CalWORKs benefits suddenly discontinued after reporting changes - how to get them reinstated?

sounds like u hit ur IRT. they should of sent u letter first tho. did u check ur mail careful? sometimes they send it but it looks like junk mail n people throw it away.

This happens more often than you'd think. The most likely explanation is that you went over your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT), which would trigger a discontinuance. However, the county is required to send you a Notice of Action (NOA) at least 10 days before stopping your benefits. A few things to check: 1. Look for your most recent SAR7 or annual redetermination paperwork - it should list your current IRT amount 2. Calculate your monthly income (hourly rate × hours per week × 4.33) 3. Check if you have any recent mail from the county (sometimes they get delayed) If your income is actually below the IRT, you need to speak with a worker immediately to correct this. It could also be that something else was triggered during their review of your reported changes - like missing verification documents or an incomplete report.

the EXACT same thing happened to me in Jan!!! i reported my new job and they cut everything off with NO WARNING. turned out they needed a specific paystub verification but never told me. when i finally got thru to my worker she said the computer system automatically discontinued me because i didnt submit proof within 10 days. but HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THEY NEEDED IT if they dont tell me??? the system is designed to kick people off i swear

yeah they reinstated but it took almost THREE WEEKS and i had to get a supervisor involved. they backdated it at least. make sure u ask for backpay when u get it fixed!!!

With your income at $1,627, you're very likely over your IRT. For a single parent with one child, the IRT is usually around $1,500 (varies by family size). What's confusing is that the holidays might have been considered seasonal/temporary income which is treated differently sometimes. You need to talk to a worker ASAP. Have you tried going to the office in person? Sometimes that's faster than calling. Also, do you have any confirmation number or screenshot from when you reported the change? That might help your case.

Let me clarify some things here that might help you: 1. For a household of 3 (you + 2 kids), the CalWORKs IRT should be around $1,755 (as of 2025), so you may actually still be under it with your $1,627 income. 2. Even if you went over the IRT, they're required to send you a Notice of Action (NOA) before discontinuing benefits. They can't just cut you off without warning. 3. There are two possibilities here: either they made an administrative error, or they needed verification of your income change that you didn't provide. Without the verification, the system can auto-discontinue your case. 4. You should file for a State Hearing immediately - you have 90 days from when your benefits stopped. This preserves your right to get aid paid pending if you file within 10 days of the discontinuance. 5. While waiting for your hearing, you still need to speak with a worker to try to resolve this faster. Unfortunately, the phone lines are notoriously difficult to get through.

Have you had any luck getting through on the phone? I had a similar issue last month and was about to lose my mind trying to reach anyone. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at the county in like 15 minutes. They have this system that waits on hold for you and calls you back when a worker answers. Totally worth it in my situation since I was about to miss rent. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE

Yes, once I got through to an actual worker, she was able to see exactly what happened and fixed it that same day. My benefits were back on within 48 hours. The problem wasn't even my fault - there was a glitch in how my income was entered into their system that made it look like I was over the IRT when I wasn't.

im so mad at how they treat us. they expect us to follow EVERY TINY RULE but then they can just cut us off without warning?????? its like they want us to fail

Here's what you should do tomorrow: 1. Go to the county office as early as possible (bring ID and your case number) 2. Ask to speak with a worker about your discontinued benefits 3. Bring your proof of income (pay stubs) and the screenshot of your submitted report 4. Request a "Restoration of Aid" while they investigate 5. If they say you're over the IRT, ask for the exact calculation and what your specific IRT amount is 6. Request immediate issuance of benefits if you're facing an emergency (potential eviction, utilities shut-off, etc.) 7. Ask for a supervisor if the worker can't help you If you can't get to the office, definitely try calling again. Mornings (right when they open) tend to have shorter wait times. And file that State Hearing request form ASAP - you can usually find it online on your county's website.

One more thing - make sure to ask them about your WTW (Welfare to Work) requirements if they reinstate your benefits. Sometimes when these issues happen, your WTW assignment can get messed up too, and you don't want to get sanctioned for that on top of everything else.

UPDATE: I went to the office this morning and after waiting 3 hours, finally spoke to a worker. Turns out there were TWO issues: 1) I was slightly over my IRT (which is $1,580 for my family), and 2) They had requested verification of my new work hours but sent the notice to my old address even though I updated it months ago! The good news: they're reinstating my benefits at a reduced amount based on my new income. The supervisor approved an emergency issuance for this month that I'll get within 3 days. They're also going to update my address in all their systems. Thank you everyone for your help and advice! This community saved me from a potential eviction.

So relieved to hear you got it resolved! This is such a perfect example of why the system is so broken though - they discontinued your benefits for being $47 over the IRT AND sent the verification notice to the wrong address. Like, couldn't they have just reduced your benefit amount instead of cutting you off completely? And how is $1,580 supposed to support a family of 3 in California?? That's barely enough for rent in most places, let alone food, utilities, and everything else. At least you got the emergency issuance approved - that supervisor sounds like one of the good ones. Thanks for updating us, and I hope everything stays smooth from here on out!