CalWORKs account suddenly disappeared from BenefitsCal - can't access my Cash Aid information

This happened to me in February! Turned out my case got accidentally discontinued when my worker processed someone else's paperwork under my case number. You need to call your caseworker ASAP because if there was a discontinuance notice sent, you only have 90 days to appeal it. In my situation they were able to reinstate everything without making me reapply, but only because I called within the appeal timeframe.

the whole benfitscal site is trash tbh. sometimes it shows my calworks case and sometimes it dosent. have u tried loging out and back in? or try using a diffrent browser. might just be a glitch

Before u panic check ur mail carefully!!! When they discontinued me last year they sent the notice in a regular white envelope that looked like junk mail and I almost threw it away. If they sent u something about recertification or verification and u missed it they'll cut ur benefits with no warning. Check ur spam folder too if u get emails from them.

I faced an identical situation last month. After trying to call the county office for THREE DAYS and getting disconnected every single time, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a live person within 20 minutes. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Worth every penny! My issue was that they had flagged my account for income verification because of a random quarterly review, but never actually sent me the notice. The worker was able to unlock everything while I was on the phone.

Sometimes that error happens when it's RIGHT after your benefits were authorized but before they hit your account. Like there's a day or two in the system where everything is being processed and your case looks like it disappeared. When was your normal deposit date supposed to be? Maybe wait 24 hours and check again before panicking.

This definitely sounds like a case disconnection issue, not a website glitch. When BenefitsCal can't find your case using your SSN, it usually means one of three things: 1. Your case was discontinued (could be for missed verification, income reporting, or administrative error) 2. Your case was transferred to a different county if the system thinks you moved 3. There's a data synchronization problem between the county system and BenefitsCal Call your county office immediately and ask specifically: "Has my CalWORKs case been discontinued?" If yes, ask for the date and reason code of discontinuance. Request an immediate reactivation if it was an error. If they claim they sent you a notice, request proof of when it was mailed. Also, check if your worker has changed recently - sometimes new workers will review cases and request verifications that weren't required before. Make sure your mailing address is correct in their system too.

OMG don't even get me started on BenefitsCal!!! I had EXACTLY the same problem last month and spent 6 HOURS on hold trying to reach someone. Turns out they flagged my account for "income verification" because I had a $42 deposit from doing a research study that I reported on my SAR7!!! They considered it "earned income" even though it was a one-time thing and SUSPENDED MY ENTIRE $820 CASH AID without even telling me!!! The system is DESIGNED to make us fail!!! 😡😡😡

Any update? Were you able to get through to someone at the county office? I'm curious what happened with your case.

So glad you got it sorted out! A system-wide data migration explains everything - that's exactly the kind of technical issue that would make cases temporarily disappear from BenefitsCal while still being active in the county system. Thanks for updating us with the resolution! This will definitely help other people who might run into the same scary situation. It's such a relief when what seems like a major crisis turns out to be just a technical glitch. Hope your deposit comes through on Tuesday as expected! 🙏

Wow, this thread is incredibly helpful! As someone who's relatively new to navigating CalWORKs, reading about Oliver's experience and everyone's advice really opened my eyes to how many different things can cause cases to seemingly "disappear" from BenefitsCal. The fact that it turned out to be a system-wide data migration affecting 300 cases shows how these technical issues can create panic for so many families at once. I'm bookmarking this conversation because the troubleshooting steps everyone shared (checking mail carefully, calling the county office directly, asking specific questions about discontinuance) are exactly the kind of practical guidance that's hard to find elsewhere. Thanks to everyone who contributed their experiences - it's reassuring to know this community has people who've been through similar situations and are willing to help others navigate these stressful moments.

This is such a perfect example of why direct communication with the county office is so crucial when BenefitsCal isn't working properly! I've been receiving CalWORKs for about a year now and have learned that the online system can be unreliable for so many different reasons - from simple glitches to major data migrations like what happened to you. Your experience really highlights how important it is not to assume the worst when the website shows errors. I'm saving this thread because the troubleshooting steps everyone shared are gold - especially the advice about asking specific questions like "Has my case been discontinued?" and requesting discontinuance dates/reason codes if needed. It's also really helpful to know that cases can temporarily disappear during system updates while still being active in the county's internal system. Thanks for following up with the resolution - it gives me so much more confidence about how to handle similar situations in the future!

What a relief that it turned out to be just a system migration! This whole thread has been so educational for me as someone who's still fairly new to the CalWORKs system. I had no idea that technical issues like data migrations could temporarily make cases disappear while still being active in the county's internal system. The collective wisdom shared here - from checking mail carefully for notices that might look like junk mail, to asking specific questions about discontinuance status when calling the county office - is invaluable. It really shows how important it is to call the county directly rather than relying solely on BenefitsCal when something seems wrong. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and advice, and especially to Oliver for following up with the resolution. This kind of community support makes navigating these stressful situations so much more manageable!