CalWORKs benefit amount suddenly decreased - no explanation from county?

same thing happend to me last month!! my amount went down $132 and i didnt change anything. turns out my oldest turned 16 and they automatically reduce the amount when kids hit certain ages. could that be it?

Check if someone in your household got a job or income increase that you forgot to report. Even if YOU didn't change, if a household member did, that affects things. Also - do you get child support? Sometimes they reduce your Cash Aid when they collect child support, even if you don't actually receive the money yourself.

There are a lot of reasons they might reduce your benefits: 1. Did you recently submit your Semi-Annual Report (SAR7)? Sometimes they calculate income differently than you expect 2. Did your children's father start paying child support to the county? 3. Did someone in your household turn 18? 4. Did you miss an appointment with your Welfare to Work case manager? 5. Did you get a cost of living adjustment on another benefit like SSI that affected your CalWORKs? You need to speak directly with your eligibility worker to find out exactly what happened. They are required to send a Notice of Action before reducing benefits, so check all your mail carefully too.

the county is ALWAYS pulling this shit!! they reduce without telling u and then expect u to figure it out. my worker never picks up the phone EVER and then blames me for not knowing things. system is rigged to make us fail

I had to use Claimyr to get through to my CalWORKs worker when this happened to me. They have this service where they wait on hold for you and call you back when a real person answers (claimyr.com). I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE) and it actually worked for me after spending 3 days trying to get through myself. My issue was they thought I missed a WTW appointment I never got notice for, but when I finally talked to someone they fixed it and restored my benefits.

Another possibility - did you recently get approved for CalFresh or have your SNAP benefits increased? Sometimes when food stamps go up, Cash Aid goes down a bit because of how they calculate total assistance. It's weird but I've seen it happen.

did u check benefitscal.com?? sometimes they post notices there that dont come in the mail. worth checking ur account

When you do reach your worker, make sure to ask these specific questions: 1. Request the exact calculation showing how they determined your new grant amount 2. Ask for a copy of the Notice of Action they should have sent 3. If the reduction was a mistake, request immediate restoration of aid 4. If you're facing hardship because of this unexpected reduction, ask about emergency assistance options If they did make an error, you can request retroactive benefits for any underpayment. Document everything - who you speak with, date/time, and what they tell you. You have rights as a recipient, including proper notice of any benefit changes.

I'm glad several people mentioned checking BenefitsCal and looking for a Notice of Action. One other thing worth checking - log into your EBT account online and look at your Cash Aid deposit history. Sometimes they split payments for administrative reasons, so you might get the rest of your expected amount as a second deposit later in the month. Worth checking before you panic completely. If you find out Monday that it was an administrative error, request immediate correction and mention the word 'hearing' - as in 'Do I need to request a hearing to resolve this?' That usually speeds things up.

I'm so sorry this happened to you! This exact same thing happened to my sister a few months ago - her CalWORKs dropped by about $150 with no warning. It turned out the county had updated their income calculation based on some old pay stubs they had on file, even though her actual hours hadn't changed. They eventually fixed it but it took almost 3 weeks and she had to escalate to a supervisor twice. One thing that helped her was going to the office in person first thing Monday morning instead of just calling. Sometimes showing up physically gets faster results than phone calls. Also, bring copies of your recent pay stubs, your SAR7, and any other paperwork you can think of to prove nothing changed on your end. If you can't get to the office, definitely try that Claimyr service someone mentioned - I've heard good things about it from other people in similar situations. Hang in there, and don't let them brush you off without a real explanation!

This is so frustrating and unfortunately more common than it should be. I went through something similar last year - my CalWORKs suddenly dropped by $200 and it turned out the county had made an error in their system that incorrectly counted some of my income twice. A few things that might help you get answers faster: - When you call Monday, ask to speak with a supervisor immediately if your worker isn't available - Request they send you a detailed benefit calculation worksheet showing exactly how they arrived at your new amount - Ask if there were any recent policy changes or updates to the Maximum Aid Payment (MAP) standards that might have affected your grant Also, if you're really in a bind with rent, many counties have emergency assistance programs separate from CalWORKs that might help bridge the gap while you get this sorted out. Ask about "emergency aid" or "immediate need" programs when you call. Document everything - dates, times, who you spoke with, and what they told you. If this was their mistake, you're entitled to retroactive payments to make up the difference. Don't give up, and don't let them make you feel like you did something wrong when you clearly haven't changed anything on your end!

