CalWORKs application submitted Dec 18th but interview scheduled for Jan 2 - is this normal waiting time?

The 30 day timeframe for CalWORKs starts from your application date, but they have to do an interview before they can approve you. January is always a busy time for the county offices because of the holidays. The good news is that if they approve her, benefits will be prorated back to the application date (Dec 18th). So even though the interview is in January, she should still get aid for the last part of December if she's eligible.

The county is required to issue benefits within 30 days of the application date IF you've provided all required verification documents. The interview is part of that process, but the date does seem unusually far out. Your cousin should call her county office and see if there are any earlier appointment slots available due to cancellations. Sometimes they can fit people in sooner if they explain it's an emergency situation. Also, make sure she has all her documents ready for the interview: ID, social security cards, birth certificates, income proof, rent/utility bills, etc. This will speed up the approval process after the interview.

i had the same thing happen to me last february when i applied!! i waited on hold for hours and hours trying to reach somone to move up my interview bc my kids and i were about to be evicted. tried for 3 days straight and couldnt get thru. finally gave up and just waited for the interview. ended up having to borrow $ from family to pay rent that month :( the system is rigged to make it impossible to actually get help when u need it.

I've found a solution for the phone wait times! I was in a similar situation last month - endless holds, disconnections, etc. I discovered this service called Claimyr that will wait on hold with the CalWORKs office for you and call you back when a real person answers. I was skeptical but desperate, and it actually worked! The county picked up in about 90 minutes, but I didn't have to stay on the phone that whole time. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE and their website is claimyr.com. This might help your cousin get through to request an earlier interview date.

in my exeprence the 30 days is more like a guideline not a rule lol. they took almost 45 days with my application last fall. but like someone else said they did give me benefits back to my app date. tell ur cousin to ask about expedited aid at her interview. sometimes they can issue emergency funds if shes at risk of eviction

Another thing your cousin should ask about during her interview is Homeless Assistance, even if she's not currently homeless. If she's at risk of eviction or has received a pay-or-quit notice, she might qualify for temporary HA to help with rent. This is separate from regular Cash Aid and can sometimes be processed more quickly. Also, if she's interviewed on Jan 2nd, approved, and completes all verification requirements that day, her EBT card could be loaded within 3-5 business days. So she might still be able to make her rent payment if her landlord gives her a few extra days.

Just to clarify something important - CalWORKs and CalFresh (food stamps) have different processing timeframes. CalFresh has to be processed within 30 days, but can be expedited in 3 days if you qualify. CalWORKs technically has a 45-day processing timeframe, though many counties try to do it in 30. Make sure your cousin applied for both programs! And yes, benefit start date is the application date, not the interview date, as long as she meets all the eligibility requirements on that date.

december and january are ALWAYS backed up with appointments. the holidays mess everything up. plus lots of workers take vacation time so there's even fewer people answering phones. ur cousin should definitely try calling but also prepare for the possibility that jan 2 might be the earliest they can do