CalWORKs terminated without notice - they never sent required form but still discontinued me
I'm beyond upset with CalWORKs right now! I just completed my recertification interview and submitted EVERYTHING they requested. I've been getting these weird texts saying my recertification wasn't complete, so I called MULTIPLE times. Each time I was told 'don't worry about it, everything is fine with your case.' Then yesterday I called again and suddenly they're telling me I didn't turn in some form?? The worker had the nerve to say 'we didn't send you this form or upload it to BenefitsCal but you're being terminated on the 28th anyway.' HOW IS THAT FAIR?? How am I supposed to know about a form that was never sent to me or posted on my BenefitsCal account?? The workers at my county office are incredibly rude - I even asked for a supervisor who basically said 'nothing I can do.' My kids and I depend on this Cash Aid and now it's being cut off for something that's completely their mistake! Has anyone else dealt with this? What options do I have to fight this before we get evicted??
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Freya Christensen
omg they did something similar to me last year!!! kept telling me everything was fine then BAM discontinued. so frustrating when u call and cant even get anyone helpful on the phone
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Ravi Malhotra
•Did you ever get it fixed? I'm seriously panicking about rent next month
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Omar Hassan
This happens way too often. It sounds like they failed to send you a CW 2200 (Request for Verification) form which is required by regulations. You have rights here! File for a State Hearing IMMEDIATELY - you only have 90 days from the Notice of Action date, but if you request it within 10 days of receiving the discontinuance notice, you can get 'aid paid pending' which means they have to keep your benefits going until the hearing decision. The hearing request form should be on the back of your discontinuance notice, or you can call the State Hearings Division at 1-800-743-8525. Make sure to clearly explain that they never provided the form they're claiming you didn't complete.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Thank you so much! I didn't even know about the State Hearing option or the aid paid pending thing. I'm going to call first thing tomorrow morning.
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Chloe Robinson
•state hearings take forever tho, i waited like 4 months for mine last time but they did rule in my favor. just be ready for the wait
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Diego Chavez
yea county workers can be total jerks... i had a worker tell me 'not my problem' when they lost my paystubs i submitted through the dropbox. so many of them hate their jobs and take it out on us
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NeonNebula
•The problem is they're totally overwhelmed with cases. Each worker has like 300+ cases to manage. Not excusing bad behavior, but the system is broken from top to bottom. My sister works for DPSS and says most workers are drowning in paperwork and impossible caseloads.
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Diego Chavez
•i guess but thats not MY problem when my kids need food ya know? not like they care about our problems
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Anastasia Kozlov
If you want to get through to someone at CalWORKs quickly, try using Claimyr. I was in a similar situation where I couldn't reach anyone for days, but with Claimyr I got through to an actual CalWORKs worker in about 20 minutes. They basically wait on hold for you and call you when someone answers. Saved me from being discontinued once when I had verification issues. Their website is claimyr.com and you can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE
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Ravi Malhotra
•I've never heard of this before. Does it actually work for county CalWORKs offices? The hold times are ridiculous - I was on hold for 2 hours yesterday before being disconnected.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Yes, it works for CalWORKs and really any government agency with long phone waits. Been using it since 2023 whenever I need to deal with my case worker. Way better than wasting a whole day on hold.
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Sean Kelly
You need to request a case review ASAP! Call and speak to a supervisor (not the same one who was unhelpful) and specifically say "I need to file a formal complaint about improper discontinuance without proper notification." Use those exact words. They're required to document formal complaints. Also, document EVERYTHING - who you talk to, dates, times, what was said. Take screenshots of your BenefitsCal account showing no form was uploaded. This will help with your State Hearing if you need one.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Thank you for the specific wording to use - that's really helpful. I've started writing everything down today including the names of who I talked to previously. Do you think I should go in person to the office as well?
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Sean Kelly
•Absolutely go in person if you can. It's much harder for them to dismiss you when you're standing right there. Ask to speak with a supervisor immediately, and don't leave until someone helps you. Bring any proof you have of your previous communication and completed recertification documents. And bring anything showing that this form was never provided to you.
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Chloe Robinson
i think they do this on purpose tbh... they look for any reason to kick ppl off the system. my worker "lost" my SAR7 twice this year even tho i uploaded it to benefitscal AND took it in person. had to reapply from scratch and went 2 months with no aid while waiting for approval. system is rigged against us fr
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Freya Christensen
•SAME!!!! they always "losing" paperwork i KNOW i turned in! then act like its our fault smh
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Omar Hassan
•While I understand the frustration, it's not usually intentional. The most common issue is that counties are severely understaffed and caseworkers are managing 300+ cases each. What looks like malice is usually just a broken system. That said, YOU still have rights and they absolutely must follow proper procedures before discontinuing benefits. Always keep copies of EVERYTHING you submit (take photos with your phone if nothing else).
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NeonNebula
You mentioned the termination is happening on the 28th - that's actually important info. Under CalWORKs regulations, they must provide at least 10 days notice before discontinuing benefits. Count backwards from the 28th - if you received the discontinuance notice less than 10 days before that date, you can challenge it on procedural grounds alone. Also, check if your Notice of Action lists the specific regulation they're citing for the discontinuance. If they didn't properly cite the regulation, that's another procedural error you can use in your appeal.
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Ravi Malhotra
•The notice just arrived yesterday (the 23rd) so that's definitely less than 10 days! I didn't even think about that. The notice mentions something about "failure to provide required verification" but doesn't list a specific regulation number. This is so helpful - thank you!
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Freya Christensen
have u tried contacting ur local legal aid? they do free help for calworks issues, my cousin got her benefits back after they wrongly cut her off
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Ravi Malhotra
•I didn't think about legal aid! Do you know if they can help quickly? I'm worried about this taking months to resolve.
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Freya Christensen
•they helped my cousin pretty fast! like they called the county worker directly and got it fixed in a week. just google "legal aid" with ur city name
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