Can't withdraw cash from EBT card but food stamps work - CalWORKs cash aid access problem?

EXACT same thing happened to me last month!!! The EBT people are USELESS and will tell you nothing is wrong even tho obviously somethings not right. My worker told me it was because my Cash Aid was "on hold" for some verification they needed but NEVER BOTHERED TO TELL ME ABOUT. Check if you were supposed to turn in any paperwork recently. Did you do your SAR7?

This happened to my sister once. Turned out she went over her income reporting threshold (IRT) and didn't report it within 10 days. They put a hold on her cash benefits but CalFresh still worked.

There are several reasons this could be happening. When your CalFresh works but your Cash Aid doesn't, it usually means there's an issue specifically with your CalWORKs eligibility but not with your EBT card itself. The most common reasons are: 1. Missing verification documents (like the school attendance form you mentioned) 2. Unreported income that exceeded your Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) 3. Missed Welfare to Work appointment or activity hours 4. Quarterly review/redetermination issue 5. Child support cooperation requirements not met Don't request a new card - that won't fix the problem since the card itself is working fine for food benefits. You need to contact your eligibility worker directly to find out exactly what's causing the hold on your Cash Aid.

hey i had this problem before and it was cuz my welfare to work hours weren't being reported right. my cash got put on hold but my food stamps still worked fine. def call ur worker

Have you tried calling your eligibility worker directly? I've found that the EBT customer service people often don't have access to the specific reason your benefits might be on hold. They can only see if the card is functioning properly and if benefits have been loaded. I had a similar issue last year. My Cash Aid was suspended because I missed submitting a verification document, but my CalFresh continued. The county didn't notify me properly, so I only found out when I couldn't access my cash benefits. Trying to reach your worker by phone can be incredibly frustrating though. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to CalWORKs workers without the endless waiting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. It saved me hours of hold time when I had an urgent benefits issue.

I'm an eligibility worker (not for your county, obviously), and I can explain what's likely happening. When your Cash Aid is put on hold but your CalFresh still works, it's because the two programs have different requirements. Most commonly, this happens with verification requirements like the school attendance form you mentioned. The correct steps are: 1. Submit the required verification ASAP - drop it off in person if possible and get a receipt 2. Call your worker and explain that you've submitted the document 3. Ask them for an expedited review since you need access to your cash benefits 4. Request written confirmation when it's processed Your benefits should be released within 3 business days once the document is processed. If you submitted it before the deadline but they're still holding your benefits, you can also request a fair hearing.

lol dont waste ur time with a new card its not the card thats the problem. its ur case thats on hold for something

UPDATE: I finally got through to my worker! It was definitely the school attendance verification form that was missing. I submitted it today and they said my Cash Aid should be available again in 2-3 business days. Thanks everyone for your help! I really wish the EBT customer service would have just told me this instead of saying nothing was wrong with my card. Would have saved me so much stress!

So glad you got it sorted out! This is exactly why I always recommend going straight to your eligibility worker instead of calling the EBT customer service line first. They can only see the technical side of your card but have no access to your actual case details or holds. For future reference, any time your CalFresh works but Cash Aid doesn't, it's almost always a case issue not a card issue. Same thing happens when people miss their Welfare to Work appointments or don't report income changes on time. Hope your benefits get restored quickly and you can get caught up on those bills!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been dealing with the exact same issue for the past week - my CalFresh works fine but I can't access any of my Cash Aid. I was starting to panic thinking my card was broken or something was wrong with my account. Reading through everyone's responses, it sounds like I probably have some kind of verification hold too. I think I might have missed turning in my quarterly report on time. Does anyone know if there's a grace period for those or am I stuck waiting until next month? Also, has anyone had luck going to the county office in person instead of trying to call? I've been on hold for hours multiple times this week and keep getting disconnected. At this point I'm willing to take a day off work if it means actually talking to someone who can help!

This is such a helpful thread! I just want to add that if you're having trouble reaching your eligibility worker by phone, you can also try sending them a secure message through your county's online portal if they have one. Some counties have gotten better about responding to those within 24-48 hours. Also, when you do get through to your worker, ask them to explain what verification documents you need to submit on a regular basis and when they're due. I started keeping a calendar reminder for all my CalWORKs deadlines after going through this same cash aid hold situation twice! It's so much less stressful when you know what's coming up and can stay ahead of the deadlines. The fact that your CalFresh still works is actually a good sign - it means your case isn't closed, just temporarily held for that specific verification. Once you get that school attendance form processed, everything should go back to normal!

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My EBT card works perfectly for CalFresh but I haven't been able to access my Cash Aid for almost a week. Reading through all these responses is making me realize I probably have a verification hold too. I think I remember getting a letter about needing to submit some kind of income verification, but honestly I get so many letters from the county that I sometimes lose track of what needs to be turned in when. Does anyone know if they give you a specific deadline on those verification requests, or is it just "submit as soon as possible"? Also, I'm curious - if your Cash Aid gets put on hold like this, do you still accrue the benefits for those days, or do you lose that money completely? Like if it takes a week to get the hold removed, will I get that week's worth of benefits or is it just gone? Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - it's really helpful to know this is a common issue and not something more serious with my case!