CalWORKs benefit didn't arrive after hospitalization - will Cash Aid be discontinued?
I'm so worried about my CalWORKs Cash Aid situation right now. My monthly payment didn't show up on my EBT card yesterday like it always does. I've been receiving CalWORKs for about 8 months with no problems until now. The thing is, I was hospitalized for almost 3 weeks in December with pneumonia and couldn't attend my scheduled WTW orientation meeting. I called my caseworker twice before going to the hospital but only got voicemail. Now I'm panicking that they cut off my benefits because I missed that meeting! Has anyone had their CalWORKs stopped because of a medical emergency? Do I need a doctor's note to prove I was hospitalized? I'm a single mom with two kids and rent is due next week. I can't afford to lose this money right now.
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Lukas Fitzgerald
ya this hapened to me too but it was cuz i broke my leg. u need to get a medical exemption form filled out by ur doctor. they can backdate it to when u were in hospital. call ur worker asap.
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Nadia Zaldivar
•Thank you! Do you know what this form is called? I've tried calling my worker 4 times today but can't get through the phone system.
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Ev Luca
Being hospitalized absolutely qualifies for a good cause exemption from WTW requirements. You need to request the CW 2186A form (Good Cause Determination) and have your doctor complete a CW 61 (Medical Report form). Both need to be submitted ASAP - they can make this retroactive, but you have to act quickly. Your cash aid was likely discontinued because the system automatically flagged you as non-compliant with WTW when you missed that orientation. This is fixable but requires documentation.
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Avery Davis
•the CW 61 is a pain to get doctors to fill out sometimes. make sure u tell them exactly which dates to include on it. and bring the form to ur appointment, dont expect them to have it.
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Nadia Zaldivar
I've been trying to call my worker all day but the line just disconnects after I'm on hold for like 25 minutes! How am I supposed to get these forms if I can't even talk to someone?
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Collins Angel
•I had the EXACT same problem last month!!! The county phone system is a joke. I literally called 39 times in one day and got disconnected every single time. Finally I used Claimyr.com and got through to my worker in about 10 minutes. It basically waits on hold for you and calls you when a real person answers. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE - totally worth it when you're dealing with an emergency situation like benefits being cut off.
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Marcelle Drum
Did they send you ANY notice before stopping your benefits? They're required to mail you a Notice of Action at least 10 days before discontinuing your CalWORKs. Check all your mail from the county. If they didn't send a proper notice, you have grounds for immediate reinstatement!
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Nadia Zaldivar
•I just checked all my mail again and found a notice dated January 10th saying I needed to contact them about missed WTW activities by Jan 25th or face discontinuance. I was still recovering from pneumonia and didn't open all my mail. 😠This is my fault.
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Tate Jensen
I went through something similar when I had surgery last year. Even if you missed their deadline, you can still file for a good cause exemption retroactively. Get the CW 2186A form AND request a state hearing at the same time (just in case). The important thing to know is that when you have your benefits reinstated with good cause, they should pay you retroactively for any missed months. So you won't lose that money forever if you can prove you were hospitalized. Also, make sure you're talking to both your regular eligibility worker AND your WTW worker - they're usually different people and handle different aspects of your case.
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Adaline Wong
•Great advice! Also worth noting that if you're still dealing with medical issues, you might qualify for a WTW exemption going forward too. An exemption can last up to 12 months depending on your condition and doctor's recommendation.
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Nadia Zaldivar
Update: I finally got through to someone at the county office! They're mailing me the medical exemption forms today, and I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow to get them filled out. The worker I spoke with said once they verify my hospitalization, they should be able to reinstate my benefits and issue payment for this month. Thank you all for your help!
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Avery Davis
•thats great! make sure u keep copies of EVERYTHING u submit to them. take pictures with ur phone before u hand anything in. ive had them lose my paperwork so many times
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Gabriel Ruiz
This happened to my cousin and they made her reapply for the whole program from scratch! She lost like 6 weeks of benefits even though she was in the hospital for legitimate reasons. The CalWORKs system is totally broken. They expect people who are literally in medical crisis to somehow still meet all these ridiculous paperwork deadlines. It's inhumane!
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Tate Jensen
•That shouldn't have happened. Your cousin should have requested a state hearing - they can't make you reapply if you had good cause for missing requirements and submit documentation within a reasonable timeframe. There's a 90-day window to appeal these decisions.
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Nadia Zaldivar
Final update: Just wanted to let everyone know that my benefits were reinstated today! My doctor filled out the CW 61 form verifying my 3-week hospitalization, and the county accepted it as good cause for missing the WTW orientation. They're depositing this month's payment tomorrow, and I didn't have to reapply. Thank you all again for your advice - it really helped me navigate this scary situation.
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Lukas Fitzgerald
•awesome! so glad it worked out for u!
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