CalWORKs sending child support payments I don't want - how to stop collection without losing benefits?

Yes, you can stop child support collection, but it WILL affect your CalWORKs benefits. When you applied for CalWORKs, you automatically assigned your rights to child support to the county unless you claimed good cause. This is mandatory - they don't really make this clear during the application process. You have a few options: 1. Accept the child support payments and your Cash Aid will be reduced by that amount (minus the first $100 which you get to keep as a "disregard") 2. Request a "good cause" exemption if collecting support puts you or your child at risk 3. Close your CalWORKs case completely Unfortunately, you can't receive full CalWORKs benefits AND stop the child support collection. It's one of the requirements.

The same thing hapend 2 me hun and it was a MESS. my kids dad was so mad he stopped seeing the kids for 3 months!!! ugh. they take the money no matter what u say when u get calworks. something about the county has 2 collect from the dad 2 pay back the benifits they give u.

This is a standard part of receiving CalWORKs. When you sign up, there's a section about child support cooperation that requires you to assist with establishing paternity and collecting child support from the absent parent. This money primarily goes to reimburse the county for your Cash Aid, except for the first $100 per month. The only way around this is to request a "good cause" exemption, which requires proving that pursuing child support would be harmful to you or your child (physical danger, rape cases, domestic violence situations, etc.). You can contact your caseworker to discuss your options, but be prepared for possibly reduced benefits if you want to stop the collection process without a good cause determination.

Try using Claimyr to get through to your CalWORKs worker. I was in a similar situation last month needing to explain my own child support situation - called for days with no luck. Used claimyr.com service and got a callback within 45 minutes. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE showing how it works. It's the only way I could actually get a real person to talk to about my case. Good luck! Child support stuff is seriously complicated with CalWORKs.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but when u sign the calworks paperwork u literally ASSIGN your child support rights to the county. I found this out the hard way!!! I dont have contact with my sons father anymore bcuz of this exact thing. The county garnished his wages without warning and now he wont even talk to me.

This sucks but its NOT as bad as everyone's saying. call ur worker and ask for the GOOD CAUSE form RIGHT AWAY. they shud have explained this but they never do smh. the form lets u explain why collecting support wud be bad for u or ur kid. u can say it will damage ur co-parenting relationship or something. they might approve it they might not but WORTH TRYING. also the check u got, u can keep $100 of it without it affecting ur cash aid but anything over that they take back anyway. so cash it and just explain to ur daughters dad that u didnt ask for this its just calworks policy

To answer your follow-up questions: 1. The $100 disregard is per FAMILY not per child (it used to be $50 but increased to $100 a couple years ago) 2. Good cause determinations typically take 20-30 days but can be expedited if there's an urgent situation 3. This shouldn't affect your recertification as long as you're cooperating with the process Also, important to note - if you get good cause approved, you'll still receive the full CalWORKs grant. You're not penalized for having a valid good cause exemption from child support collection.

Yes, you can still apply for good cause even if you cashed the check. What matters is going forward. But be prepared - good cause exemptions aren't automatically approved. You'll need to provide a statement explaining why collecting child support would be harmful to you or your child's physical/emotional wellbeing. Common approved reasons include: - History of domestic violence - Risk of physical/emotional harm to you or child - Child was conceived due to rape/incest - Adoption proceedings in process - Working with family services agency on family reunification "We have our own arrangement" unfortunately isn't usually considered good cause by itself. You might need to explain how the formal collection would damage your co-parenting relationship to the point it harms your child.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! It's SO frustrating that they don't explain this clearly when you apply. Here's what I learned: The county is required by federal law to pursue child support when you receive CalWORKs - it's called "cooperation with child support enforcement" and it's automatic unless you get a good cause exemption approved. A few things that might help: - You can explain to your daughter's father that this wasn't your choice - show him the CalWORKs paperwork if you still have it - The county keeps most of the child support to reimburse themselves for your benefits, so he's basically paying the state, not you directly - If your informal arrangement was working better, document how much he was helping you before (diapers, formula, etc.) to show the caseworker I ended up getting good cause approved by explaining that the formal collection was damaging our ability to co-parent effectively, which was hurting my son emotionally. It took about a month but was worth it. Don't give up - you have options!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's one of the most confusing and poorly explained parts of CalWORKs! I had a similar shock when I first got benefits and suddenly my ex was getting wage garnishments he didn't expect. Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier: when you sign up for CalWORKs, you're legally required to "assign" your child support rights to the county. It's buried in all that paperwork they rush you through. The county then collects support to pay themselves back for the cash aid they give you. A few practical tips: - Call your caseworker ASAP and ask for the "good cause" form (CF 8572) - Document how this is affecting your co-parenting relationship - Be specific about how formal collection could harm your daughter (like if dad might reduce his informal help or visits) - Keep records of what he was already providing voluntarily The good news is that if you get good cause approved, you keep your full CalWORKs grant AND the child support collection stops. It's not a penalty situation. Also, try explaining to your daughter's dad that this is county policy, not something you requested. Show him this thread if it helps! Many parents don't realize this is automatic with CalWORKs. Hang in there - this can be fixed but you need to act quickly to get the good cause process started.

