CalWORKs redetermination frequency - why did they schedule a random phone interview?

CalWORKs redeterminations (RD/RC) are normally done once every 12 months. However, there are several reasons they might do an early redetermination: 1. You reported income changes that put you near the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) 2. They need to update something in your case that requires verification 3. Sometimes they do random early redeterminations if something looks off in their system 4. If you recently moved to a different county Regarding your new job - you're actually supposed to report new income within 10 days if it might put you over your IRT (the amount listed on your last approval letter). Not waiting for your SAR7. So that could definitely be why they scheduled this.

they mite be doing it cuz of the job. my friend got a job and didnt report it and they cut her off when they found out. they do check your ssn against new employer records now. thats probbaly why they wana talk to u

i had something similar happen last year. turned out i had checked a box wrong on my last report and they needed to verify my rent amount. it was no big deal, just had the phone interview and everything was fine. don't stress too much until you know what they want.

You should go into the interview prepared with ALL your updated information. Make sure you have: - Pay stubs from your new job - Current rent receipt - Utility bills - Childcare receipts if applicable - Any changes to who lives in your household Be completely honest about when you started the job. They usually don't penalize you for first-time reporting errors if you're cooperative. They might calculate an overpayment if your income was over the limit, but they won't usually apply fraud penalties unless you were deliberately hiding income for months.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO TRIP YOU UP! They never clearly explain reporting rules and then blame you when you don't follow them perfectly. I had THREE redeterminations in one year once. Complete waste of time and they always find some reason to cut benefits. Good luck getting through on the phone when they call too - they call ONE time and if you miss it they discontinue your case!! I hate dealing with the county!!!

I had a similar issue with CalWORKs trying to reach me for interviews and never being able to get through when calling back. I tried for DAYS to reach my worker with no success. Have you tried using Claimyr? It's helped me get through to workers when the regular phone system is jammed. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE and their website is claimyr.com. It actually worked for me when I had an urgent redetermination issue last month.

Yes, it really does work. They call the county for you and then connect you when they reach a real person. Saved me hours of hold time. For your situation though, since they're the ones calling you for the redetermination, make sure your phone is charged and you're available at the scheduled time. If you miss it for some reason, that's when something like Claimyr comes in handy for the callback.

To answer your original question about timing - the official guideline is that CalWORKs does annual redeterminations (once every 12 months), plus they require the Semi-Annual Report (SAR7) at the 6-month mark between redeterminations. However, they can also do what's called a "mid-period report" interview if: 1. Your income exceeds the IRT 2. They received information that affects your eligibility (often from income verification systems) 3. There's a special review of your Welfare-to-Work participation 4. There are questions about child support cooperation Bring your paystub and work schedule to the interview. They probably won't cut benefits during the call - they'll usually process everything afterward and send you a Notice of Action with any changes. Just be honest about when you started working and you should be fine.

Just wanted to add some reassurance - I went through a similar situation last year when I got a random redetermination call after starting a new job. I was terrified they'd cut me off, but the worker was actually pretty understanding when I explained I didn't know about the 10-day reporting rule. They did calculate a small overpayment for the weeks I was working but didn't report it, but they set up a payment plan that was very manageable. The key is really just being upfront and cooperative during the interview. They deal with people who genuinely didn't understand the rules versus people trying to commit fraud all the time, and they can usually tell the difference. You'll get through this!