CalWORKs money suddenly appeared on my EBT card after being inactive - can I use it?

dont look a gift horse in the mouth lol just use it before they realize the mistake

This could be happening for a few reasons. First, when you applied for CalFresh, the system may have automatically reassessed your CalWORKs eligibility if you used the same BenefitsCal account. Second, if you have children, they might have approved retroactive payments for something like the diaper benefit allowance. Another possibility is that you had a previous overpayment that was reconsidered. Either way, don't spend it until you verify with your county office. If it's an error and you spend it, you'll definitely need to pay it back. And yes, you use the same EBT card for both benefits - just select "Cash" instead of "Food" at the point of sale, or you can withdraw the cash at ATMs or get cash back at stores.

YES THIS HAPPENED TO ME!!!! back in november i got calfresh approved and then a week later random cash aid money showed up. turns out when i did my calfresh interview, the worker said i qualified for calworks too and put the app in for me!! did u do a phone interview? they may have done this and u didnt realize.

This is actually more common than you'd think. When you apply for CalFresh, they're required to screen you for all potential benefits you might qualify for. Sounds like they determined you're eligible for Cash Aid and auto-enrolled you. You should have received a Notice of Action (NOA) in the mail explaining the approval and benefit amount. Check your mail carefully - these notices sometimes look like junk mail. If you can't find it, you need to contact your county worker to confirm this wasn't an error. And to answer your other question - yes, you use the same EBT card for both benefits. At the store, you'll be prompted to choose between SNAP (food) or Cash. You can also withdraw the cash at ATMs (though watch out for fees at non-bank ATMs).

Did you receive any notices in the mail from the county? Sometimes they send important information about your benefits and it looks like regular mail so people throw it away. I would definitely call your county office right away to make sure this money is supposed to be yours before spending it. Do you have a My Benefits CalWIN account or BenefitsCal account where you can check your benefit status?

Call them immediately before using it! I had something similar happen and it turned out to be a system error. I spent the money and then had to pay it all back over 6 months which was awful. The county CalWORKs system makes mistakes ALL THE TIME and they always expect us to fix their errors. Better safe than sorry!

After trying to call the county for 2 days about a similar issue, I finally discovered Claimyr. It basically holds your place in the phone queue and calls you back when a real person is available. Saved me hours of waiting! Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE The county worker confirmed that when I applied for CalFresh, they automatically evaluated me for CalWORKs too. Might be the same in your case.

my cousin works for DPSS and she says they auto-enroll ppl all the time now bc so many families weren't applying for all the benefits they qualify for. u probably got evaluated during ur calfresh app and they just didnt explain it well

If you do confirm this is legitimate CalWORKs money intended for you, make sure you understand all the requirements that come with it. Cash Aid has Welfare to Work (WTW) participation requirements unless you qualify for an exemption. You'll also need to complete a Semi-Annual Report (SAR7) every six months and report certain income changes when they happen. The rules are different than CalFresh, so make sure you understand your reporting responsibilities to avoid any future problems.

This exact same thing happened to me last year! When I applied for CalFresh, the worker automatically screened me for CalWORKs during my phone interview and approved me for both without really explaining it clearly. I only found out when the cash benefits showed up on my card a week later. Definitely call to confirm before spending it, but there's a good chance it's legitimate. Check your BenefitsCal account again in a day or two - sometimes it takes a while for the system to update and show both programs. Also look through any mail you might have missed because they should have sent you a Notice of Action explaining the approval and benefit amount. The cash part works just like everyone said - same EBT card, just select "Cash" instead of "Food" when you use it. You can also get cash back at stores or use ATMs. Just be careful about ATM fees if you go that route!

I work as a benefits eligibility worker and can confirm that this is becoming more common with the integrated application system. When you apply for CalFresh, we're required to screen for all potential benefits including CalWORKs, and if you meet the eligibility criteria, we can approve you for both programs during the same process. The $134 is likely your monthly CalWORKs grant amount based on your family size and income. You should have received (or will receive) a Notice of Action letter explaining this approval - check your mail carefully as these sometimes get mixed in with other documents. Before using the cash benefits, I'd still recommend calling to confirm, but if you were auto-enrolled during your CalFresh interview, the money is legitimately yours. Just remember that accepting CalWORKs comes with additional requirements like Welfare to Work participation (though your part-time job likely counts toward this) and different reporting rules than CalFresh alone. The good news is this means you're getting all the support you're entitled to for your family!