CalWORKs overpayment recovery - do they collect full amount or just the original benefit?

When I had an overpayment last year, they took 10% of my monthly grant until it was paid off. You absolutely have to pay back the entire amount they overpaid you - that includes any extra or supplemental amounts you received during that period. The county considers the entire payment as the overpayment, not just the base grant. Make sure you respond to the NOA within 90 days if you want to request a fair hearing to dispute the amount.

theyve been taking money from me for like a YEAR bcuz i didnt report my bf staying with me and they said he was part of the houshold. u got lucky only $678 mine was over $2000!!!! they take like $75 a month from my benefits now i cant even fight it

I've been through this. Yes, they collect the ENTIRE amount that was overpaid, including any extra supplements or special payments that were happening at that time. They'll automatically start taking 10% of your monthly cash aid to repay it unless you ask for a different arrangement. If you think the overpayment amount is wrong or wasn't your fault, you can appeal it (there should be instructions on the back of your NOA about how to request a hearing). If it was an honest mistake and your first time, you might be able to get an IPV (Intentional Program Violation) waiver, but you'd need to talk to your worker about that.

An IPV is when they think you deliberately committed fraud. A regular overpayment happens when you make an honest mistake or there's a misunderstanding about reporting requirements. Big difference in penalties! With a regular overpayment, they just collect the money back. With an IPV, you can be disqualified from CalWORKs for 6 months (1st violation), 12 months (2nd violation), or permanently (3rd violation).

I spent HOURS trying to get ahold of someone at the county when I had an overpayment issue last month. Everyone here is giving good advice but just to add - if you're having trouble reaching your worker to discuss payment options, I used this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at the CalWORKs office in under 10 minutes. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE but basically they navigate the phone system for you and call you back when they've got a real person on the line. Saved me so much frustration! Their website is claimyr.com if you're interested. My worker was able to reduce my recoupment rate from 10% to 7% when I explained my situation.

dont u have a caseworker u can talk to? they should explain this all 2 u

To specifically answer your original question: You have to pay back the entire overpayment amount, which includes any supplemental or extra payments you received during that time. The county doesn't separate these out - they consider the entire benefit amount as the overpayment. Here are your options: 1. Standard recoupment: They'll reduce your monthly cash aid by 10% until it's paid off 2. Hardship recoupment: You can request a lower percentage (5-9%) if 10% would cause financial hardship 3. Payment plan: If you're no longer on CalWORKs, you can set up a monthly payment plan 4. Compromise: In some cases, they may accept a lump sum payment of 75-90% of the total overpayment amount to settle it completely You have 90 days from the date on your NOA to request a fair hearing if you disagree with the overpayment amount or decision. Make sure you respond even if you're still trying to contact your worker!

One thing nobody mentioned - if the overpayment wasn't your fault (like if the county made an error in calculating your benefits), you might only have to pay back half of the overpayment amount. This is called an "administrative error overpayment" and has different rules. But it sounds like in your case, since you didn't report income, it would be considered your fault (or "client error").

I went through something similar last year. The stress is real, but you do have options! First, definitely respond to that NOA within 90 days - don't let that deadline pass even if you're still trying to reach your worker. From what I learned, you'll need to pay back the full $678 (including any extras), but you can request a hardship reduction if the standard 10% monthly deduction would put you in a bind. I was able to get mine reduced to 6% by explaining my situation in writing. Also, keep detailed records of all your attempts to contact your worker - dates, times, what you discussed. If you end up needing to escalate or request a hearing, that documentation helps. The whole process took about 4 months to resolve for me, but once I got the right person on the phone, they were actually pretty helpful in working out a manageable payment plan. Hang in there - it's overwhelming but definitely manageable once you know your options!

