CalWORKs benefits still showing 'active' instead of 'pending' after redetermination - will payment still come?

Yea that happened to me too! Mine stayed active the whole time and I still got my benefits on the regular day. I think they changed something in the system maybe? I was freaking out too but the money showed up right on time.

The online system doesn't always accurately reflect the current status of your benefits. If your caseworker confirmed everything is good, you should be fine. The 'active' vs 'pending' status in BenefitsCal has been inconsistent since they updated the system in late 2024. What's more important is that your eligibility was confirmed and your worker said you're good to go. If you want extra reassurance, you can check your EBT card balance on your normal deposit date to confirm the funds were added.

my cousing had the opposite problem her benfit said pending for like 3 weeks but she still got paid on time so i dont think the status on benefitscal means anything anymore tbh

I've been on CalWORKs for almost 3 years and honestly the online system is so glitchy!!! One month it shows one thing, next month something else. As long as your caseworker confirmed you're good, I wouldn't worry too much. Did you complete your SAR7 on time and submit all verification documents they asked for? That's the most important part.

I've noticed the system being weird lately too. My benefits went from pending to active to pending again all within the same day last month! But I still got my Cash Aid and CalFresh just like normal. The workers told me to just ignore the online status and only worry if I get an actual Notice of Action in the mail saying there's a problem.

If you're still worried, have you tried calling the CalWORKs customer service line again to double check? I've had so many issues with getting through to my worker recently. I started using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you skip the phone queues and actually get through to a human. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE After trying for days to reach someone, I got through in 20 minutes with their help. Might be worth it for peace of mind if you're really concerned about your benefits.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE!!! I've had active benefits that suddenly stopped with NO NOTICE and "pending" benefits that never came! Don't trust ANYTHING the computer says and ALWAYS get your worker to send you an email confirming what they tell you on the phone. I learned the hard way that "everything is fine" doesn't mean anything unless it's in writing. Screenshot EVERYTHING too!!!

CalWORKs eligibility worker here. The BenefitsCal portal has been displaying inconsistent status indicators since the January 2025 system update. This is a known issue that the state is working to fix. Here's what you need to know: 1. The actual determination of your benefits happens in the county's system (CalSAWS), not in BenefitsCal 2. If your worker confirmed your eligibility verbally, your benefits are almost certainly approved 3. The 'active' status actually means your case is currently authorized for benefits 4. Only worry if you receive an official Notice of Action (NOA) indicating a problem 5. If your payment doesn't arrive on your regular issuance date, then contact your worker immediately The status display issues should be resolved in the next system update.

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know my Cash Aid came through right on schedule today! The status in BenefitsCal never changed from 'active' but the money showed up in my account this morning. Thanks for all the help and reassurance everyone!

This is such valuable information for everyone dealing with the same confusion! I'm a newcomer to this community and CalWORKs, and I was actually experiencing something similar with my benefits showing different statuses than expected. Reading through all these responses, especially the explanation from the eligibility worker about the January 2025 system update, really helps me understand what's going on. It's reassuring to know that the actual benefit processing happens in a different system than what we see online. Thank you for sharing your experience and update - it gives me confidence that the system issues are temporary and benefits are still being processed correctly even when the display is confusing.

As someone new to CalWORKs, this whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I just started receiving benefits last month and I've been constantly checking BenefitsCal because I wasn't sure what all the different statuses meant. I had no idea about the January system update causing these display issues. It's really reassuring to hear from an actual eligibility worker explaining that the real processing happens in CalSAWS, not what we see online. I've been so anxious about every little change in the system, but now I understand I should focus on getting official notices and confirming with my caseworker rather than obsessing over the online status. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it makes navigating this system feel less overwhelming when you have a community of people who understand what you're going through!

I'm so grateful I found this thread! I just got approved for CalWORKs two weeks ago and I've been checking BenefitsCal obsessively because I had no idea what was normal. When I saw my status showing as 'active' instead of 'pending' like some posts online mentioned, I started panicking that something was wrong with my case. Reading everyone's experiences here, especially the detailed explanation from the eligibility worker about the January system update, has been such a relief. It's really comforting to know that these display issues are known problems and that the actual benefit processing is happening correctly in the background. As someone who's never navigated government benefits before, having a community like this where people share real experiences and practical advice makes such a difference. Thank you all for taking the time to help each other out!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm currently going through my first redetermination process and was experiencing the exact same confusion about my benefits showing as 'active' instead of 'pending'. Like many others here, I was checking BenefitsCal multiple times a day and getting more anxious each time. The explanation from the eligibility worker about the January 2025 system update completely cleared things up for me - I had no idea there were known display issues or that the real processing happens in CalSAWS rather than what we see online. It's such a relief to know that as long as my caseworker confirms everything is good and I don't receive any negative notices, I can trust that my benefits will come through. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, especially those who provided updates about actually receiving their payments despite the confusing status displays. Having a supportive community like this makes navigating the CalWORKs system so much less stressful!

I'm brand new to this community and to CalWORKs (just started my application process last month), and this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I was actually searching online because I've been seeing conflicting information about what different status indicators mean in BenefitsCal, and stumbling across this discussion answered so many questions I didn't even know I had. The explanation from the eligibility worker about the January 2025 system update is incredibly helpful - I wish this kind of information was more readily available to new applicants. It would save so much anxiety! I'm bookmarking this thread because I have a feeling I'll be referring back to it as I go through my own redetermination processes. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences and especially to those who took the time to provide detailed explanations. It's reassuring to know there's a knowledgeable community here to help navigate these confusing systems. The fact that the original poster came back with an update showing everything worked out despite the system display issues gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.

