CalWORKs not showing approved after Welfare Fraud investigation about deposits in my son's SSI account

Sounds like they think you're hiding income. They see money going into ANY account connected to your household and automatically assume it's unreported income. They don't care that it was loans or gifts - to them, it's all income unless you can PROVE otherwise. When they flagged my account last year for similar reasons, my cash aid stayed pending for 3 months even though I'd provided ALL the documentation they asked for!!! The system is broken and designed to catch people on technicalities.

this happened 2 me wen my mom sent me $ for my kids birthday. they saw the deposit and thought i was hidin income. but my worker said as long as u report where $ came from ur fine. did u mention these deposits on ur SAR7?

It sounds like your case was flagged for an investigation, but that doesn't mean your benefits should stop if you're still receiving payments. The system might just not be updated yet. Here's what you need to know: 1. CalWORKs has strict income and resource rules. Using your son's SSI account for other money can look suspicious to investigators, even with explanations. 2. Money given to you (even as loans) technically should be reported as income on your SAR7 or SAWS2, unless it's specifically exempt. 3. The status in the BenefitsCal system sometimes lags behind what's actually happening with your case. If you're still receiving both CalFresh and CalWORKs deposits, that's a good sign. The investigator may have accepted your explanation but the system update is pending. I'd suggest calling your caseworker directly to confirm your status - though I know getting through can be nearly impossible.

try claimyr.com - i was in the same boat with a pending investigation and couldn't reach anyone for weeks. my friend told me about this service that gets a caseworker on the phone FOR you so you don't have to wait on hold. they called me back with a worker in like 30 min! they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE saved me sooo much stress during my fraud investigation!

I went through almost this exact same situation last year. Few important things you need to know: 1. The fact that you're still receiving payments is a GOOD sign. If they suspected actual fraud, they would have suspended benefits immediately. 2. When investigators review your case, sometimes the system doesn't update the approval status even though benefits continue. This is a common glitch in the system. 3. Make sure you keep ALL documentation about those deposits - who gave the money, what it was for, text messages, emails, anything showing it was loans or temporary help. 4. The most important thing is that you were honest and cooperative with the investigator. That goes a long way. From my experience, as long as you explained everything truthfully and have some documentation to back it up, this will likely resolve itself in the next month or so. The system might just need to catch up with the investigator's findings.

Can I ask how much money we're talking about with these deposits? Because there's a rule about how much you can have in resources/assets while on CalWORKs. For most families it's $10,000 now (they increased it), but if the deposits pushed your total resources over that limit, even temporarily, that could be an issue. Also, did the investigator look at your bank statements or just your son's?

wait u said ur husband is an immigrant? what's his status? if he doesn't have the right work permit that might b part of the investigation 2... they sometimes check all household members not just the money stuff

IMPORTANT: Even though you're still receiving benefits, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! Save bank statements, keep a journal of all communication with welfare office, save emails, and document EVERY phone call attempt. Take screenshots of your BenefitsCal account showing status. If they suddenly decide you have an overpayment, you'll need all this evidence to appeal. The system is DESIGNED to trip people up and then demand repayment!!! Protect yourself!!!

One more thing - since your son is on SSI, remember that his SSI money is completely separate from your CalWORKs budget. The SSI recipient is excluded from the CalWORKs household size calculation, and their income/resources don't count toward CalWORKs eligibility. This is actually positive for you in this situation - as long as you can show the money was just passing through his account and wasn't actually new income to your CalWORKs household, you should be fine. The investigator was probably just making sure those deposits weren't unreported income that would affect your CalWORKs eligibility.

I've been through a similar fraud investigation and want to share what helped me get through it. First, the fact that you're still receiving payments is actually a really good sign - they typically suspend benefits immediately if they think there's actual fraud happening. Second, that system status issue is super common during investigations. My CalWORKs showed "pending" for almost 2 months even though I kept getting my deposits. Here's what I learned: keep calling your worker every few days (I know it's frustrating with the hold times), and if possible, try to visit the office in person. Sometimes they can update you on the investigation status faster face-to-face. Also, make sure you have copies of everything you sent the investigator - bank statements, those text messages from family members about the loans, anything showing the money was temporary help and not unreported income. The investigators deal with actual fraud cases all the time, so when someone is cooperative and has documentation like you did, they usually close the case pretty quickly. Just hang in there - it sounds like you handled everything correctly!