I'm dealing with a CalWORKs overpayment situation right now too, so I really feel for you! From what I've learned through my own experience, you unfortunately do have to pay back the full $678 - that includes any supplemental payments or extras you received during that time period. The county doesn't break it down by different types of aid. One thing that really helped me was getting everything in writing. When you do reach your worker, ask them to send you a detailed breakdown of how they calculated the overpayment amount and what your repayment options are. I found that having it all documented made the process much clearer and gave me something to reference when I had questions later. If you're still having trouble reaching your worker, you might want to try calling the main county office and asking to speak with a supervisor. Sometimes they can help expedite getting you connected with someone who can discuss payment arrangements. The key is not to ignore the NOA - even if you can't reach anyone right away, make sure you respond within that 90-day window to preserve your rights. The stress is real, but there are definitely options to make this manageable. Don't give up!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - overpayment notices are incredibly stressful! Based on what everyone else has shared, it sounds like you'll need to pay back the full $678 including any extras, but there are definitely ways to make it more manageable. One thing I wanted to add that I don't think anyone mentioned yet - if you're having trouble affording even a reduced recoupment rate, you might also want to ask about temporarily stopping the collections if you can demonstrate severe hardship (like risk of eviction or losing utilities). It's not common, but I've heard it can happen in extreme situations while you work out a better payment arrangement. Also, when you do get through to someone, don't be afraid to ask lots of questions about exactly what income triggered the overpayment and how they calculated it. Sometimes there are errors in how they processed the information, and catching those early can save you a lot of headache later. The 90-day response deadline is crucial - even if it's just a simple letter saying you received the notice and are requesting more information about payment options. Don't let that slip by while you're trying to reach your worker. You've got this!

I'm new to this community but dealing with a similar situation, so I wanted to share what I learned from my county worker. When you do get through to someone, ask specifically about the "CW 8572" form - that's the overpayment repayment agreement form where you can officially request a reduced recoupment rate. My worker told me they're more likely to approve hardship reductions when you submit it in writing rather than just asking over the phone. Also, if you're really struggling to reach your assigned worker, you can ask to speak with their supervisor or request to have your case temporarily transferred to someone else who's available. I know it feels like you're bothering people, but this is literally their job and you have every right to get answers about your case. One last thing - make copies of EVERYTHING you submit, including your response to the NOA. Mail everything certified mail so you have proof they received it. The county paperwork system isn't always reliable, and having that documentation saved me when they claimed they never got my hardship request. Good luck!

Hi there! I'm new to this community but unfortunately not new to CalWORKs overpayment issues. I went through something very similar about 8 months ago with a $892 overpayment for unreported income. Just wanted to add a couple things that helped me get through it: First, when you respond to the NOA (definitely do this ASAP!), include a brief explanation of your situation and specifically request information about hardship reduction options. Even if you can't reach your worker by phone, getting that request in writing starts the paper trail. Second, I found it really helpful to calculate what different recoupment percentages would actually mean for your monthly budget before you talk to anyone. Like, figure out what 10%, 7%, and 5% of your monthly grant would be, then see which one you can realistically manage. Having those numbers ready made my conversation with the worker much more productive. The whole process took about 6 weeks for me to get everything sorted out, but I was able to get my recoupment rate reduced to 7% and they were actually pretty reasonable to work with once I got the right person on the phone. You're definitely not alone in this - so many of us have been through similar situations. Hang in there!

I'm new to this community but dealing with my first CalWORKs overpayment situation too, so I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here! I just received a similar NOA last week for $445 and was panicking about having to pay it all back at once. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the hardship reduction options or that there were specific forms like the CW 8572 and CW 2186A. I also didn't realize how important it was to respond to the NOA within 90 days even if you can't reach your worker right away. One question for those who've been through this - when you submitted your hardship request, did you need to provide documentation like bank statements or rent receipts to prove financial hardship? I want to make sure I have everything ready when I submit my paperwork. The certified mail tip is something I'm definitely going to use too since I've had issues with the county losing my documents before. Thanks again to everyone for creating such a supportive space to share information about navigating these systems. It makes such a difference when you're feeling overwhelmed to know others have successfully worked through similar situations!