the regular phone lines. It's absolutely unacceptable that they can just cut off benefits for hundreds of families without proper notice, especially when it's their own system error! The stress this causes when you're already living paycheck to paycheck is terrible. But I'm so grateful for this community - you're all helping each other navigate this nightmare with real solutions. I'll update once I get through to someone. Hoping everyone gets their cases resolved quickly!

I'm so sorry this is happening to you and so many other families! As someone who's been navigating the CalWORKs system for a while now, I wanted to share that this kind of system-wide error unfortunately happens more often than it should. The fact that they can just discontinue benefits without proper notification is absolutely unacceptable, especially when families are depending on this money for basic needs like rent and food. From reading all the responses here, it's clear that mentioning the "April 2025 batch processing error" when you call is really helping people get their cases identified and resolved quickly. I'd also suggest documenting everything - keep notes of when you call, who you speak with, and what they tell you. If this happens again in the future, having that paper trail can be really helpful. For anyone still trying to get through, another option is to contact your local legal aid organization. Many of them have advocates who specialize in CalWORKs issues and can sometimes get through to the right people faster than we can on our own. They also know about emergency assistance programs that might help while you're waiting for your regular benefits to be restored. This community is such a valuable resource during these crises - thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm completely new to this community but stumbled across it while desperately searching for answers about my own CalWORKs situation. My benefits didn't deposit yesterday either and my case shows discontinued on BenefitsCal with zero explanation. I have an 18-month-old and was absolutely panicking thinking I had somehow missed important paperwork or deadlines. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both a huge relief and incredibly frustrating - relief because it's clearly a widespread system error and not something we did wrong, but frustrating because this is causing so much unnecessary stress for families who are already struggling financially. The fact that they can just cut off hundreds of families without proper notice is unacceptable. Thank you everyone for sharing the practical solutions, especially about mentioning the "April 2025 batch processing error" and the Claimyr service. I'm going to try calling today using those tips. It's amazing to see how this community comes together to help each other navigate these bureaucratic nightmares. As a newcomer, I'm really impressed by how supportive and knowledgeable everyone is. I'll definitely update once I get through to someone - hoping we all get our cases resolved quickly!

I'm new to this community but had to create an account after finding this thread - I'm going through the exact same thing! My CalWORKs didn't deposit yesterday and my case shows discontinued with no explanation. I have a 6-year-old son and we depend on this money for rent and groceries. I've been calling all morning but keep getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief to know it's a system error and not something I did wrong - I was convinced I had missed some important paperwork! Thank you @GalacticGladiator for the info about the "April 2025 batch processing error" phrase and @Omar for the Claimyr service recommendation. I'm definitely going to try both of those today. It's absolutely unacceptable that they can just cut off so many families without proper notice, especially when it's their own mistake! The stress this causes when you're already struggling is unreal. But I'm so grateful to have found this supportive community - you're all helping each other navigate this nightmare with real solutions. I'll update once I get through to someone!