CalWORKs benefits discontinued right after recertification approval - what went wrong?

This happened to me back in February! It turned out I missed a WTW appointment that was scheduled literally the day after my recertification interview. They never mentioned it during recert and I never got any notice about the appointment. Check your mail VERY carefully - sometimes they send these notices in really plain envelopes that look like junk mail. My benefits got reinstated but I had to go physically to the office and wait 4 hours to talk to someone.

There are a few common reasons this happens after recertification approval: 1) Missing Welfare to Work participation hours or appointment 2) Child support cooperation issue flagged in the system 3) Income reporting discrepancy - sometimes a previous employer reports to EDD and it creates a system flag 4) System glitch where your SAR7 or other verification was filed but not properly recorded The most important thing is to contact your worker directly ASAP. If they reinstate within 30 days, you'll likely get retroactive benefits for the missed period. Ask for a "Notice of Action" explaining why you were discontinued - they're required to provide this. Also check if you received any letters about income exceeding your IRT (Income Reporting Threshold) as that can trigger automatic discontinuance.

check ur benefitscal messages. sometimes they send notices through there that never come in the mail. also did u turn in ur SAR7?? even tho u did recert u still gotta do SAR7 if it was due

When this happened to me last year, I tried for THREE DAYS to get through on the phone with no luck. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at the CalWORKs office in about 20 minutes. They basically call for you and then connect you when they reach someone. Totally worth it for me since I was about to get evicted and needed my benefits reinstated ASAP. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Once I got through, it turned out there was a flag on my case because they thought I moved out of county (I didn't). They fixed it that same day and my benefits were back on within 48 hours.

THE EXACT SAME THING JUST HAPPENED TO ME!!!! Approved at recert then cut off two weeks later!!! This system is COMPLETELY BROKEN and they don't care at all about people struggling. I talked to a supervisor yesterday and they said it was because I didn't turn in my "child support cooperation form" which I DID turn in and have the receipt to prove it. Now they're saying it will take 10 DAYS to reinstate my benefits even though THEY made the mistake!!! How am I supposed to feed my kids and pay rent?? I'm so DONE with this broken system!!!

Last time this happened to me it was because I missed checking some tiny box on one of the forms. Apparently even though the worker reviewed everything with me during the interview, they still discontinued me because of this one unchecked box that no one pointed out. Didn't find out until I went in person. Do you have health benefits too through Medi-Cal? Sometimes that's a clue - if your Medi-Cal is still active but CalWORKs was cut off, it's usually a compliance issue rather than an eligibility issue (since they use the same income verification for both).

Since your Medi-Cal is still active, this is likely a CalWORKs-specific issue. Given what everyone has shared, I suspect it's either: 1) A WTW compliance issue 2) A missed checkbox on a form (as someone mentioned) 3) A child support cooperation requirement I strongly recommend going in person if you can. Bring ALL your paperwork, including your approval notice. Ask specifically for a "Case Review" and request to speak with a supervisor if needed. You have the right to request an immediate review when benefits have been discontinued, especially if you received no warning. Also, file for a "Fair Hearing" right away - you can do this online. Even if you resolve the issue before the hearing date, this protects your right to retroactive benefits and puts a formal appeal in the system.

my sister had this happen and it was becuase they sent her a form to her old address even tho she updated her address at recert. she never got the form so they cut her off. check if your address is correct in the system maybe?

I know it seems impossible to reach anyone by phone right now. Have you tried emailing your worker directly? Sometimes that works better than calling the main line. Also, check if your county has an emergency contact number specifically for benefit discontinuance issues - some counties have implemented this after all the problems during COVID. If you're really in a bind, contact your local legal aid office. They often have direct channels to supervisors at CalWORKs and can help get issues resolved faster than going through the normal channels. They might also help you file for emergency assistance if you're at risk of eviction or utility shutoff because of this error.

did u check if they sent u a Notice of Action? it should explain why they discontinued u. sometimes they send it after they already cut u off which is so messed up

Good news - if you never received a Notice of Action before discontinuance, you have an even stronger case for immediate reinstatement. CalWORKs is required by law to provide advance notice before terminating benefits (except in specific fraud cases). When you go to the office, specifically mention that you never received a discontinuance notice. This could actually work in your favor as they may need to reinstate immediately while they investigate what happened. When you get this resolved, I'd recommend signing up for all electronic notifications through BenefitsCal as a backup to mail. That way you'll get emails and texts about important notices in addition to paper mail.

