CalWORKs income limits for seniors - different from regular Cash Aid? Confused about eligibility
My mom (67) just moved in with me and my two kids after her landlord raised her rent. She gets social security but it's only about $950/month. I'm already on CalWORKs for me and my kids, but when I told my worker my mom moved in, she said I need to report her income and it might affect my benefits. But then my neighbor told me there's a different income limit for seniors on Cash Aid? Is that true? My mom really needs help too but I'm scared about losing my benefits if we add her to my case. Does anyone know if seniors have different rules or higher income limits for CalWORKs? Would it be better to have her apply separately?
22 comments
Join the conversation
CosmicVoyager
There's some confusion here. CalWORKs doesn't have special income limits for seniors - you might be thinking about CalFresh (food stamps) which does have different rules for elderly households. For CalWORKs, your mom would be considered part of your Assistance Unit if she's needy, but at 67, she's likely not eligible for CalWORKs herself. Her income would still be counted toward your household total though. What you should look into is having your mom apply for Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) if she's an immigrant, or SSI (Supplemental Security Income) if she's a citizen. SSI has much higher income limits than CalWORKs and is specifically designed for seniors and disabled individuals.
0 coins
Isabella Ferreira
•Thank you for explaining! She is a citizen and gets regular social security, not SSI. Would adding her to my household definitely reduce my CalWORKs amount then? We're really struggling with the extra person but less money coming in.
0 coins
Ravi Kapoor
when my grandma moved in with us last year they counted her social security against our calworks and it dropped our cash aid by like $200 😠its so stupid because its barely enough for her to live on anyway
0 coins
Freya Nielsen
•The system is completely broken. They expect elderly people to somehow survive on minimal social security and then penalize the families trying to help them. When my father-in-law moved in with us after his stroke, our CalWORKs dropped AND we lost part of our CalFresh. Meanwhile his medical bills were eating up his entire SS check. The county worker just kept saying "that's how the rules work" like that makes it okay!!
0 coins
Omar Mahmoud
Actually your mom should apply for SSI not calworks. Shes over 65 so shed qualify based on age and the income limit is way higher than calworks. My mom gets like $1,040/month on SSI plus she can get calfresh separately. Call the social security office and make appointment for her.
0 coins
Chloe Harris
•This is correct. SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is the appropriate program for seniors, not CalWORKs. However, there's an important detail - if she's already receiving Social Security retirement benefits of $950/month, she may not qualify for additional SSI unless her assets are below the SSI limits (generally $2,000 for an individual). She should definitely apply though, because if she qualifies for even $1 of SSI, she'll automatically qualify for Medi-Cal coverage as well.
0 coins
Diego Vargas
i had this EXACT same problem!! when i added my mom to my household my calworks dropped but then we applied for ssi for her and even tho she only got approved for a small ssi amount it actually worked out better for us overall. plus she got medical thru ssi so we didnt have to worry bout that either
0 coins
Isabella Ferreira
•This is really helpful to know! How long did the SSI application take? We're kind of in a money crunch right now and I'm worried about how we'll manage while waiting for her application to process.
0 coins
NeonNinja
Make sure when you report her moving in, you specify that she is NOT requesting assistance as part of your CalWORKs case. She should be listed as a "non-needy caretaker relative" if she helps with your kids at all. Her income will still be counted, but sometimes the way they calculate it can make a difference. Also, definitely have her apply for SSI right away - that's the right program for seniors.
0 coins
Isabella Ferreira
•What's the difference between having her as a regular household member vs a "non-needy caretaker"? She does watch my kids sometimes when I'm at work. Would that change how much of her income they count?
0 coins
Anastasia Popov
My grandmom moved in last year and I never reported it... but I think that's technically fraud so don't do what I did.
0 coins
Freya Nielsen
•Yeah, that's definitely NOT something to recommend. Unreported household changes can lead to huge overpayments that they'll demand back, potential criminal charges, and being banned from the program. Always report changes - even if it temporarily reduces benefits, it's better than the alternative.
0 coins
Chloe Harris
I work with benefits cases, and here's some clear information for you: 1. CalWORKs doesn't have special income limits for seniors 2. Your mom should apply for SSI since she's over 65 3. While her SSI application is pending, her Social Security income will be counted toward your household's income for CalWORKs 4. This will likely reduce your Cash Aid amount 5. Once she gets on SSI (if approved), she would be excluded from your CalWORKs household, and her income would no longer count against your grant The SSI application can take 3-5 months, sometimes longer. For immediate help, she should also apply for CalFresh (food stamps) separately, as seniors can sometimes get CalFresh even when their income is too high for other programs. I highly recommend trying to speak directly with an eligibility worker about your specific situation. I know the phone lines are nearly impossible sometimes, but having a clear conversation about this would be really helpful.
0 coins
Isabella Ferreira
•Thank you so much for this clear information! I've been trying to call my worker for days but keep getting voicemail. Do you know if there's any way to get through faster? My redetermination is coming up in 3 weeks and I need to make sure I do this right.
0 coins
Sean Murphy
I had a similar situation and found it impossible to get through to my worker. I ended up using Claimyr.com to connect with the CalWORKs office - it basically calls for you and holds your place in line, then calls you when a real person answers. Saved me literally hours of waiting on hold. There's a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. It was the only way I could get clear answers about my mom's situation with my case.
0 coins
Isabella Ferreira
•I've never heard of this before! Does it work for all counties in California? I'm in Los Angeles County and the wait times are ridiculous.
0 coins
Sean Murphy
Yes, it works for LA County CalWORKs! That's actually where I used it. The phone system there is especially terrible with those automated messages that just keep going in circles. With Claimyr it took about 45 minutes for them to get someone on the line (which is way better than the 3+ hours I was spending before), and then they connected me directly to the worker.
0 coins
NeonNinja
•I've used that service too for getting through to the Welfare to Work department. Totally worth it when you're facing a deadline or potential benefit reduction. One tip if you use it - have all your case info ready (case number, SSN, verification documents) because once you get through, you don't want to waste time looking for things.
0 coins
Omar Mahmoud
make sure ur mom gets on medi-cal too!! my mom was paying like crazy for her medicare part B out of her ss check but when she got on medi-cal they started paying that part for her so she got an extra $170 a month!!
0 coins
Chloe Harris
•This is an excellent point about the Medicare Savings Program! If your mom qualifies for Medi-Cal (which she likely will based on her income), they'll pay her Medicare Part B premium through what's called the QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary) program. That would put the $170+ that's currently being deducted from her Social Security check back into her monthly payment. Definitely worth applying for!
0 coins
Teresa Boyd
I'm new to CalWORKs and just went through something similar with my elderly father. One thing I learned that might help - when you report your mom moving in, ask your worker specifically about the "deeming" rules. Sometimes they can exclude a portion of her income if she has her own necessary expenses like medical costs or medications. Also, definitely get her on the SSI application ASAP - even if she only gets approved for a small amount, it opens up other benefits like automatic Medi-Cal. The waiting period is tough but it's worth it in the long run. Hang in there!
0 coins
Khalil Urso
•Thank you for mentioning the "deeming" rules - I had no idea about that! My mom does have pretty high prescription costs for her diabetes medication that aren't fully covered. Should I bring documentation of those expenses when I talk to my worker? Also, when you say your father only got approved for a small SSI amount, was it still worth going through the application process? I'm trying to figure out if we should focus on SSI first or try to work within the CalWORKs system while we wait.
0 coins