CalWORKs denied our family after husband's layoff even though I submitted all the income proof

I had this EXACT thing happen last year! They denied my CalWORKs application claiming I didn't provide income verification even though I submitted everything through BenefitsCal. Here's what worked for me:1. Bring MULTIPLE copies of everything (termination letter, final paystubs, rent agreement, etc)2. Ask specifically for a supervisor if the front desk person tries to tell you to just reapply3. Get a receipt for EVERY document you hand them4. Request an appeal form (SAR 22) while you're there - having this in your hand makes them take you more seriouslyMost importantly, ask them to note in your case that your husband is now UNEMPLOYED so your household income has significantly changed. Make sure they understand this isn't about past income but your current situation. Also, ask about expedited processing since you have no income right now.Good luck! The system is frustrating but be persistent!

Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I didn't know about the SAR 22 form. I'll definitely ask for that and request a supervisor. Did you have to wait long when you went in person? I'm trying to figure out if I should bring my kids or ask a neighbor to watch them... my appointment is at 9am but I'm worried we'll be there all day.

theres no point going in person tbh.... the offices r all the same. they'll make u wait 4-5 hrs then tell u to reapply online anyways. I did this 3x before i got approved. Just know that if ur husbands getting unemployment that counts as income 4 calworks and they'll prob give u less $$

He applied for unemployment but hasn't been approved yet or received any payments. I'm worried if I reapply online we'll just have the same problem again where they don't look at the documents I upload. But you're right about the wait times... last time I went in person for CalFresh I was there for 4 hours. 😩

I'm sorry you're dealing with this frustration. A few important things to know about CalWORKs applications when there's a job loss:1. They need to clearly see the date of termination to establish when income stopped2. You should specifically request an \

wait what's an immediate need payment?? I didn't know that existed! Can regular calworks people get this too or just new applications? I've been waiting 3 weeks for my semi-annual review to process and my rent is due friday 😕

Immediate Need payments are primarily for new applications, but there's also something called \

Have you tried calling the customer service number? I spent 2 weeks trying to get through to anyone at my county office and kept getting disconnected. Finally I found out about Claimyr.com which got me through to a real worker in 15 minutes! I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE) and it worked exactly like they showed. The worker was able to see that my documents WERE in the system but hadn't been reviewed yet. She expedited my case and I was approved 3 days later. Worth trying before spending your whole day at the office!

I used this service too when my benefits got cut off suddenly. It's crazy we have to use a third-party service just to talk to our caseworkers, but it actually works. My worker admitted they had a huge backlog of documents to review and mine was sitting in the queue for weeks. Once I got through, they fixed it that same day.

Thanks for the suggestion! I looked at the site and might try this if tomorrow's office visit doesn't fix things. It's ridiculous that we need special services just to talk to someone, but at this point I'll try anything to get our case resolved. If I can avoid taking another day off work to go to the office again, it would be worth it.

Make sure you're very clear about requesting CalWORKs specifically and not just CalFresh. I see from your post you mentioned applying for 'cash aid' so you probably know this, but I was confused when I first applied and didn't realize they were separate programs. The worker kept talking about my 'benefits' and I thought everything was being processed together, but they were only working on my food stamps!Also, when you go in, write down the name and ID number of EVERY person you talk to. This helps if you need to follow up later. And if they tell you that you need to provide additional documents, ask them to give you a list IN WRITING of exactly what they need.And yes definitely mention that you have no income right now and ask about expedited processing!

Yes, I'm definitely applying for CalWORKs cash aid specifically. We already have CalFresh but it's not enough with rent and utilities. Good tip about writing down names - I'll bring a notebook to keep track of everything. I'm hoping they can expedite since we have literally $0 income right now.

Also make sure to ask about the **diaper stipend** if your kids are under 3! It's an extra $30 per month per eligible child on CalWORKs that many workers don't tell you about. And definitely apply for the childcare assistance program too - they'll cover childcare costs while your husband is doing Welfare to Work activities or job searching. Some counties can backdate childcare payments too if you've been paying out of pocket.

My youngest is 2 so we would qualify for the diaper benefit! I had no idea about that. Do I need to bring anything special to prove her age besides her birth certificate? And yes, childcare assistance would be amazing - it's so expensive and eating up what little savings we had left.

gooooood luck getting anything from them lol... jk but not really. make sure u get there like an HOUR before they open if u want any chance of being seen before noon. and u know they gonna lose ur paperwork again so take pictures of EVERYTHING before u hand it over!!

Ughhhh that's what I'm afraid of. I'm planning to get there 30 minutes early but maybe I should aim for earlier. And great tip about taking pictures - I'll definitely document everything I submit. I'm not letting them claim I didn't provide documents again!

One more important thing - when you go to the office tomorrow, ask specifically about a \

Thank you! I'll specifically ask about reopening rather than reapplying - that would save so much time. And we're definitely prepared for the WTW requirements. My husband is already job searching every day and would be happy to document everything. He just needs something to tide us over until he finds a new job, which hopefully won't take more than a couple months.