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress, especially with rent due soon! This happened to my neighbor recently and it turned out the county had processed some paperwork from months ago that somehow got "stuck" in their system and finally went through, affecting her current benefits. One thing I'd suggest - when you do get through to someone on Monday, ask them to check if there are any "pending actions" or "system adjustments" on your case that might explain the reduction. Sometimes there are automated changes that workers don't even know about until they dig deeper into the case notes. Also, if you're struggling to get through by phone, try calling right when they open at 8 AM or during lunch hours when fewer people might be calling. I know it's horrible timing with your rent situation, but try not to panic too much - most of these issues do get resolved once you can actually talk to a real person who can look at your case properly. Keep us posted on what you find out - hoping it's just a system error that can be fixed quickly!

Hey Joy, I'm so sorry this happened to you! I went through something very similar about 6 months ago - my CalWORKs dropped by almost $200 overnight with zero explanation. After three weeks of calling and getting nowhere, I finally discovered they had mistakenly applied an income verification from my ex-husband who hadn't lived with us in over a year! Here's what finally worked for me: I went to the county office in person first thing Monday morning with ALL my paperwork - recent pay stubs, my last SAR7, lease agreement, everything. I asked to speak with a supervisor immediately and said "I need an emergency review of my case because your system made an error that's causing financial hardship." The magic words seem to be "emergency review" and "supervisor." Don't let them tell you to just wait for a callback or that they'll "look into it." Be polite but firm that you need this resolved immediately because of your rent situation. If the first person can't help, ask for their supervisor. And definitely ask for that detailed benefit calculation worksheet others mentioned - that's what revealed the error in my case. Also, bring a notebook and write down the name of everyone you talk to and what they tell you. When I finally got mine fixed, I got retroactive payments for all the money they had incorrectly withheld. You've got this! Don't let them make you feel like you did something wrong when you clearly didn't.

This is such a stressful situation and unfortunately happens way too often! I had my CalWORKs reduced unexpectedly last year and it turned out to be a computer glitch that merged my case with someone else's income information. Here are a few additional things to check while you're waiting for Monday: - Log into your CalWIN account if your county uses that system - sometimes there are case notes or alerts that aren't visible elsewhere - Check if you received any mail that might have been misdelivered or accidentally thrown away - Look at your last few months of EBT deposits to see if there was any pattern or gradual decrease you might have missed When you do get through to someone, ask them to pull up your "eligibility determination" screen and read you exactly what income and household information they have on file. Sometimes you'll catch discrepancies immediately when you hear what they're looking at. The fact that you haven't changed anything and it's been consistent for a year makes this sound like either a system error or outdated information finally being processed. Stay persistent and don't accept "we'll call you back" as an answer when you have rent due. You deserve a real explanation and immediate resolution if it's their mistake. Sending you good luck for Monday! Please update us - these stories help other people going through the same thing.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this right now, especially with rent due so soon! This exact thing happened to me about 8 months ago - my CalWORKs dropped by $163 with absolutely no warning or explanation. I was panicking just like you are now. Here's what I learned from that experience: Don't wait until Monday to start gathering information. Go through ALL your mail from the past 2-3 months, including anything that might have looked like junk mail. Sometimes the Notice of Action gets mixed in with other county correspondence or comes in a plain envelope that doesn't look important. Also, call your county's 24-hour automated line again, but this time try pressing different menu options to see if there's a way to get more detailed information about recent case actions. Some counties have hidden menu options that give you more details than the basic balance inquiry. When you do get through on Monday, the absolute first thing to say is: "My CalWORKs benefit was reduced without proper notice and I need an emergency supervisor review because this is causing immediate financial hardship with my rent due." Don't let them transfer you around or tell you to wait for a callback. One more thing - if your county has a local legal aid office, consider calling them Monday too. They often have advocates who know exactly how to navigate these situations and can sometimes conference call with the county on your behalf. You're going to get through this! The fact that you haven't changed anything makes it very likely this is their error, and they have to fix it.

