CalWORKs penalty for not cooperating with child support - how to fix this ASAP?
I just found out my CalWORKs cash aid is getting reduced because of a 'child support non-cooperation' penalty for 2 of my kids! This is going to cut almost $400 from our monthly benefits starting on the 1st. My worker claims I electronically signed the child support cooperation form when I added my children to my case back in December, but honestly I don't remember seeing anything about that. I'm completely confused because I've never refused to cooperate with child support! I'm planning to call my worker first thing in the morning, but I'm super worried about getting this fixed before the 1st when my benefits will be reduced. Has anyone dealt with child support penalties on their CalWORKs case? How long does it take to remove the penalty once I cooperate? We really can't afford this reduction right now.
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Liam Sullivan
This is unfortunately pretty common. When you add children to your CalWORKs case, you're required to cooperate with LCSA (Local Child Support Agency) by providing information about the absent parent. The cooperation requirement is mentioned in the forms, but it's easy to miss if you e-signed quickly. Here's what you need to do ASAP: 1. Call your worker like you planned, but also contact your local LCSA office directly. Don't just wait for CalWORKs to sort it out. 2. Ask what specific information they need - usually it's the absent parent's name, last known address, place of employment, SSN if you have it. 3. Request a CW 51 form (Child Support Referral) to complete with all the information you have about the absent parent. 4. If you have good cause reasons not to cooperate (domestic violence history, risk to children), you can request a good cause exemption. Once you cooperate, they can remove the penalty, but it might not happen immediately. Push for them to expedite it since it affects your benefits so significantly.
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Mei Chen
•Thank you so much for this detailed info! I definitely don't remember seeing anything about child support when I added the kids - I probably just clicked through everything too fast. I'll call both my worker AND the LCSA office tomorrow morning. Do you know if they can backdate the fix if I cooperate right away? Or will I still lose that money for at least a month?
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Amara Okafor
omg this happened to me last yr!!! so frustrating bc i DID cooperate but they lost my paperwork or something. took like 3 weeks to fix and i never got backpay for what they took out 😡
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Mei Chen
•3 weeks?? That's awful! Did you have to keep calling them to get it fixed or did they handle it once you submitted the info? I'm worried they'll just put me on the back burner and we'll be struggling for months.
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CosmicCommander
I've been dealing with CalWORKs for years and the child support cooperation requirement is one of the most misunderstood parts. A lot of workers don't even explain it properly. The penalties can be harsh - 25% of your grant for each child you're not cooperating for. One thing to know: even if you don't know much about the absent parent, you still need to fill out the form with whatever information you do have. If you truly don't know anything, you need to sign a statement under penalty of perjury saying you don't have the information. Also, calling your worker might not be enough. CalWORKs phone systems are completely overwhelmed right now. I tried calling my worker for WEEKS about a similar issue and never got through. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through. It basically waits on hold for you and calls you back when a real person answers. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. It saved me hours of hold time and I got my issue resolved the same day.
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Giovanni Colombo
•Actually, they've made some improvements to the child support cooperation process. In 2024, CalWORKs started a new system where they'll remove the penalty as soon as you attend the appointment with LCSA - you don't have to wait for the entire child support case to be established. But you're right about needing to provide whatever info you have, even if it's minimal.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
Make sure when u go to the LCSA they give u a receipt or something in writing showing u cooperated! I had this problem and fixed it but then 6 months later they tried to say I never cooperated again! Keep all ur paperwork!!!
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Mei Chen
•That's a really good tip! I'll definitely ask for some kind of receipt or proof that I cooperated. I don't want to have to deal with this issue again in a few months.
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Dylan Cooper
Hold up - are these your biological children or are you taking care of someone else's kids? Because the rules are different. If they're not your bio kids and you're the caretaker relative, you shouldn't have to cooperate with child support for yourself, but the actual parent might need to. Just wondering if there's confusion about who needs to cooperate.
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Mei Chen
•They're my biological children. That's why I'm so confused about this whole situation! I never received any requests for information or appointments with LCSA. Just suddenly got this notice about penalties.
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Giovanni Colombo
I work with CalWORKs recipients, and here's some important information about timeline: If you cooperate immediately, they can remove the penalty for the following month, but probably not for the current month. So if you cooperate tomorrow, your benefits should be correct by August 1st, but July's reduced amount may still happen. Make sure to ask your worker about the specific timeline for penalty removal in your county. Some counties process these faster than others. Also, request an NOA (Notice of Action) that shows exactly when the penalty will be removed. Without that paperwork, you have no proof they're actually fixing it.
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Mei Chen
•Thank you! I'll specifically ask about the timeline and request the NOA. At least if I can get it fixed by August, we can try to make it through July somehow. It just feels so unfair to be penalized when I was never even told I needed to do anything about child support.
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Sofia Ramirez
Im so sry your going through this. The system is SO BROKEN. I had the exact same thing happen and I couldn't even get through to my worker for THREE WEEKS!!! My kids went hungry because they cut our benefits and no one would help. Then when I finally did cooperate they said it would take another month to fix!!! Like how are we supposed to LIVE???
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Amara Okafor
•Same!! The whole system is designed to make us fail i swear. My worker acted like I was trying to scam them when I literally just didn't understand what form I was supposed to fill out. Nobody explained anything
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CosmicCommander
One more thing I forgot to mention - if you end up needing to apply for an exemption from cooperation (like if there's domestic violence involved), that process can take longer. But if you're just providing the information they need, it should be relatively quick to lift the penalty. Just make sure when you call that you get confirmation they've received everything they need. The LCSA and CalWORKs don't always communicate well with each other, so you might need to follow up with both offices to make sure the information gets where it needs to go.
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Mei Chen
•Thanks for the additional info. There's no DV situation, so hopefully it's straightforward. I'll definitely follow up with both offices to make sure they're communicating properly. This whole system seems so complicated!
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Liam Sullivan
Just checking back - were you able to get through to your worker? Did they give you any timeline for fixing this?
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Mei Chen
•I spent ALL morning trying to get through on the phone with no luck. I finally went directly to the office and had to wait for 3 hours, but I got to speak with someone. They gave me the CW 51 forms to fill out and said once I complete them and turn them in, they'll remove the penalty - but it won't be fixed until August 1st at the earliest. So we're still going to have reduced benefits for July. At least I know what I need to do now, but I'm still frustrated by the whole situation.
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