CalWORKs cut off because of 'income change' that never happened - now can't pay rent!

omg same thing happened to my cousin last month!! the county is a mess with this new system. she had to physically go down to the office and wait like 5 hours to talk to someone cuz the phones were useless. bring ALL ur paystubs with u when u go

This is happening to a lot of people right now with the CalSAWS transition. Even when your income stays the same, sometimes the system flags it incorrectly as a change. Two things you need to do immediately: 1. File for a State Hearing right away - this can protect your benefits while they investigate (you only have 90 days to request this) 2. Submit a formal Income Report form through BenefitsCal - don't just upload paystubs, make sure to complete the actual form stating your income has NOT changed You should also know that if they determine this was a county error, they have to restore the benefits retroactively. Keep detailed records of all your contact attempts!

Honest this is y I gave up on calworks they always doing this bs... Switch to calworks 2 calfrsh back 2 calworks in one YEAR!!! When my income never changed! system is broke AF

I had this EXACT problem last month! Called for 3 days straight and couldn't get through to anyone! I was about to lose my mind when another mom at my kid's school told me about Claimyr.com - it's a service that gets you through to an actual worker instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Used it and got connected to my worker in like 15 minutes. She fixed my case that same day and my benefits were back on within 48 hours. Something about the new system flagging income reports as "changes" even when nothing changes. Seriously worth trying if you need this fixed ASAP!

When you see a worker (either in person or by phone), make sure to specifically request EXPEDITED PROCESSING due to the imminent threat of eviction. This is critical! County offices are required to process emergency requests within 3 working days when homelessness is at risk. Also ask them specifically to review your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). If your income hasn't exceeded your IRT, they made a mistake in cutting you off without proper notice. The IRT should be listed on your last approval notice. Bring that with you too if you go in person. If they don't resolve this immediately, ask to speak with a supervisor and mention you'll be filing a civil rights complaint for improper benefit termination.

Is it possible you hit your Income Reporting Threshold without realizing it? Even a small raise or extra hours one week can trigger it. Check your last SAR7 or approval notice for your IRT amount. Once you go over that amount even once, you're required to report it within 10 days, even if your income goes back down the next month.

did u get like a discontinuance notice in the mail? sometimes they send those but people miss them cuz it looks like regular mail

I'm a benefits advocate, and I've been seeing this issue a lot with the CalSAWS transition. Here's what's happening: The new system is flagging income as "changed" even when it's stable because it's comparing to a different baseline than the old system used. It's a programming issue. Everyone affected should: 1. Request an immediate case review for "administrative error" (use those exact words) 2. Ask for "expedited aid restoration" due to imminent harm (potential eviction) 3. Request retroactive benefits from the date of discontinuance 4. File for a State Hearing using the back of any CalWORKs notice you've received or online at https://acms.dss.ca.gov/ If you request the hearing and specifically check the box for "aid pending" before the 10-day deadline, they must restore your benefits while investigating. The deadline is usually 10 days from the discontinuance notice date - but since you didn't receive notice, argue that the clock hasn't even started. Don't give up! This is a clear violation of your due process rights under MPP Section 22-072.

I'm so glad you got through to someone and they're reopening your case! This exact same thing happened to me 3 weeks ago - benefits cut off with no warning, same income for months. The worker told me it was definitely a system glitch where the new CalSAWS was flagging stable income as "changes." Mine took 4 days to get restored once they reopened it, but I did get all the back pay from when it was cut off. Make sure you ask them to put a note in your file about this being a system error so it doesn't happen again next month. And definitely keep all your documentation showing your income never changed - I had to prove it twice before they finally flagged my case as "stable income, do not auto-discontinue." Fingers crossed you get this sorted before your rent is due! The stress is unreal when you're just trying to keep a roof over your kid's head.