CalWORKs cash aid didn't increase after adding newborn but CalFresh did - normal or mistake?

congrats on ur baby! the same thing happened to me last year and i was freaking out. turned out my worker made a mistake and didnt actually process the baby as a new household member for cash aid even tho they did for calfresh. definitely call ur worker asap!!! the increase should be automatic and start the month after u reported the birth

It definitely should increase! Cash Aid amounts are based on your household size, and a newborn counts as a full household member. When you add a baby, both CalFresh and CalWORKs should increase the following month after you report the birth and provide verification (usually the birth certificate or hospital records). If you've already provided the verification and your CalFresh increased but not your Cash Aid, there's likely an error in processing. Your worker might have updated only one program and not the other. I'd suggest calling your county office directly and asking specifically about your CalWORKs grant amount calculation.

When I had my second baby my cash aid went up by like $122 I think? But that was in 2023 so amounts might be different now. Did you get a notice of action in the mail about your CalFresh increase? Usually you'll get separate notices for both programs if they both change.

I work in benefits advocacy, and this is almost certainly a processing error. Here's what might have happened: 1. Different workers might handle different parts of your case and the CalWORKs part wasn't processed 2. The worker might have entered the baby in the system but forgot to run the EDBC (Eligibility Determination Benefit Calculation) for CalWORKs 3. There could be a system glitch where the household composition update didn't trigger a benefit recalculation You should call right away and request an immediate review of your Cash Aid grant. The increase should be retroactive to the month after you reported the birth with proper verification. Make sure to ask them to check that your CalWORKs household size shows the correct number including your newborn.

I had this exact problem when I added my baby to my case! I spent three days trying to reach someone at the county office with no luck. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Once I got through, they fixed my cash aid amount right away and even gave me retroactive benefits for the month they missed. The extra cash was on my card the next day. Definitely worth getting this fixed because diapers are expensive!

MAKE SURE YOU CALL ABOUT THIS!!! The county makes mistakes ALL THE TIME with CalWORKs! When I had my baby last year they didn't increase my cash aid either and I had to call THREE TIMES before they fixed it. And guess what? They owed me almost $200 in backpay for the months they messed up! Don't let them get away with this - you and your baby deserve every penny you're eligible for!!!

btw did u also apply for the $900 one-time CalWORKs pregnancy special needs payment? u can get that if ur pregnant while on cash aid and then theres also the $500 diaper allowance for kids under 3

Just to clarify about the diaper stipend - it's actually $30 per month (not $500) for each child under 3 years old on CalWORKs. It should be automatically added to your cash aid amount, but since there seems to be an issue with your case update, you'll want to make sure they've applied that too. When you finally reach your worker, ask them to verify: 1. That your newborn has been added to your CalWORKs household 2. That your grant amount has been recalculated based on the new household size 3. That the diaper benefit has been added 4. Whether you're eligible for any retroactive payments Also, request a detailed breakdown of your cash aid calculation so you can understand exactly what you should be receiving.

Hey Bruno! Congrats on your new baby! 🎉 This is definitely not normal - your CalWORKs cash aid should have increased automatically when you added your newborn, just like your CalFresh did. The fact that only one program updated is a clear sign there was a processing error. I've seen this happen to several people in my family and it's always been a mistake on the county's end. Sometimes different workers handle different parts of your case and things get missed. The good news is that once you get it fixed, you should get retroactive payments for any months they missed. Since you're having trouble reaching your worker by phone, you might also try going to the office in person if possible, or submitting a written request for review. Document everything - keep notes of when you called, who you spoke with, etc. You deserve that increase and the extra support for your little one! Don't give up!