CalWORKs phone line hours in California - can't find updated info!
Does anyone know the current phone hours for CalWORKs in California? My county's website says 8am-5pm but I called at 4:30pm yesterday and got a message saying they were closed. I need to talk to someone ASAP about my discontinuance notice and can't wait another day. I tried calling right at 8am this morning but was on hold for 2 hours before I had to leave for my WTW activity. Do different counties have different hours? Or did they change recently? Riverside County if that helps.
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Mateo Lopez
The standard CalWORKs phone hours for most counties in California are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, except for holidays. BUT each county can set their own actual operational hours. Some counties stop taking new calls at 4:30 PM even though they're technically open until 5:00 PM. Riverside County specifically might stop taking new calls around 4:00 or 4:30 PM, depending on call volume. They often cut off the queue when they estimate they won't be able to get to more calls by closing time. Your best bet is to call between 8:00-10:00 AM, as early as possible. Most counties are least busy first thing in the morning.
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CyberNinja
•Thanks for explaining! So frustrating they can just decide to stop taking calls early. I'll try again tomorrow morning right at 8am. Do you know if they're less busy on certain days of the week? My discontinuance says I only have 10 days to resolve this issue, and 3 days have passed already.
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Aisha Abdullah
omg riverside is THE WORST!!! i tried for 2 weeks straight calling them. they cut off the line randomly and sometimes dont even answer at all. i kept getting the "all representatives are busy" message and then it just hangs up on you!!!! so frustrating
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CyberNinja
•That's exactly what happened to me! I got through the automated system after pressing like 5 different numbers, then it said all representatives were busy and just disconnected. Did you ever get through to someone?
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Aisha Abdullah
•i finally got through after calling at EXACTLY 8:00am like literally calling at 7:59 and hitting redial until i got through. took me 3 days of doing that b4 it worked tho. good luck!!!!
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Ethan Davis
I work at a community resource center (not for the county) and we help people with CalWORKs issues. The official hours are 8am-5pm for ALL counties, but internally they start winding down around 4pm to process the day's cases. Riverside specifically has been short-staffed the last few months, so they sometimes close the phone queues as early as 3:30pm on busy days. Mondays and the day after a holiday are ALWAYS the busiest, so avoid those if possible. If you're dealing with a discontinuance notice, you may want to try using Claimyr.com. It's a service that helps you get through to CalWORKs workers without waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE One of our clients used it last week and got through to Riverside in 15 minutes after trying for days on his own.
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Yuki Tanaka
•Has anyone actually used this Claimyr thing? Seems too good to be true. I'm desperate tho so might try it.
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Carmen Ortiz
•I used it last month when my SAR7 wasn't processed. Worked great - I got a call back from an actual eligibility worker within 20 minutes. Way better than spending hours on hold or getting disconnected. They connected me directly to the right department too, no more pressing 1 for english, then 3 for benefits, then 2 for existing case, etc.
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MidnightRider
Regarding your discontinuance notice - VERY IMPORTANT: even if you can't reach someone by phone, you have the right to request a hearing within the 10-day period. You should do this in writing immediately while you're still trying to reach someone by phone. You can submit a hearing request online through the BenefitsCal website, or download the hearing request form (NA Back 9). This will protect your benefits from stopping while you resolve the issue. Make sure to check the box requesting aid continue pending the hearing result! If you submit this request within the 10 days, your benefits should continue even if you can't reach someone by phone right away.
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CyberNinja
•I didn't know I could request a hearing online! That's really helpful. I'm going to do that tonight just in case I can't get through tomorrow. The discontinuance notice says they didn't receive some verification documents, but I uploaded them to BenefitsCal weeks ago. So frustrating.
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MidnightRider
•Yes, definitely request the hearing. Then when you do reach someone, explain that you submitted the documents via BenefitsCal. Ask them to check the document history in your online account - they can see when documents were uploaded even if they weren't processed correctly. Make sure to save copies of EVERYTHING, including screenshots showing when you uploaded documents. Good luck!
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Mohammed Khan
•@MidnightRider this is super helpful advice! I had no idea about the hearing request option. Just to clarify - if I submit the hearing request online tonight, will my benefits definitely continue even if the 10 days pass? And do I still need to try calling them, or can I just wait for the hearing process? I'm worried about missing work again to sit on hold for hours if the hearing request protects me.
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Andre Laurent
when I was on calworks they told me differnt counties have differnt hours. i think its dumb they can just decide when to stop answering calls. i remember in LA county they stopped taking calls at 4 but in san bernardino they were open till 5. My cousin in alameda county said there open till 5:30 there!!!! makes no sense why every county is different when its all the same calworks program!!!!
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Mateo Lopez
•You're right - it is confusing! The reason is that while CalWORKs is a statewide program, it's administered at the county level. Each county gets to set their own operational procedures, staffing levels, and customer service hours. This is why the experience can vary so much between counties, even though the actual benefits and rules are the same statewide. The decentralized system has advantages for tailoring to local needs, but certainly creates inconsistencies in access.
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Aisha Abdullah
Call hour the same 8 to 5 but they stop putting ppl in line early. my worker told me they all do this. riverside extra bad tho, my friend had to physically go into the office to resolve her case they NEVER anwsered phones.
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CyberNinja
•Going to the office might be my next step. Do you know if I can just walk in or do I need an appointment? The last time I went (pre-COVID) they told me I needed an appointment for anything other than dropping off documents.
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Aisha Abdullah
•as of last month u can just walk in but the wait is CRAZY long. my friend waited 4 hours!!! bring snacks lol
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