Can I use my CalWORKs Cash Aid in Georgia for court trip?
I just found out I need to travel to Georgia next month for a court appearance (custody stuff with my ex). I've never left California since being on CalWORKs and I'm worried about accessing my benefits while I'm there. Will my EBT card work in GA? Do I need to notify my caseworker before traveling out of state? The trip might be 5-7 days depending on how the court stuff goes. Really stressing about this because I can't afford the trip without using my cash aid for hotel and food while I'm there.
16 comments
Join the conversation
Sophia Miller
yea ur card will work anywhere in the US! i went to nevada last summer and used mine no problem at atms and stores
0 coins
Elijah Jackson
•Thanks! That's such a relief. Do you know if I need to tell my worker about leaving the state temporarily?
0 coins
Mason Davis
Your EBT card will work in Georgia, but there are a few important things you need to know: 1. You SHOULD notify your caseworker that you're temporarily leaving the state. CalWORKs has residency requirements, and while a brief trip for court is perfectly allowable, it's good to document why you're traveling. 2. Make sure your Semi-Annual Report (SAR7) doesn't come due while you're away. If it does, submit it early before you leave. 3. If your court date coincides with any scheduled Welfare to Work appointments, notify your WTW worker immediately to reschedule. 4. Keep documentation of your court appearance in case you're ever questioned about the trip. I'd recommend calling your worker now to give them advance notice.
0 coins
Mia Rodriguez
•The county doesn't care if you take a short trip!! i went to arizona for TWO WEEKS to help my sister when she had a baby and no one said NOTHING to me about it when i got back. they just want to control evrything we do!!!!!
0 coins
Mason Davis
•While it's true many people travel briefly without issues, officially CalWORKs requires California residency. Short trips are allowed, but it's still best practice to notify your worker, especially for something important like a court appearance. This protects you if questions ever come up later about your residency status or eligibility.
0 coins
Jacob Lewis
I had to go to Texas last yr for my grandmas funeral and my worker told me as long as its not over 30 days its fine but I should let them know. But then when I got back they were all weird about it and kept asking for proof I was really at a funeral?? So definitely tell them AND keep your court papers to show why you went.
0 coins
Amelia Martinez
One thing no one mentioned - make sure you notify them about your travel dates BEFORE you go. I tried calling my CalWORKs worker about a similar situation and couldn't get through for days. Kept getting stuck in the automated system and getting disconnected. I finally used Claimyr.com to reach someone - they called the county for me and got me connected to a real person in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Definitely worth it because I needed written confirmation that my trip wouldn't affect my benefits, and I was running out of time before I had to leave.
0 coins
Elijah Jackson
•Thank you! I've been trying to call my worker all week with no luck. I'll check this out because I really need to talk to someone before booking my flight.
0 coins
Ethan Clark
OMG be careful using your EBT in another state!!! My cousin got in trouble for using hers when she moved to Arizona but didn't tell CalWORKs for like 3 months. They made her pay everything back!!!
0 coins
Mason Davis
•That's a completely different situation. Your cousin MOVED to another state and continued collecting California benefits, which is fraud. The original poster is just taking a short trip for court and returning to California, which is perfectly allowable.
0 coins
Ethan Clark
•oh ok i didnt read it right my bad!!!
0 coins
Mila Walker
when i had court i had to get a letter from my lawyer sayin i needed to be there maybe get something like that to show your worker
0 coins
Elijah Jackson
Update: I got through to my worker finally! They said it's fine to travel for the court date and my benefits won't be affected as long as I'm not gone more than 30 days. I just need to turn in my court documents when I get back. Thanks everyone for the advice! Really helped calm my anxiety about this whole situation.
0 coins
Sophia Miller
•awesome! glad it worked out
0 coins
Luca Russo
Great to hear you got it sorted out! Just a heads up - make sure to keep copies of all your court documents and maybe take a photo of your plane tickets/hotel receipts too. Some workers are more thorough than others when you get back, so having everything documented makes the whole process smoother. Hope your court case goes well!
0 coins
PixelPrincess
•That's really good advice about keeping documentation! I'm definitely going to take pictures of everything just to be safe. My worker seems pretty reasonable but you never know if someone else might review my case later. Thanks for the tip and the well wishes - I'm hoping everything goes smoothly with the court stuff too.
0 coins