CalWORKs worker missed my phone appointment AGAIN and sent ME a missed appointment letter - how to actually reach someone?
I'm so frustrated with my CalWORKs office right now! Had a scheduled phone appointment for Thursday at 1pm that I arranged two weeks ago, sat by my phone for an HOUR waiting, and no one ever called. Now they've sent ME a "missed appointment" notice on BenefitsCal claiming I was the no-show?! This is the SECOND time they've pulled this stunt on me. I need to speak with someone ASAP about my Cash Aid recertification or my benefits might get cut off, but every time I call, I'm stuck in their phone queue for 2+ hours before getting disconnected. I really don't want to drag my kids to the county office and waste half a day just to talk to someone for 10 minutes. Has anyone figured out how to actually get through to a real worker? I'll have to wait till Monday to try again but I'm worried my benefits will get affected if I don't resolve this soon.
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CosmicCaptain
same thing happened to me last month!!! they scheduled me for 9:30am phone appt, i took time off work to take the call, and no1 called until 4:20pm when i was already back at work and couldnt answer. then they marked ME as missing the appointment!!! ended up getting my benefits cut for 'failure to cooperate' and had to reapply all over again. the system is designed to make us fail i swear.
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Emma Davis
•Omg that's exactly what I'm worried about! Did you have to completely reapply or were you able to fix it? I can't afford to lose my Cash Aid right now.
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Malik Johnson
Try calling right when they open. Monday at 8am sharp is your best bet. That's how I always get through. Also make sure you're calling the direct number for your specific worker if you have it, not the main line.
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Emma Davis
•I've tried that before - I set an alarm for 7:55am and called at exactly 8:00. Still was on hold for 45 minutes before I had to hang up to get my kids to school. 😩 And I don't have my worker's direct number, they never gave me one.
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Isabella Ferreira
Make sure you document EVERYTHING. Take screenshots of your appointment confirmation from BenefitsCal. Write down every time you call and how long you waited. If they discontinue your benefits because of THEIR mistake, you can request a state hearing and you'll need proof that you were available for your appointment. Also send a message through the BenefitsCal portal stating that you were available for your appointment but never received a call. This creates a paper trail.
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Emma Davis
•Thank you, that's really smart. I just took screenshots of my appointment notice and the missed appointment letter they sent me. I'll start documenting all my call attempts too.
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Ravi Sharma
I used to have this exact problem until another mom at my kid's school told me about this service called Claimyr. It actually worked for me when I needed to reach my WTW worker about my childcare assistance approval. You go to claimyr.com and they somehow get you through the phone system and have a worker call you back. Saved me from having to go to the office with all my kids. They have a video showing how it works here if you want to check it out: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE
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Malik Johnson
•Does this actually work? Seems to good to be true with how impossible it is to get through to CalWORKs workers.
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Ravi Sharma
•It worked for me twice now. First time it took about 40 minutes to get a callback instead of me sitting on hold for 3+ hours. Second time was even faster. Was honestly shocked it worked but I'm never going back to waiting on hold again.
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Freya Thomsen
this EXACT thing just happened to my sister her worker never callled her for the phone appointment and then they sent her a failure to cooperate notice...she went down there in person and they were like "oh you didnt answer" and she was like "YOU NEVER CALLED" and they were like "yes we did" and she was like "show me the number you called" and it was her OLD number that she had changed 6 months ago and updated in the system THREE TIMES. they just didnt bother to check the updated info!!! make them show you what number they tried to call!!
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Emma Davis
•That's ridiculous but not surprising. Did she get it resolved by going in person? I'm thinking I might have to do that even though it's such a hassle with my work schedule.
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Freya Thomsen
•yea she had to sit there for like 4 hours but they finally fixed it. bring snacks lol
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Omar Zaki
I recommend filing a formal complaint with the county immediately. Under CalWORKs regulations, the county is required to provide reasonable access to workers and meet their own appointment obligations. Ask for a supervisor when you call, and explicitly state you want to file a formal complaint about the missed appointment and lack of accessibility. Also, submit a formal request for a different worker if this is your second missed appointment. You have the right to request a worker reassignment if there's a pattern of poor service. Make sure everything is in writing - send a detailed message through BenefitsCal AND a written letter to the office. Most importantly, request that they document in your case notes that THEY missed the appointment and that your benefits should not be affected while you attempt to reschedule. If your benefits are interrupted because of their error, you can claim "county error" in a state hearing and potentially get retroactive benefits.
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Emma Davis
•Thank you for this detailed advice! I didn't know I could request a different worker. I'll definitely make it clear that this is their error and not mine. Do you know if there's a specific way to request a supervisor? Every time I call I just get the automated system and can never reach a human to even ask for one.
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Omar Zaki
•For most county offices, you need to press 0 repeatedly during the automated message to get to an operator who can transfer you to a supervisor. Some counties use a different system where you need to select the option for "other questions" and then request a supervisor. If that fails, try calling the county's general customer service line (not the CalWORKs direct line) and explain you need to speak with a CalWORKs supervisor urgently. The general county lines often have better staffing.
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AstroAce
Have you tried going in person to get an EBT card reader for your phone? When I went in for that, the wait was only like 20 minutes because it was a different line than the regular services line. I ended up asking the person helping me with the card reader about my case too, and they actually helped me instead of making me wait in the regular line. Maybe you could try something like that as a workaround? Just a thought.
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Emma Davis
•That's actually pretty clever! I might try that. Do you think I could ask for something simple like a verification of benefits letter and then bring up the missed appointment issue while I'm there? Worth a shot I guess.
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Isabella Ferreira
Whatever you do, DO NOT miss the deadline on your recertification paperwork while trying to resolve this issue. If your recert is due, submit it through BenefitsCal anyway, even if you can't talk to a worker. You can upload any supporting documents they need. That way, if they try to discontinue you for missing the appointment, you can prove you still submitted everything required for your recertification on time. The paperwork is separate from the interview requirement.
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Emma Davis
•Good point! I've already submitted all my documents through BenefitsCal last week. The interview was supposed to be the final step. At least I have proof I submitted everything else on time.
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