This is such a common issue and it's really frustrating that the system works this way. I went through something similar last year where my benefits were cut off right after recertification approval. In my case, it turned out to be a data entry error - the worker had accidentally marked that I failed to provide verification for something I had actually submitted during the interview. A few things that helped me: First, when you go to the office (definitely go in person like others suggested), ask them to pull up your case file on the computer while you're sitting there. Sometimes they can see things in the system that don't show up in the notices they send out. Second, if it's a paperwork issue, ask them to process a "same day" correction if possible - some counties can do this for obvious errors. Also, since you mentioned rent is due soon, ask about emergency aid while your case is being reviewed. Some counties have a small emergency fund for situations exactly like this where benefits were wrongly discontinued. It's not much but it might help bridge the gap. Keep us updated on what happens - your experience might help someone else going through the same thing!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's absolutely maddening when the system fails you like this, especially right after you've jumped through all their hoops for recertification. Based on what everyone has shared here, it really sounds like there might be a missing form or compliance issue that wasn't properly communicated during your recert interview. The fact that your Medi-Cal is still active is actually a good sign that this is likely fixable. I'd definitely recommend going in person first thing tomorrow morning like others suggested. Bring every single piece of paperwork you have - your approval notice, all the verification docs you submitted, receipts if you have them, everything. When you get there, specifically ask to speak with a supervisor and mention that you never received a Notice of Action explaining the discontinuance (which they're legally required to provide). Also, don't let them brush you off or tell you to wait weeks for a resolution. This was their error after approving you, so push for immediate reinstatement. If they give you the runaround, mention that you're considering filing a Fair Hearing - sometimes that gets them to take action faster. Hang in there - from what I've seen in this community, most of these post-recert discontinuances get resolved once you can actually talk to a real person who can look at your case properly. Keep us posted on what happens!

I'm a newcomer here but this thread really caught my attention because I'm dealing with something similar - my case isn't discontinued yet but I've been having issues with my worker not responding to calls or emails for weeks. Reading everyone's experiences here is both helpful and terrifying! One thing I wanted to add that I learned from a friend who works at a legal aid office: if you do end up filing a Fair Hearing, make sure to request it within 90 days of when your benefits were cut off. After that window closes, it becomes much harder to get retroactive benefits even if you win the hearing. Also, I've noticed that some county offices have "customer service advocates" who are specifically trained to help resolve these kinds of system errors quickly. When you go in tomorrow, you might want to ask if they have someone in that role available - sometimes they can cut through the red tape faster than regular staff. Really hoping you get this sorted out quickly! The stress of not knowing if you can pay rent is just awful, especially when it's their mistake. Please keep us updated on what happens.

I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in because I went through almost the exact same situation last month! Got approved at recertification, then boom - benefits cut off two weeks later with just a text alert. No explanation, no advance notice, nothing. After reading through everyone's advice here (which is all spot-on), I want to add one more tip: when you go to the office tomorrow, ask them to print out your "case narrative" or "case history" while you're sitting there. This shows a chronological log of every action taken on your case. When they pulled mine up, we could see exactly where the error occurred - someone had entered the wrong code after my recertification interview, triggering an automatic discontinuance. The whole thing got fixed in about 30 minutes once we identified the specific error, and my benefits were restored the next business day. Sometimes it really is just a simple data entry mistake that snowballs into this huge mess. Also, totally agree with everyone saying to mention that you never got a Notice of Action. That's a big deal and they should prioritize getting your case reviewed immediately when there's been a procedural violation like that. Good luck tomorrow - I have a feeling this will get sorted out once you can get in front of someone who can actually look at your case properly!

I'm new to this community but had to chime in because I'm currently dealing with a very similar situation. My CalWORKs benefits were also discontinued unexpectedly after what seemed like a successful recertification process last month. Like you, I got the approval notice and then suddenly everything was cut off with just a text alert. Reading through all the responses here has been incredibly helpful - especially the advice about going in person and asking for specific things like the case narrative and speaking with a supervisor. I wanted to add that when I finally got through to someone (after using that Claimyr service another member mentioned - it actually worked for me too), they told me there's been a lot of these "system glitches" happening lately where cases get flagged for discontinuance even when everything was properly submitted. The worker I spoke with said they've had to manually override a lot of these automated discontinuances recently. She recommended that anyone experiencing this should specifically mention "system error" when they go in person, as that apparently triggers a different review process that can be resolved same-day in many cases. I'm still waiting for my benefits to be reinstated (they said 3-5 business days), but at least I have some hope now. Your post and everyone's responses have given me a much better roadmap for following up. I hope your visit to the office tomorrow goes smoothly and you get this sorted out quickly!

I'm new to this community but your situation sounds incredibly frustrating and unfortunately all too familiar. I went through something similar about 6 months ago where my benefits were cut off right after recertification approval with no warning or explanation. Reading through all the excellent advice here, I wanted to add one thing that helped me: when you go to the office tomorrow, if possible try to bring someone with you as a witness/advocate. Sometimes having another person there helps ensure you get proper attention and they take your situation seriously. If you can't bring someone, at least take detailed notes of everything they tell you - names, dates, what they say the issue is, etc. Also, I noticed several people mentioned system errors being common lately. In my case, it turned out my recertification interview had been properly completed but the worker forgot to clear an old "pending verification" flag in the system, which triggered an automatic discontinuance weeks later. Once they identified and cleared that flag, my benefits were restored within 24 hours. The fact that you have your approval notice in writing is huge - bring multiple copies of that with you tomorrow. Don't let them tell you that approval doesn't matter if there was a "subsequent issue" - if they approved you without mentioning any problems, the burden should be on them to explain exactly what changed. You've got this! Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like most of these post-recert discontinuances do get resolved once you can get in front of someone who actually knows how to navigate their system. Keep us posted on how it goes!