I'm really sorry you're going through this stress, Joy! This happened to my cousin last year and it turned out the county had processed an old child support case that had been sitting in their system for months. Even though no actual child support was being collected, the system automatically reduced her Cash Aid because it thought support was coming in. When you call Monday, definitely ask them to check if there are any child support cases or collections activities on file for your kids' father - even old or inactive ones. Sometimes these get reactivated in the system without any actual money changing hands, but it still affects your CalWORKs calculation. Also, try calling the county's main number and asking for the "CalWORKs fraud prevention unit" - I know it sounds scary, but they're actually really good at catching system errors and processing mistakes because they have access to different screens than regular eligibility workers. The fact that you've had the same amount for almost a year with no changes on your end makes this sound like definitely a system glitch or processing error. Don't let them make you feel like you did something wrong! Take notes on everything they tell you and don't accept vague answers. You deserve a clear explanation of exactly what changed in their calculation. Hoping you get this resolved quickly - keep us posted!

This is such a frustrating situation and I'm so sorry you're dealing with this right before rent is due! Reading through all these responses, it sounds like there are so many possible causes - system errors, old paperwork getting processed, child support issues, even data entry mistakes. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is checking if there were any changes to the federal or state CalWORKs policies that went into effect recently. Sometimes benefit amounts get adjusted due to policy changes, but they're supposed to give advance notice. You might want to ask specifically if there were any "federal or state mandated adjustments" applied to your case. Also, since you mentioned your CalFresh increased recently, it's worth asking them to verify that your household composition is still correct in both programs. Sometimes when one program gets updated, it can accidentally trigger changes in the other program if there are discrepancies in how your household is recorded. The advice about going in person Monday morning is solid - definitely do that with all your paperwork. And don't leave without a clear written explanation of what happened, even if they have to print out screens from their computer. You have every right to understand how your benefits are calculated. Hang in there - with all the good advice in this thread, you're going to be well-prepared to get this sorted out!

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress, especially with rent coming due! This exact situation happened to my neighbor a few months ago - her CalWORKs suddenly dropped by about $200 and it turned out the county had processed some paperwork incorrectly that counted her temporary pandemic unemployment benefits as ongoing income, even though that had ended over a year ago. One thing that might help while you're waiting for Monday - try logging into your county's online portal (if they have one) and look for any recent "case actions" or "correspondence" that might not have been mailed to you yet. Sometimes there are electronic notices that get posted before the paper ones are sent. Also, when you do get through on Monday, ask them specifically about any "mass eligibility reviews" or "data matches" that might have been processed recently. Counties sometimes run these automated checks that can trigger benefit changes based on old information in their system. The good news is that if this was their error (which it sounds like it probably is since you haven't changed anything), they're required to restore your benefits and pay you retroactively. Don't let them brush you off - you have rights as a recipient and they need to provide a clear explanation for any benefit reduction. Stay strong and keep advocating for yourself! Please update us on what you find out - these stories really help other people who go through the same thing.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress right before rent is due! This happened to me about a year ago - my CalWORKs dropped by $175 with no explanation. It turned out the county had made an error in their system that incorrectly applied someone else's income information to my case. Here's what I learned: Don't wait until Monday to start documenting everything. Take screenshots of your EBT account showing the reduced amount, gather all your recent pay stubs, and look through EVERY piece of mail from the county in the past few months - sometimes the Notice of Action gets buried in other paperwork or comes in a plain envelope. When you call Monday, be very specific: "My CalWORKs was reduced without proper notice and I need an emergency supervisor review because this is causing immediate hardship with my rent due." Don't let them transfer you around. Ask for the exact calculation showing how they got your new amount and request a copy of any Notice of Action. Also try going to the office in person first thing Monday morning if you can - sometimes face-to-face gets faster results than phone calls. Bring everything with you and don't leave without a clear written explanation. The good news is that when they figured out it was their mistake, I got all the missing money back retroactively. Stay persistent and don't let them make you feel like you did something wrong when you clearly haven't changed anything!