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation! As someone new to CalWORKs, I'm learning so much from this thread about how the child support assignment works. It sounds like you have several people here who've been through similar experiences and are giving you solid advice. From what I'm reading, it seems like your best bet is to get that good cause form (CF 8572) as soon as possible and document how the formal collection is disrupting your co-parenting arrangement. Maybe you could also write down specific examples of how your daughter's father was helping before (like the diapers you mentioned) and how this change is affecting your daughter's relationship with him. It's really unfortunate that the county doesn't explain this child support assignment clearly during the application process - it seems like so many people get blindsided by this! I hope you're able to get through to your caseworker soon and get this sorted out. Your daughter's wellbeing and your co-parenting relationship are definitely worth fighting for. Good luck with everything, and please keep us updated on how the good cause application goes!

I'm so sorry you're going through this stressful situation! As someone who's been on CalWORKs for about a year now, I can totally relate to feeling blindsided by policies they don't explain clearly upfront. From reading through all these responses, it sounds like you have a solid plan forming - getting that CF 8572 good cause form and documenting how the formal collection is disrupting your co-parenting relationship. I'd also suggest maybe taking screenshots of any texts between you and your daughter's father that show how this surprise garnishment caught both of you off guard and is causing tension. One thing that stood out to me is how you mentioned your daughter is already noticing that daddy seems upset during pickups. That kind of emotional impact on your child could actually be really important evidence for your good cause application - it shows this isn't just about convenience, but about protecting your daughter's wellbeing and her relationship with her father. I hope your caseworker is understanding when you finally get through to them. It's frustrating that so many families have to deal with this confusion, but at least you found this community to help guide you through it. Wishing you the best with the good cause determination!

I'm so sorry this happened to you! As someone who recently went through the CalWORKs application process myself, I'm honestly shocked reading all these responses about how they automatically assign your child support rights to the county. I definitely don't remember that being clearly explained during my intake - it sounds like this catches SO many families off guard! From everything everyone has shared here, it seems like your best path forward is definitely getting that CF 8572 good cause form ASAP. The fact that your daughter is already noticing tension between you and her dad during visits really shows this is affecting her wellbeing, which sounds like exactly the kind of situation good cause exemptions are designed for. I hope you're able to get through to your caseworker soon (maybe try that Claimyr service someone mentioned?) and get this sorted out before it damages your co-parenting relationship further. It's really frustrating that the county puts families in these impossible situations without proper warning. You shouldn't have to choose between getting help for your family and maintaining a healthy relationship with your daughter's father. Sending you lots of support - please keep us updated on how the good cause application goes!

