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 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 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!

I'm so sorry you're going through this stressful situation! As someone who's been dealing with CalWORKs for a few months now, I completely understand how overwhelming it can feel when policies aren't clearly explained during the application process. From reading through all the excellent advice here, it really sounds like you have a strong case for good cause, especially given how this is already affecting your daughter emotionally. The fact that she's noticing the tension and asking why daddy seems upset is both heartbreaking and powerful evidence that this formal collection is disrupting her wellbeing - which is exactly what the CF 8572 good cause exemption is designed to protect. I'd definitely recommend getting that form as soon as possible and being very detailed about: - How your informal arrangement was actually working well for your family - The specific support he was providing (diapers, formula, groceries, etc.) - How the surprise garnishment blindsided both of you - The emotional impact on your daughter and her relationship with her father It's really unfair that CalWORKs puts families in these impossible situations without proper warning. No parent should have to choose between getting help they need and maintaining a healthy co-parenting relationship that benefits their child. Definitely try that Claimyr service to get through to your caseworker faster - the automated system is notorious for being useless. I'm hoping you can get this resolved quickly before it causes any more stress for your family. Please keep us updated on how the good cause determination goes - your experience will definitely help other families facing similar situations!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this confusing situation! As someone who's new to this community, I'm honestly shocked reading through everyone's experiences about how poorly CalWORKs explains the automatic child support assignment. It seems like this catches so many families completely off guard. From all the helpful advice shared here, it sounds like you definitely have options, especially the CF 8572 good cause form. The fact that your daughter is already noticing 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 affecting her wellbeing, which is what good cause exemptions are designed to protect. I'd definitely recommend documenting everything as thoroughly as possible - your informal arrangement that was working, how the surprise garnishment blindsided both of you, and especially how this is impacting your daughter's relationship with her father. A 3-year-old shouldn't have to witness that kind of stress during what should be happy visits with her dad. It's really unfair that CalWORKs puts families in impossible situations like this without proper explanation upfront. You shouldn't have to choose between getting help and maintaining a healthy co-parenting relationship that benefits your child. I hope you can get through to your caseworker soon (maybe try that Claimyr service someone mentioned?) and get this resolved quickly. Please keep us updated on how the good cause application goes - your experience will definitely help other families who might face similar situations!

I'm really sorry you're going through this - it's such a frustrating situation that so many CalWORKs families face! As someone who's also navigating the system as a single parent, I can completely understand how blindsided you must feel by this automatic child support assignment that nobody properly explained. Reading through all the excellent advice here, it's clear you have a strong foundation for a good cause application. The emotional impact on your daughter - her noticing daddy seems upset and asking about it - is exactly the kind of evidence that demonstrates this formal collection is harming her wellbeing, which is what the CF 8572 good cause exemption is designed to address. I'd definitely echo everyone's advice about documenting everything thoroughly: your working informal arrangement, the specific ways he was helping (diapers, formula, groceries, etc.), how the surprise garnishment caught you both off guard, and most importantly, how this is affecting your daughter's relationship with her father. A 3-year-old shouldn't have to witness tension during what used to be happy daddy visits. The Claimyr service that someone mentioned earlier sounds like it could really help you get through to your caseworker faster - the automated system is notoriously unhelpful when you need to speak with someone urgently. It's really unfair that CalWORKs puts families in these impossible positions without clear upfront communication. You shouldn't have to choose between getting help and protecting your daughter's co-parenting relationship. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your good cause determination goes smoothly and you can get back to the arrangement that was actually working for your family. Please keep us updated!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stressful situation! As someone who's also new to navigating CalWORKs, I'm honestly shocked by how many people in this thread have been caught off guard by the automatic child support assignment. It really seems like this should be explained much more clearly during the application process. From reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like you have a really strong case for good cause, especially since your daughter is already being emotionally affected. The fact that she's asking why daddy seems upset during visits is heartbreaking, but it's also powerful evidence that this formal collection is disrupting her wellbeing - which is exactly what the CF 8572 good cause exemption is meant to protect. I'd definitely recommend documenting everything as thoroughly as possible: how your informal arrangement was working well, the specific ways he was helping (diapers, groceries, etc.), and especially how this surprise garnishment has changed the dynamic during your daughter's visits with her father. The Claimyr service that someone mentioned earlier sounds like it could really help you get through to your caseworker faster than the automated system. It's frustrating that you have to work so hard to fix a problem that better communication could have prevented, but at least you have a clear path forward. I hope you can get this resolved quickly before it causes any more stress for your family. Your daughter shouldn't have to witness tension during what should be happy time with her dad. Please keep us updated on how the good cause determination goes!

I'm so sorry you're going through this! As someone who just started receiving CalWORKs benefits myself, reading through this thread has been really eye-opening about policies they don't explain clearly upfront. It's honestly shocking how many families get blindsided by this automatic child support assignment. From all the helpful advice everyone has shared, it sounds like you have several good options to explore, especially the CF 8572 good cause form. The fact that your 3-year-old is already noticing the tension and asking why daddy seems upset is both heartbreaking and strong evidence that this formal collection is affecting her wellbeing - which is exactly what good cause exemptions are designed to protect. I'd definitely recommend documenting everything thoroughly like others have suggested: your working informal arrangement, how he was helping with diapers/groceries/etc., how the surprise garnishment caught you both off guard, and especially how this is impacting your daughter's relationship with her father. It's so unfair that a child has to witness stress during what should be happy visits with her dad. The Claimyr service that someone mentioned earlier sounds like it could really help you bypass the useless automated system and actually get through to your caseworker about getting that form started. 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 a healthy co-parenting relationship that benefits your daughter. I hope you can get this resolved quickly - please keep us updated on how the good cause application goes!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this confusing and stressful situation! As someone who recently started navigating CalWORKs myself, I had no idea about this automatic child support assignment either - it's really shocking how poorly they explain this during the application process. From reading through all the helpful responses here, it sounds like you definitely have strong grounds for a good cause exemption. The fact that your daughter is already being emotionally affected and asking why daddy seems upset is heartbreaking, but it's also exactly the kind of evidence that shows this formal collection is harming her wellbeing - which is what the CF 8572 form is designed to address. I'd definitely echo everyone's advice about documenting everything thoroughly: - How your informal arrangement was actually working well for your family - The specific ways he was helping (diapers, formula, groceries, etc.) - Screenshots of texts showing how the surprise garnishment caught both of you off guard - How this is affecting your daughter's relationship with her father It's really unfair that CalWORKs puts families in these impossible positions without clear explanation upfront. You shouldn't have to choose between getting help and protecting the co-parenting relationship that benefits your daughter. Definitely try that Claimyr service someone mentioned to get through to your caseworker faster - the automated system sounds useless when you need real help. I hope you can get this resolved quickly before it causes more stress for your family. Please keep us updated on how the good cause determination goes - your experience will help other families facing similar situations!