CalWORKs payment shows 'active' but money didn't deposit - holiday weekend with zero funds

Same thibg happened 2 my sister last month. Turns out it was a 'system issue' with the EBT deposit dates. She had to wait THREE MORE DAYS with her kids hungry. Try calling the EBT customer service number instead of the county? Sometimes they can tell u if the payment was processed even if not deposited yet.

Check if your case got discontinued for some reason. Even though BenefitsCal says "active," sometimes there's a lag between when they make a decision and when the system updates. Look for any letters in your online account or physical mail. If they didn't accept your verification, they should have sent a Notice of Action (NOA) before stopping your benefits. Also, if you have any other issues on your case (like missed a WTW appointment or didn't turn in your SAR7 on time), they might have put a hold on your cash aid without telling you specifically why.

omg this happens to me every other month i swear!! the county workers literally dont care that people are STARVING when they mess up our benefits!! i have 3 kids and last time they "lost" my rent receipt verification and cut me off without warning. had to borrow $$ from my mom who barely has anything herself. the whole system is designed to punish poor people i swear

This might be related to the verification you submitted. Did you get any confirmation that they received it? Sometimes they mark a case as "active" but put a hold on the payment if they're still processing documents. Check in your BenefitsCal account under the Documents section to see if it shows your verification was accepted. If you truly have no food, call 211 right away - they can connect you with food banks and emergency assistance programs that operate over holiday weekends. For emergency CalWORKs issues, some counties have a weekend supervisor on call for genuine emergencies (though they don't advertise this).

I had this EXACT issue in March, and I discovered you can actually get through to a real person despite the holiday weekend. I was going insane trying to reach someone until I found Claimyr.com - it's a service that gets you through to a real county worker way faster. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE It saved me when my cash aid didn't deposit and my rent was due. The county had put a hold on my case because they needed one more document but never told me! The worker was able to release my funds once I explained the situation. Worth a try in your situation since it's an emergency.

Here's what might be happening: If your verification is still showing as "Pending Review" after 3 weeks, there could be a processing backlog. However, benefits shouldn't be withheld while verification is pending - they should only stop if verification was reviewed and denied, or if the deadline passed without submission. For immediate help: 1. If you have access to your EBT card, check if there's any remaining CalFresh (food stamps) balance you can use for emergency food 2. Document everything - take screenshots of your BenefitsCal account showing "active" status and the pending documents 3. On Tuesday (after the holiday), if your benefits still haven't arrived, request an expedited hearing with a supervisor. Use the phrase "immediate need" specifically, as this triggers certain requirements for the county to respond quickly 4. For the weekend, as others suggested, call 211 to find local food pantries and emergency assistance This is exactly why the system needs improvement - families shouldn't be left without resources due to processing delays.

Have you checked if your payment method got changed by accident? Once my cash aid didn't come through because somehow my account got switched from direct deposit back to EBT card without me doing anything. Worth checking if the money might be on your EBT card instead of your bank account. Also, did you recently change any information on your case? New address, added/removed household member, reported new income? Sometimes even small changes can put a temporary hold on benefits while they recalculate everything.

Update us on Tuesday if you can - I'm curious whether this was a technical glitch or an actual hold on your case. With the verification showing "Pending Review," that's almost certainly the cause. Counties have a timeframe to process verifications (typically 10 business days), but they often fall behind. The frustrating part is that benefits should continue while verification is pending review, unless they had explicitly told you it was required to continue your benefits. Since you submitted before the deadline, your benefits should not have been interrupted. When you do reach someone on Tuesday, ask them to check for any "holds" or "flags" on your case. Sometimes there are system holds that the frontline workers don't even notice unless they specifically look for them.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress - the anxiety of not knowing where your benefits are when you're depending on them is terrible. Based on what you've shared, it sounds like the "Pending Review" status on your verification documents is likely causing the hold on your payment, even though your case shows as active. A few things that might help for the immediate situation: - Contact your bank to see if they can provide overdraft protection or delay the auto-payments until Tuesday - Some churches and community centers have emergency food assistance even on holiday weekends - If you have any family or friends who use CalFresh, ask if they can help with groceries this weekend For Tuesday, when you call the county office, ask specifically about: 1. Why benefits were held when verification is still under review (they shouldn't stop benefits during the review period) 2. Request an emergency release of funds since you submitted documents timely 3. Ask for a supervisor if the first person can't help Document everything with dates and times. The fact that your case shows active but payments are held due to pending verification that you submitted on time sounds like a county processing issue, not something you did wrong. Hang in there - this should be resolvable once you can reach someone with authority to release the hold.

I've been through this exact situation multiple times and it's absolutely infuriating. The "Pending Review" status while your case shows active is unfortunately common - it means they're processing your verification but haven't made a decision yet, which shouldn't stop your benefits but often does due to system issues. For the immediate crisis, try these steps: 1. Call your county's main number and ask specifically for the "emergency services coordinator" - most people don't know this position exists but they handle benefit emergencies 2. If you have any old paper benefit statements, they sometimes have a different emergency contact number than what's on the website 3. Some counties have Saturday morning hours (8am-12pm) for emergencies - worth checking your county's website The banking advice about delaying auto-payments is brilliant. Also document EVERYTHING - take photos of your BenefitsCal screens, write down every phone number you call and when. When you do get through on Tuesday, mention that you have documented proof that your case was active while benefits were withheld, and that you submitted verification timely. This creates a paper trail if you need to file a complaint later. You shouldn't have to live in fear every month about whether your benefits will show up. The system is broken but there are people who will help once you can reach them.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress over the holiday weekend - having benefits show as active but not deposit is such a confusing and scary situation. Based on what you've shared about the "Pending Review" status on your verification documents, that's almost certainly what's causing the payment hold, even though it shouldn't work that way. A few immediate suggestions while you wait to reach someone on Tuesday: - Try calling your county's main line and asking specifically if they have any weekend emergency services for benefit issues - some counties have skeleton crews for genuine emergencies - Document everything with screenshots showing your active case status versus the missing payment - Consider reaching out to local mutual aid groups on social media - many communities have networks that help families in exactly this situation over weekends When you do get through on Tuesday, be very clear that you submitted verification before the deadline and ask why benefits were withheld during the review period. That shouldn't happen according to policy. Ask to speak with a supervisor if needed and use the phrase "emergency release of benefits" since you're facing immediate hardship. The fact that your neighbor was able to help and you found weekend food resources shows you're doing everything right to get through this crisis. This sounds like a county processing issue, not anything you did wrong. Hoping your payment posts before those Monday auto-payments hit!

I just went through something very similar last month and want to share what worked for me. When my benefits showed "active" but didn't deposit, it turned out there was a hidden system flag that even the regular customer service reps couldn't see. Here's what I learned: ask specifically for a "case review specialist" when you call Tuesday - they have access to different system screens that show processing holds. Also, if your verification has been pending for 3+ weeks, that's actually beyond their normal processing timeframe and you can request expedited processing due to the delay. One thing that really helped me was calling first thing Tuesday morning (right at 8am) and explaining that I had documented proof my case was active while benefits were improperly withheld. I used the exact phrase "improper benefit delay" and it seemed to trigger them to take it more seriously. Also check if your county has a CalWORKs ombudsman - mine was able to get my payment released same-day when regular channels failed. The number should be on your county's website under "appeals" or "complaints." You're handling this crisis really well by documenting everything and getting help from neighbors/food banks. This is definitely a county processing problem, not anything you did wrong. Sending you strength to get through this weekend!