CalWORKs worker treated me horribly when I cried after they wrongly discontinued my benefits over a 'completed' SAR7

omg thats so awful!! the same kinda thing happened to me last year not with the crying part but my SAR7 was def complete and they cut me off anyway. it took like 3 weeks to get my cash aid back and i nearly got evicted. why do they treat us like garbage???

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, this type of treatment isn't uncommon, but it's still completely unacceptable. You have several options: 1. File a formal complaint with the Civil Rights Office at the county. Each county has a designated Civil Rights Coordinator. 2. Request a State Hearing. You have 90 days from when your benefits were cut to request this. Call 1-800-952-5253 or submit the form on the back of your Notice of Action. 3. Ask to speak with the worker's supervisor directly (not just any supervisor). 4. Contact your county Board of Supervisors office. They can sometimes intervene. For immediate help getting your benefits restored, document everything in writing - dates, names, what was said. The key is proving your SAR7 was actually complete as the worker admitted.

First of all, no one deserves to be treated that way, especially when you're already struggling. I've been through something similar and ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual supervisor who could help. Their service connects you directly with someone at the CalWORKs office instead of waiting on hold forever or dealing with whoever you happen to get at the counter. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE For immediate help, try calling 211 for emergency food assistance while you get this sorted out. Also document EVERYTHING - the worker's name, the date/time, exactly what was said. You might need it for the complaint.

honestly its ur fault for not submitting by the 5th like ur supposed to. they gave u plenty of time and ur just tryin to blame the county for ur mistake. smh

I don't have advice but just wanted to say OMG SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME when my cash aid got cut off last year and I got super emotional at the office. The worker told me "your poor planning isn't my emergency" like I was some kind of criminal. I don't understand why they treat us this way when we're just trying to feed our families and they're literally paid to help us!!! I ended up having to borrow money from family just to keep the lights on for 3 weeks while they fixed their "error". The system is designed to make us feel small.

You should definitely file a complaint RIGHT AWAY. What that worker did was completely inappropriate and unprofessional. Request a fair hearing by calling 1-800-952-5253 immediately and explain that your SAR7 was complete (which the worker admitted) and they cut you off wrongly. Also - and this is important - request "immediate aid pending" when you call for the fair hearing. If you request this within 10 days of receiving the notice about your benefits being cut, they have to continue your benefits while they investigate. Lastly, contact your local legal aid office. They offer free help with CalWORKs issues and can often get things fixed faster than you can on your own.

This kind of thing is why people get discouraged and stop trying to get the help they need. I'm a social worker (not with CalWORKs) and I can tell you that what happened to you was completely inappropriate and against professional standards of conduct. Here's what I recommend: 1. Call the CalWORKs office and ask to speak with that worker's direct supervisor (get their name first). 2. Explicitly state that you want to file a formal complaint about the worker's conduct, not just get your benefits reinstated. 3. Use the exact phrases "professional misconduct" and "failure to provide reasonable accommodations for a person with a disability" in your complaint. 4. Contact your county's Welfare Rights Organization - they exist specifically to help with these situations. 5. Request a retroactive payment for the benefits you missed due to their error. I'm so sorry this happened to you. No one deserves to be treated that way when asking for help they're legally entitled to.

I'm so sorry you're going through this - what that worker said to you was absolutely unacceptable and cruel. As someone who's dealt with similar issues, I want to echo what others have said about filing complaints, but also share a few immediate steps: 1. If you haven't already, go to your local food bank TODAY. Most don't require paperwork and can help while you fight this. 2. When you call for the state hearing (1-800-952-5253), emphasize that the worker ADMITTED the SAR7 was complete - that's huge for your case. 3. Document everything - write down the worker's name, date, time, and exactly what was said while it's fresh in your memory. The fact that they acknowledged their mistake but still won't fix it immediately is infuriating. You shouldn't have to "wait your turn" when THEY made the error. Keep pushing and don't let them wear you down - you deserve better treatment than this. Hang in there. This community has your back and many of us have fought similar battles and won.