CalWORKs denied for IHSS income from previous month - help needed

This happens ALL THE TIME with CalWORKs. Your worker should have used your February income since you provided proof of the change. You need to file for a hearing ASAP - you only have 90 days from the date on your denial notice. Check the back of your denial letter for instructions on how to request a hearing. Make sure to clearly explain that your current income (February onward) is what should be considered, not January's. While waiting for the hearing, you should also try contacting your worker again to see if they can correct this without going through the hearing process.

same thing happnd to me but with my job hours. i got cut from full time to part time and they still counted my full time pay when i applied. what worked for me was going IN PERSON to the office and asking to speak to a supervisor. bring all ur proof with u. they fixed it that same day for me and i didnt have to do the whole appeal thing. good luck!

ya i waited like 2 hrs but it was worth it. bring something to do lol

You should both appeal AND reapply at the same time. Here's why: 1. Appeals can take 45-90 days to resolve (though they might expedite it) 2. If you win the appeal, benefits could be retroactive to your original application date 3. But a new application might process faster than waiting for the appeal Also, make sure you're very clear about the "change in circumstances" - that's the key term to use with CalWORKs. They're required to consider changes that affect your eligibility, especially income reductions. Bring a copy of your IHSS timesheet from January, your February NOA showing the reduction, and any communication you had with your worker about submitting both documents. Good luck!

Did you get anything in writing when you told your worker about the change? I always send emails to create a paper trail when dealing with benefits. It's saved me multiple times when they try to say I never told them something. Also this isn't just a CalWORKs issue, this happens with CalFresh and Medi-Cal too. The WHOLE system is broken and they make us jump through so many hoops just to get basic help!!!! It's INFURIATING!!!!

I'm having the exact opposite problem lol. My IHSS hours increased but they're still using my old income amount to calculate my benefits. The system really doesn't work well with IHSS income changes in either direction!

Have you tried calling the customer service line? I know it can be impossible to get through, but I found this service called Claimyr that gets you through to a real person at CalWORKs without waiting on hold forever. Seriously changed my life when dealing with my benefits issues! I was about to give up after being on hold for hours. You can check them out at claimyr.com and they even have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE It helped me get through to fix an issue similar to yours - they had calculated my income wrong and I needed it fixed ASAP.

Yeah it actually works! They call and wait on hold for you, then call you when they get a real person. Saved me hours of frustration.

Update: I went to the office in person this morning and brought all my documents. Had to wait almost 3 hours but finally got to speak with a supervisor. They agreed they should have used my February income since I provided proof of the change before they made their decision! They're going to reprocess my application using the correct income. The supervisor said I should get a new determination letter within 7-10 days. Thanks everyone for your help!

Can I ask how much your IHSS pay went down? My mom is on IHSS and I'm worried about her hours getting cut too. Is this happening to everyone???

the same exact thing happened to me but with my job income. i quit my full time job and started a part time one but they still counted my old income even tho i gave them my new paystubs. the whole system is rigged i swear

So glad you got it resolved by going in person! This is exactly why I always recommend talking to a supervisor when the regular worker makes mistakes like this. The system is supposed to consider current income, especially when you provide documentation of a change BEFORE they make their decision. It's frustrating that you had to waste 3 hours waiting, but at least they admitted their error and are fixing it. Hopefully other people dealing with similar income changes will see this and know that persistence pays off. Make sure you get a copy of everything they processed today for your records!