CalWORKs wants 'proof' I quit my job for valid reasons - what do they accept?

they always want u to jump through hoops its ridiculous!! when I applied last yr they made me get a letter from my old boss saying why i quit. such bs becuz some ppl leave jobs on bad terms and cant get that. did u tell ur worker u tried contacting ur old work? could try saying u did but they wont respond....thats what my cousin did lol

When I had this issue last year, I submitted a simple written statement explaining why I left my job (childcare issues in my case) and signed it. The key is making sure your reason counts as a "good cause" reason under CalWORKs rules. Moving to a new county with a prohibitively long/expensive commute definitely qualifies as good cause! Submit a signed statement with: - Your previous address - Your new address (with the lease you already submitted) - The commute distance/time - The transportation costs calculated monthly - Your previous income and why the commute was no longer affordable Also mention that you've been actively job searching in your new area. This should be sufficient. They're supposed to accept self-attestation (your own signed statement) for these situations when other documentation isn't available.

Just adding to the excellent advice above - make sure your statement specifically uses the phrase "good cause for voluntary quit due to unreasonable commute" somewhere in the document. That phrase flags it properly in their system. Also, calculate exactly what percentage of your previous income would have gone to the commute costs. If it's over 33% of your take-home pay (which it sounds like it would be), specifically mention that as it's an automatic qualifier for good cause separation. And keep copies of EVERYTHING you submit. I've had documents "disappear" from my case file before... 🙄

my situation was different but i had to prove I got laid off. i got so frustrated with the back & forth!! then my friend told me about claimyr.com and it was a LIFESAVER!! got me through to an actual person at the county in 15 mins when i'd been trying for days. they have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE i finally talked to someone who could tell me exactly what documents they needed and where to send them. worth it if ur still having trouble after trying the written statement others suggested.

CalWORKs is DESIGNED to be impossible to navigate!!! They WANT people to give up!!!! I had to provide 3 different "proofs" of why I left my job and they STILL denied me the first time. Had to appeal. System is RIGGED against working people!!!!!

Quick update question - did you submit your job search logs with your application? That's another piece of evidence that shows you're actively looking for work in your new area, which helps support your case that the move and commute situation was legitimate. Make sure the job search log shows the locations of the jobs you're applying to.

i just rememberd something my worker told me once - ur supposed to tell them BEFORE u quit ur job cuz of the welfare to work rules?? did they mention anything about that to u?? i would be careful if they start talking about sanctions...

UPDATE: I submitted a detailed signed statement explaining everything about my move and the financial impossibility of the commute. Calculated that gas alone would have been 42% of my take-home pay! Also included printouts of current gas prices, a map showing the distance, and info about my car's AC repair estimate ($1,200). Got a call today and they've APPROVED my application! The worker actually apologized for the confusion and said my statement was perfect. Cash Aid should be loaded on my card within 3 days. Thank you all for your advice - especially about using the specific "good cause" language and calculating the commute costs as a percentage of income. That really seemed to make the difference!

ugh i wish i saw this post last month when i was dealing with almost the exact same thing!! except i moved cuz my apartment complex got sold and rent went up $800!!! couldnt afford it so had to move 45 min away... job wouldnt let me go part time and commute was killing me. took 5 WEEKS to get my cash aid going again!

Congratulations on getting approved! Your detailed approach really paid off. I'm bookmarking this thread because your breakdown of how to document the commute costs and use the right language is so helpful. The fact that you calculated the gas as 42% of your take-home pay was brilliant - that's concrete evidence they couldn't ignore. Thanks for sharing your success story and giving hope to others dealing with similar situations!