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this confusing situation! As someone who's new to this community, I'm learning so much from reading everyone's experiences here. It's honestly shocking how many people have been caught off guard by this automatic child support assignment - it really seems like CalWORKs should explain this policy much more clearly during the application process. From all the helpful advice people have shared, it sounds like your best bet is definitely to request that CF 8572 good cause form immediately and document how the formal collection is disrupting your co-parenting relationship. The fact that your daughter is already picking up on the tension and asking why daddy seems upset is really heartbreaking - but it also sounds like exactly the kind of evidence that could support your good cause application. I hope you're able to get through to your caseworker soon and get this resolved before it causes any more stress for your family. It's not fair that you have to choose between getting the support you need and maintaining a peaceful relationship with your daughter's father. Please keep us updated on how things go with the good cause determination - I think a lot of people here would benefit from hearing about your experience navigating this process!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - what a frustrating situation! As someone relatively new to CalWORKs myself, I'm honestly appalled reading through all these responses about how poorly the county explains the automatic child support assignment. It sounds like this catches almost everyone off guard, which is completely unacceptable. From everything I've learned in this thread, it seems like you have a really strong case for good cause, especially since your daughter is already being emotionally affected by the tension this has created. The fact that she's asking why daddy seems upset during visits shows this isn't just disrupting your co-parenting arrangement - it's actually harming your child's wellbeing, which is exactly what the good cause exemption is designed to protect against. I'd definitely recommend getting that CF 8572 form as soon as possible and being very detailed about: - How your informal arrangement was working before - The specific ways your daughter's father was helping (diapers, groceries, etc.) - How the surprise garnishment has changed his behavior/mood during visits - Your daughter's reaction to the tension It's really unfair that CalWORKs puts families in these impossible situations without proper warning. You shouldn't have to choose between getting help and maintaining a healthy co-parenting relationship. I really hope the good cause determination goes in your favor - please keep us posted on how it works out!

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this stressful situation! As someone who's been on CalWORKs for about 8 months now, I can totally relate to feeling blindsided by policies they don't clearly explain during the application process. From reading through all the helpful responses here, it sounds like you have a really strong foundation for a good cause application. The fact that your daughter is already noticing the tension and asking why daddy seems upset is actually powerful evidence that this formal collection is harming her wellbeing - which is exactly what good cause exemptions are meant to protect against. I'd definitely recommend documenting everything as thoroughly as possible: - Screenshots of any texts showing how the surprise garnishment caught both of you off guard - A detailed list of how your daughter's father was helping before (diapers, formula, groceries, etc.) - Specific examples of how your daughter is being affected emotionally - Documentation of how your informal arrangement was actually working better for your family It's really unfair that the county puts families in these impossible positions without proper warning. You shouldn't have to choose between getting the support you need and maintaining a healthy co-parenting relationship that benefits your daughter. I hope you're able to get through to your caseworker soon and get that CF 8572 form started. Please keep us updated on how the good cause determination goes - your experience could really help other families who find themselves in similar situations!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's really frustrating how CalWORKs doesn't clearly explain the child support assignment during the application process! As someone new to this community, I'm honestly shocked reading through all these responses about how many families get blindsided by this automatic policy. From everything I'm learning here, it sounds like you have several good options to explore. The CF 8572 good cause form seems like your best bet, especially since your daughter is already being emotionally affected by the tension this has created between you and her father. The fact that she's asking why daddy seems upset during visits is heartbreaking but also strong evidence that this formal collection is harming her wellbeing. I'd definitely recommend documenting everything thoroughly - the informal support your daughter's father was providing before, how the surprise garnishment caught both of you off guard, and specific examples of how this is affecting your daughter's relationship with him. It sounds like you had a working arrangement that was actually better for your family than this formal collection process. It's really unfair that you have to choose between getting the help you need and maintaining a healthy co-parenting relationship. I hope you're able to get through to your caseworker soon and get this sorted out before it causes any more stress for your family. Please keep us updated on how the good cause determination goes - your experience could really help other families facing similar situations!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this confusing and stressful situation! As someone who's also navigating CalWORKs as a single parent, I can totally relate to feeling blindsided by policies they don't explain clearly upfront. Reading through all the responses here, it sounds like you have really solid grounds for a good cause exemption. The fact that your 3-year-old is already picking up on the tension and asking why daddy seems upset is heartbreaking - but it's also exactly the kind of evidence that shows this formal collection is harming your child's wellbeing, which is what the CF 8572 form is designed to address. I'd definitely echo everyone's advice about documenting everything thoroughly: - All the ways your daughter's father was helping informally (sounds like he was doing a lot beyond just diapers!) - Screenshots of texts showing how the surprise garnishment caught you both off guard - Specific examples of how this is affecting your daughter emotionally - Evidence that your informal co-parenting arrangement was actually working better for your family It's really frustrating that CalWORKs puts families in these impossible positions without proper warning. You shouldn't have to choose between getting help and maintaining the healthy relationship your daughter has with her father. Definitely try that Claimyr service someone mentioned to get through to your caseworker faster - getting that good cause form started ASAP seems crucial. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this gets resolved quickly for you and your daughter. Please keep us updated on how it goes!