I'm completely new to this community and to CalWORKs, and this thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm in the middle of my very first redetermination right now and was having the exact same panic about my benefits showing 'active' instead of 'pending'. I've been refreshing BenefitsCal probably 20 times a day because I had no clue what was normal. The detailed explanation from the eligibility worker about the January system update is so incredibly helpful - I wish they would send out notices about these kinds of technical issues so we don't all freak out thinking something's wrong with our cases! It's such a relief to understand that the real processing happens in CalSAWS and that the display issues are a known problem. Reading everyone's real experiences, especially seeing the original poster's update that their payment came through despite the confusing status, gives me so much confidence. As someone who's never dealt with government benefits before, having a community like this where people actually help each other navigate these systems is amazing. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your knowledge and experiences!

I'm brand new to both this community and CalWORKs, and this entire discussion has been absolutely incredible to find! I literally just submitted my first redetermination paperwork yesterday and was already starting to worry about what different status changes might mean in BenefitsCal. Reading through everyone's experiences here, especially the detailed technical explanation from the eligibility worker about the January 2025 system update, has saved me from what would have been weeks of unnecessary anxiety. It's so frustrating that these kinds of system issues aren't communicated clearly to recipients - I can't imagine how many people are out there panicking like the original poster was, not knowing that the display problems are a known issue. The fact that this community has actual workers who can provide insider knowledge about how the system really works is amazing. Seeing the original poster's update that their payment came through despite the confusing status gives me so much confidence going into my own redetermination process. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where people share real experiences and help each other navigate these complex systems!

I'm completely new to this community and just started receiving CalWORKs benefits last month. This whole thread has been so incredibly helpful! I was actually experiencing something very similar - my benefits have been showing different statuses than what I expected based on what I read online, and I've been checking BenefitsCal obsessively wondering if something was wrong. The explanation from the eligibility worker about the January 2025 system update is a game-changer - I had absolutely no idea there were known display issues or that the real processing happens in CalSAWS rather than what we see in the portal. It's so frustrating that they don't communicate these technical problems to recipients! Reading everyone's real experiences here, especially seeing your update that the payment came through right on schedule despite the confusing status, gives me so much confidence. As someone who's never navigated government benefits before, having a supportive community like this where people share practical knowledge and help each other understand how the system actually works makes such a huge difference. Thank you for sharing your experience and taking the time to update us - it really helps newcomers like me feel less anxious about these system quirks!

I'm completely new to this community and to CalWORKs (just got approved three weeks ago), and finding this thread has been such a relief! I was experiencing the exact same issue - my benefits are showing as 'active' when I expected them to show 'pending' during my first month, and I've been frantically checking BenefitsCal multiple times a day thinking something was wrong with my case. The detailed explanation from the eligibility worker about the January 2025 system update causing these display issues is incredibly valuable information that I wish was communicated more clearly to new recipients. It's so reassuring to understand that the actual benefit processing happens in CalSAWS and that these status inconsistencies are a known technical problem rather than issues with our individual cases. Reading everyone's real experiences here, especially your update that your payment came through right on schedule despite the confusing online status, gives me so much confidence as I navigate my first few months on the program. As someone who's never dealt with government benefits before, having a supportive community like this where experienced members and even workers share practical knowledge makes such a huge difference in reducing the anxiety that comes with not understanding how these systems actually work. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and provide that crucial update - it really helps newcomers like me feel more secure about trusting the process even when the technology seems unreliable!

I'm brand new to this community and just started my CalWORKs application process last week. This entire thread has been absolutely amazing to discover! I was already getting anxious about what to expect during the redetermination process and what all the different status indicators in BenefitsCal might mean. Reading through everyone's real experiences here, especially the detailed explanation from the eligibility worker about the January 2025 system update causing display issues, has given me such valuable insight into how the system actually works behind the scenes. It's really frustrating that these technical problems aren't clearly communicated to recipients - I can only imagine how many people are out there panicking about status changes not knowing it's a known system issue. The fact that this community has actual workers willing to share insider knowledge about CalSAWS vs. BenefitsCal processing is incredible. Seeing your update that your payment came through on time despite the confusing status display gives me so much confidence as I prepare for my own journey with this program. Thank you for sharing your experience and taking the time to update everyone - it really helps newcomers like me understand that we can trust the process even when the technology seems unreliable. Having a supportive community like this where people help each other navigate these complex systems makes such a huge difference!

I'm completely new to this community and just received my CalWORKs approval two weeks ago! This thread has been absolutely invaluable - I was experiencing the exact same confusion about my benefits showing 'active' instead of what I thought should be 'pending' status. Like so many others here, I've been obsessively checking BenefitsCal multiple times a day, getting more anxious each time because I had no idea what was normal. The explanation from the eligibility worker about the January 2025 system update causing these display issues is such crucial information that I wish was provided to new recipients upfront! Understanding that the real processing happens in CalSAWS rather than what we see in BenefitsCal completely changes my perspective on these status inconsistencies. Reading everyone's real experiences, especially your update that your payment came through right on schedule despite the confusing online display, gives me so much confidence moving forward. As someone who's never navigated government benefits before, having a supportive community like this where experienced members and workers share practical knowledge makes such a difference in reducing the overwhelming anxiety that comes with not understanding how these systems actually function. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and provide that reassuring update - it really helps newcomers like me learn to trust the process even when the technology appears unreliable!