CalWORKs renewal approved but CalFresh canceled - is this happening to anyone else?
Just completed my semi-annual renewal through BenefitsCal last week. When I checked my account today, I noticed my CalWORKs cash aid says 'pending' (which I guess is normal during processing), but my CalFresh shows 'canceled' status! I'm freaking out because my fridge is nearly empty and I was counting on those food benefits. Has anyone else experienced this split decision where cash is pending but food benefits got canceled during the same renewal? I really don't want to spend 3 hours on hold Tuesday if this is just some system glitch they're fixing. My worker never answers emails so calling is my only option, but my toddler makes phone calls nearly impossible. Anyone else seeing this weird pending/canceled split on their accounts right now?
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Nora Bennett
same thing on my account!!! cash pending but foodstamps canceled. been like that since friday. maybe its a system error?
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Oscar Murphy
•Oh thank goodness I'm not alone! How long has yours been like this? I'm hoping it resolves itself before the next benefit issuance date.
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Ryan Andre
This is actually fairly common during renewals. What likely happened is that your CalWORKs and CalFresh are on different processing timelines. Cash Aid often stays in pending status longer because they require more verification. Did you submit all the income verification they asked for? Check your BenefitsCal messages and task list - you might have a pending verification request for CalFresh that you missed. The system automatically cancels benefits if deadlines are missed, but CalWORKs gives a bit more time before discontinuing.
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Oscar Murphy
•I submitted everything they asked for through the BenefitsCal portal. My task list is empty now. Should I be worried or just wait and see if it resolves itself before calling?
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Ryan Andre
•If your task list is empty, that's generally a good sign. However, sometimes the worker needs additional verification that doesn't show up as a task. Since your benefits were active and are now canceled (not just pending), I'd recommend calling. The sooner you address it, the less likely you'll experience a gap in benefits.
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Lauren Zeb
You definitely need to call about this. In my experience as a former eligibility worker, this usually means one of three things: 1) Your household composition or income makes you eligible for CalWORKs but over the limit for CalFresh, 2) There was a verification document that applied to CalFresh but not CalWORKs that wasn't received, or 3) There's a system error. Don't wait on this - CalFresh won't automatically fix itself if it's in canceled status.
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Oscar Murphy
•Thank you for the insider perspective. My income hasn't changed at all since my last renewal, so I'm confused why I'd suddenly be over the limit. I guess I'll have to call.
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Daniel Washington
this happened to me last year!!! turns out they needed a child support verification form for calfresh but not for calworks for some reason. county makes no sense sometimes but yeah you gotta call
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Nora Bennett
•did u have to start a new application or did they just reactivate ur benefits? i'm worried about having to start all over again
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Daniel Washington
•they reactivated it after i gave them what they needed. but i had to call like 20 times to get through. was on hold 2 hrs first time and got disconnected!!!
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Aurora Lacasse
If you're having trouble getting through to the county on the phone, try Claimyr (claimyr.com). It saved me HOURS of holding time when I had a similar issue with my CalWORKs and CalFresh processing differently. The service calls the county for you and then calls you when a real person actually answers. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. I was skeptical at first but it seriously works, especially if you have a toddler making it impossible to wait on hold for hours.
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Oscar Murphy
•Thanks for the suggestion! Holding with a toddler is basically impossible. I'll check out that video. Has anyone else used this service before?
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Lauren Zeb
•I've heard good things about it from clients. Much better than trying to call repeatedly or sitting on hold for hours. Just make sure you have your case number and verification documents ready when they connect you.
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Anthony Young
THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE U GIVE UP!!!! they do this on purpose hoping people dont notice or dont call. my worker told me once they have to meet "discontinuance quotas" every month. they WANT to kick people off. CALL THEM and DONT give up until they fix it. this is ur RIGHTS we're talking about!!!!!
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Ryan Andre
•I understand your frustration, but there's no such thing as "discontinuance quotas." I've worked in the system, and while there are certainly problems with how benefits are administered, workers don't get incentives to terminate cases. It's almost always either a legitimate eligibility issue or an administrative error that needs to be fixed.
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Anthony Young
•maybe not official quotas but my cousin works for the county and said supervisors are always pushing them to close cases and "clean up the rolls". its all about SAVING MONEY not helping people!!!!
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Charlotte White
Happened to me too, but opposite way - my CalFresh was pending and CalWORKs was canceled. Turned out I had checked a box wrong on the SAR7 form about my work hours. When I called, they fixed it in like 5 minutes and reactivated my benefits. Definitely call them ASAP before the payment dates.
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Oscar Murphy
•That's good to hear they fixed it quickly once you got through! Did you have any issues getting your benefits backdated for any days you missed?
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Charlotte White
•They backdated it since it was their processing error, not my fault. But I had to specifically ask for that - they won't always offer automatically.
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Aurora Lacasse
Just wanted to update that I just checked my account and both my CalWORKs and CalFresh are now approved! The system must have been having issues over the weekend. Maybe check yours again?
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Oscar Murphy
•Just checked and mine is still showing the same status - CalWORKs pending, CalFresh canceled. I'm definitely going to have to call tomorrow. Thanks for the update though!
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Nora Bennett
does anyone know if its still 48 months lifetime limit for calworks? i heard they extended it but my worker never tells me anything
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Lauren Zeb
•It's still a 48-month lifetime limit for adults receiving CalWORKs in California. There were some extensions during COVID, but those have expired. However, there are exemptions that can stop your clock from ticking in certain situations. If you're concerned about your time limits, you can request a Time on Aid (TOA) report from your worker to see exactly how many months you've used.
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Oscar Murphy
UPDATE: I got through to a worker this morning (calling right at 8am when they opened helped). Turns out I was missing the school attendance verification for my older kid. For some reason, this affected CalFresh but not CalWORKs! Worker said they'll reactivate my CalFresh once I submit the form. So weird how one missing document affects one program but not the other. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Ryan Andre
•Glad you got it sorted out! Yes, the verification requirements can sometimes differ between programs even though they're managed by the same department. For future reference, school attendance is specifically required for CalFresh for school-age children, while CalWORKs has a separate school verification process that often runs on a different schedule. Make sure to put a reminder in your calendar for your next SAR7 and annual renewal so this doesn't happen again!
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Freya Andersen
So glad you figured it out! This is exactly why I always recommend calling right when they open at 8am - much shorter wait times. The school attendance verification thing is so confusing because they never explain why one program needs it and the other doesn't. At least now you know for next time. Hope your CalFresh gets reactivated quickly once you submit that form!
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Rachel Tao
•Thanks for the 8am tip! I'm definitely going to remember that for future calls. It's so frustrating how they don't explain these different requirements upfront - like why would school attendance only matter for food stamps but not cash aid? Makes no sense to me as a parent just trying to keep benefits active. Hopefully this helps other people who run into the same weird split situation!
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Eli Butler
This exact same thing happened to me about 6 months ago! CalWORKs pending, CalFresh canceled during renewal. I panicked thinking I'd lost my food benefits permanently. Turned out they needed an updated utility bill that somehow only affected my CalFresh case. The whole thing was resolved within a week once I submitted the right document. Definitely call first thing in the morning - the wait times are so much better at 8am. And don't worry, they can usually backdate your benefits if it's their error or a missing verification issue. Keep us posted on how it goes!
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