CalWORKs denied my 17-year-old but accepted younger kids - Child Act form confusion
I'm so confused about what just happened with my CalWORKs case. I recently reapplied to add all my kids back to my Cash Aid after they were staying with their dad for a few months. The worker had me fill out something called a "Child Act form" but it specifically said for children under 16 years old. They only gave me this form for my younger kids (11 and 13) but nothing for my oldest who's 17. When I got my approval notice yesterday, they only added the younger ones to my grant, not my 17-year-old daughter. She lives with me full-time now just like the younger ones! Is there some rule that teens over 16 can't be added to CalWORKs? Or did my worker make a mistake? My daughter is still in high school and definitely dependent on me. Has anyone dealt with this age cutoff issue before?
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Amara Eze
Your 17-year-old absolutely CAN be on your CalWORKs case! There's no age cutoff at 16 - children can be included until they turn 18, or even up to 19 if they're going to graduate high school before their 19th birthday. The "Child Act form" (which is probably the CW 25 Child Support Questionnaire) for under 16 is specifically related to child support cooperation requirements, not eligibility. For kids under 16, there are different child support cooperation rules. You need to contact your worker ASAP and tell them your 17-year-old needs to be added. Make sure you have her school enrollment verification ready. They should add her retroactive to when you requested to add her, assuming she meets all other eligibility requirements.
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Liam McGuire
•OMG thank you!! That makes so much sense. I was so confused why they would exclude her for being 17. So do I need to fill out a different form for her then? Or just call and say they made a mistake?
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Giovanni Greco
the same thing happined to me last yr with my 16 yr old. they didnt add him at first bcuz they said I didnt turn in school verification for him. did u give them proof shes in school? thats probly why
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Liam McGuire
•They never asked me for school verification! I would have given it if they asked. So frustrating. I'll get her school records ready before I call.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
This system is RIGGED to make it as confusing as possible!!! Those workers intentionally 'forget' to tell you what forms you need for older kids hoping you won't notice. They're trying to save money by not adding your 17 year old to your grant. I had the EXACT SAME ISSUE last year with my teenager and had to fight for 3 months to get him added - by then he was almost 18 anyway! Call them EVERY DAY until they fix it. And demand retroactive payments from when you first applied to add her!
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Dylan Wright
•Not every worker is trying to trick people. Sometimes they're just overworked and miss things. I've had mostly good experiences with my CalWORKs workers.
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Sofia Torres
I work with CalWORKs families as part of my job, so I can clarify what might be happening here. The form you're referring to is likely the CW 25, which is related to child support requirements. For children under 16, different child support cooperation rules apply. For your 17-year-old, you definitely need to contact your worker because there are additional verification requirements for teens 16-18. They need to verify: 1. School enrollment (full-time attendance) 2. That she isn't married 3. That she isn't emancipated I recommend calling your worker directly and asking specifically what verification they need for your 17-year-old. Teenagers 16-18 can absolutely be included in your CalWORKs case if they meet these requirements. Also, ask them to explain what additional forms you need to complete for her specifically.
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Liam McGuire
•This is so helpful, thank you! She definitely meets all those requirements - full-time in school, not married, not emancipated. I'll call tomorrow with her school verification ready. Should I ask for retroactive benefits since I applied to add her at the same time as my other kids?
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GalacticGuardian
just wondering - did u tell them ur 17 yr old has a job? if she works more than 20 hrs a week they mite not count her or somthing. my nephew got kicked off my sisters case when he got a part time job even tho he was only 16
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Liam McGuire
•No she doesn't have a job right now. She was working at the mall over winter break but that ended in January. She's full-time in school with no income.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
Let me save you HOURS of frustration trying to reach someone at the county. I had to call 18 TIMES over 3 days last month for my recertification issue. Finally I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person in under 5 minutes. It's the only way I could actually talk to someone who could help with my case. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE - they basically call the county for you and connect you when they get through. Seriously saved my sanity dealing with CalWORKs phone system.
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Liam McGuire
•Thank you! I'm going to check this out. I tried calling twice today already and got disconnected both times after waiting 30+ minutes. So frustrating when it's about my kid's benefits!
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Dmitry Smirnov
I'm going through something similar right now with my kids. Can someone explain the exact difference between kids under 16 and over 16 for CalWORKs? I'm really confused about the school verification part. My 16 year old missed some school because she was sick for 2 weeks. Will that affect her eligibility? I'm so worried they'll use any excuse to deny her portion of the benefits. And do I need to report her grades or just that she's enrolled?
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Amara Eze
•For teens 16-18, CalWORKs just needs verification they're attending school full-time. They don't look at grades, just enrollment and attendance. A 2-week illness absence with documentation should be excused - make sure you get a doctor's note. The main difference for kids 16+ is they have to meet the school attendance requirement, while younger kids don't have that requirement. You'll need to submit a School Attendance Verification form (CW 25A) for kids 16+ during application and at specific reporting periods.
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Dylan Wright
When I added my teenager back to my case last year, I had to specifically ask for the teen forms. They gave me a bunch of papers about school attendance requirements and how they check with the school district. Maybe they just forgot to give you those forms? It's worth calling to ask what happened.
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Liam McGuire
•I think you're right - they must have forgotten to give me those forms. Nobody mentioned anything about school verification for my 17-year-old. I'm definitely calling tomorrow.
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Sofia Torres
I just want to add that when you call about adding your 17-year-old to your case, specifically request that they add her retroactively to the date you initially requested to add all your children. Since this appears to be their error (not giving you the proper forms or instructions for your older child), they should correct it back to the original request date. Make sure to document everything - who you speak with, date and time, what they tell you. If they say they can't add her retroactively, ask to speak with a supervisor and explain that you were never informed about different requirements for your 17-year-old.
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Liam McGuire
•That's great advice. I'm going to write down exactly what happened and when I originally applied to add them all (March 15th). I really need that retroactive aid since I've been feeding and housing her this whole time with no help.
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