CalWORKs special benefits for 6-year-old in 1st grade - eligible for both under-6 AND K-12 payments?

There are a couple different things you might be referring to, so let me clarify: CalWORKs does give a slightly higher grant amount for children under 6, but this isn't a separate 'payment.' It's just calculated into your regular Cash Aid amount. When your child turns 6, your grant amount will decrease slightly at your next redetermination or when you report the change (depending on if you're over the Income Reporting Threshold). Separately, there was a School Readiness payment for K-12 students, but that was a one-time special payment, not an ongoing benefit. The payment amounts vary by county. Did your son receive this already? If not, you should definitely ask your worker about it.

my daughter turned 6 in feb and i got a letter saying my cash aid would go down by like $44 starting in march. didnt know about any special k-12 money tho!

The K-12 benefit is called the School Readiness Special Needs Payment. It's meant to help with school supplies, clothing, etc. for kids starting school. It's a one-time payment of $200-500 depending on your county. It should have been automatically issued when school started if your county worker knew your child was entering school. Some counties require verification of school enrollment though. Regarding the under-6 amount, yes, your grant will decrease when your child turns 6. The exact amount varies by county and your family situation, but it's typically $40-50 less per month. You are supposed to report this change within 10 days of it happening if you're on Mid-Reporting, or on your next SAR7 if you're on Semi-Annual Reporting.

i had a similar isseu with my sons benfits. the county calworks office never tells u about extra stuff ur eligjble for!!! u have to ask specificly. my son got the scool readiness money LAST YEAR and nobody told me it was a one time thing so i was expexting it again this year. so dissapointed!

Have you tried Claimyr to reach your CalWORKs worker? After trying for a week to reach mine about a similar issue with my daughter's benefits, I used their service and they got me connected to a live person in about 10 minutes. Saved me hours of waiting on hold! They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE and their website is claimyr.com. It was super helpful for getting my questions answered about the School Readiness payment.

The system is designed to confuse us! I've been on CalWORKs for 4 years and I STILL discover benefits I should have been getting. The School Readiness payment is supposed to be automatic but many counties require proof of enrollment that they never tell you to submit! And yes, your regular grant will decrease when your child turns 6, but you should have received a Notice of Action 10 days before the reduction. Check your mail carefully!

To address your follow-up question - yes, you can still request the School Readiness payment retroactively if you've never received it before. There's typically a timeframe (often within the school year) to request it. You'll need to provide verification of school enrollment. The exact process varies by county, but generally you need to submit a written request along with proof of enrollment (like a letter from the school, registration confirmation, etc.). I would definitely mention it when you reach your worker.

@casual_commenter Yes! It actually does work. I was skeptical too, but after getting disconnected THREE times trying to reach my worker about my daughter's School Readiness payment, I tried Claimyr and got through in minutes. Just followed the instructions on their site. Worth it to avoid the hours of frustration and hold music!

One more important thing - make sure you keep documentation of when your child turned 6. The system sometimes doesn't update properly, and you could potentially get an overpayment notice months later if they realize they've been paying the higher under-6 rate too long. If you get a Notice of Action about the decrease, keep it for your records. If you don't get one within the next month, I'd recommend reporting the age change in writing (keep a copy) to protect yourself from potential overpayment issues down the road.