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Lucy Lam

CalWORKs payment missing after renewal approval - no cash showing for 1st after line disconnected with worker

I'm seriously about to panic over here. Just had my CalWORKs renewal this month and apparently submitted the wrong verification document (something about my rent receipt not showing landlord contact info). Called the county office this morning and dealt with busy signals for 2 HOURS straight, then waited on hold for ANOTHER 2 hours until I finally got through to someone. The worker reviewed everything with me and I sent the correct document while on the phone. She confirmed receipt and was verifying my info when the call suddenly disconnected! Now when I check BenefitsCal it shows my case as "approved" but there's no payment amount showing. I normally get my Cash Aid on the 1st, which is tomorrow, and Monday is a holiday so county offices will be closed for 3 days! I have rent and utilities due TODAY and absolutely cannot wait hours on the phone again. Has anyone dealt with this? When approved but no $ amount shows, will the payment still come on the 1st? I'm literally losing sleep over this.

Aidan Hudson

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omg this SAME THING happened to me back in November!! the system is so messed up. mine eventually showed up on the 4th without me calling back. the worker must have finished processing it even tho u got cut off. tbh i think as long as it says 'approved' ur fine, just might be a little late

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Lucy Lam

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Thanks for the reply! Did you have to do anything else or it just showed up? I'm so worried because I've never had this happen before and I can't be late on rent again or I'll get an eviction notice 😓

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Zoe Wang

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If your case shows as approved in BenefitsCal, that's generally a good sign, but the payment amounts not showing could mean a few things. Most likely scenario is that the worker completed the approval process but the payment hasn't been fully processed through the system yet. In my experience working with families on CalWORKs, when this happens and the 1st falls on a weekend or before a holiday, payments typically post by the next business day. So you might see it Tuesday morning. However, if you absolutely need to confirm this before Tuesday, try calling right when they open tomorrow (Friday) at 8am. The phone lines are usually less busy first thing in the morning.

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Lucy Lam

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Thanks for the detailed response. I'll try calling first thing tomorrow. Do you know if there's any way to check the payment status besides calling? The BenefitsCal website isn't showing anything helpful.

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Check ur EBT card balance tomorrow morning! Sometimes the website is slow to update but the money shows up on time anyway. I've had situations where BenefitsCal showed nothing but my payment was there on the 1st as usual.

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Lucy Lam

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That's good to know! I'll definitely check my card balance first thing tomorrow. Fingers crossed the money will be there even if the website isn't updated.

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Grace Durand

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u need 2 call the county ASAP!!! when this happned to me they said my case was approved but the payment was HELD cuz they needed 1 more document!! waited 3 extra weeks b4 i got paid cuz i didnt kno. dont trust the website!!

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Lucy Lam

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Oh no, that's exactly what I'm afraid of! I don't want to wait weeks for my payment. Did you have to submit something else or was it just stuck in their system?

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Steven Adams

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This is actually a common issue with the CalWORKs renewal process. When a case shows as "approved" but no payment amount is displayed, it usually means one of three things: 1. The eligibility determination is complete, but the payment processing is still pending (most common) 2. There was a system timing issue where the approval happened just before the regular payment processing cutoff 3. There's a hold on the payment that requires additional action In most cases, scenario #1 is what's happening, especially given the timing with your worker confirming documents right before disconnection. The disconnection itself shouldn't affect anything if they'd already accepted your documents in the system. You mentioned you normally get paid on the 1st - if that falls on a weekend or holiday, payments typically process on the next business day. Since you're coming up on a three-day weekend, Tuesday would be the expected payment date in normal circumstances. One thing you could try - have you checked your EBT card balance through the automated phone system? Sometimes the payment will show there before it updates on BenefitsCal.

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Lucy Lam

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Thank you for explaining this so clearly! I didn't realize there could be different stages between approval and payment processing. I'll definitely check my EBT balance through the phone system tonight and again tomorrow morning. If it doesn't show up by Tuesday, I'll definitely call them.

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Alice Fleming

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If u really need to talk to someone try using Claimyr.com - saved me SO much time getting through to a worker last month when I had a similar issue. They hold your place in line and call you back when a worker is available. Watched their video demo (https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE) and it was super simple. Got through in like 20 mins instead of waiting all day!

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Lucy Lam

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I've never heard of this service before! Did you have to pay for it? It would be worth it if I didn't have to spend 4 hours on the phone again.

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Alice Fleming

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Yeah there is a fee but honestly it was worth every penny not to spend half my day on hold. They just call you when they reach a person. Saved me from getting my benefits delayed another month!

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Hassan Khoury

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I've used this service too when I was desperate to reach someone about my WTW requirements. So much better than spending all day trying to get through. Just make sure you have all your case info ready when they connect you!

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Grace Durand

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BTW sometimes if u just submitted docs today the system might not update payment til midnight tonight... check again in the morning b4 u panic

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Lucy Lam

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I'll check first thing tomorrow morning. I'm just worried because my worker seemed like she was finishing everything up when we got disconnected, and I don't know if she actually completed the process.

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Zoe Wang

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Just wanted to add one more thing - if you absolutely cannot wait until Tuesday and your payment doesn't appear tomorrow (Friday), you might want to ask about Emergency Assistance. If your case is already approved and you're facing potential eviction, there are sometimes expedited payment options available. Not all workers will mention this unless you specifically ask.

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Lucy Lam

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Thank you! I didn't know about Emergency Assistance. If my payment doesn't show up tomorrow, I'll definitely ask about this. Really appreciate all the helpful advice here.

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