Child Support finally located my kid's father after 7 years - what happens next with my CalWORKs?

This happened to me in 2023! When they find the absent parent, here's typically what happens: 1. They'll schedule a court date to establish a child support order (if you don't already have one) 2. Once the order is established, he'll have to pay monthly support 3. If you're on CalWORKs, most of the support payment goes to the county to "pay back" your Cash Aid. You'll get the first $100 per month (called the "disregard" amount) but the rest goes to the county 4. Your CalWORKs grant won't be reduced just because they found him, but it could change if he actually starts paying support regularly The child support office should keep you updated through the whole process. You might need to attend a court hearing but sometimes they can handle everything without you being there.

The timeline varies, but typically once they locate the non-custodial parent, it can take 2-6 months to get through the whole process of establishing the order and beginning collections. The court will determine the support amount based on his income and your family's needs. One IMPORTANT thing: make sure you keep your CalWORKs worker updated about this. You should report this as a change (even though it doesn't immediately affect your benefits). Also, be prepared that if he does start paying support consistently and it's a significant amount, the county might eventually determine you're no longer eligible for Cash Aid if your total income exceeds the limits.

they found my kids dad last year and i still aint got NO money from him lol. they garnish his check but he keep quittin jobs. don't count on getting anything tbh

This happened to me last year! Child support found my daughter's dad and I got so excited thinking I was gonna get all this money but that's NOT how it works on CalWORKs! You only get the first $100 per month (or $200 if you have 2+ kids) and the county keeps the rest to "recoup" what they paid you in Cash Aid. It's called "disregard" amount. They won't lower your CalWORKs grant immediately but if he starts paying consistently over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT), then you might see changes. Also, they'll be coming after him for back support for all those years, but again, most of that money goes to the county not you!

omg i remember going through this!! the worst part is the waiting. it took FOREVER. like 3 months to get a court date then he didnt show up so we had to reschedule then ANOTHER month before the order was official. then they tried to garnish his wages but he was working under the table. total nightmare. dont get your hopes up

Just to add a practical tip: if you're struggling to get updates from the county after they found him, try using Claimyr to get through to a live person faster. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to my child support caseworker with no luck. Used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected in minutes. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE The child support system and CalWORKs system are separate so you'll probably need to talk to both offices to make sure everything is properly coordinated. Don't assume they're automatically sharing information!

After they find the absent parent, there are several important things that will happen: 1. The Child Support Services office will contact him and attempt to negotiate a support order amount based on his income 2. If he doesn't agree, they'll schedule a court date for a judge to determine the amount 3. Once an order is established, they'll begin collection efforts (wage garnishment is most common) 4. For CalWORKs recipients, the county will keep most of the collected support (except the $100 disregard) to reimburse themselves for the Cash Aid they've provided 5. Your cooperation requirement continues, and you'll need to attend any requested court dates One important thing to know: If they collect back support for those 7 years and it exceeds what the county paid you in CalWORKs during that time, you would get the excess amount. Don't expect this to happen quickly though - the whole process can take many months.

The $100 disregard is per family for one child. If you had two or more children receiving support (even from different fathers), the disregard would be $200. But since you just have one child, you'll receive the first $100 of support collected each month, and the county will retain anything above that to recoup your Cash Aid. Also, after they find him, they'll probably schedule a genetic test to establish paternity officially (if that wasn't already done). Just be prepared that might be one of the first steps before they even get to discussing support amounts.

Has your CalWORKs case ever been sanctioned for non-cooperation with Child Support in the past? If so, make sure you tell your worker about this new development right away so they can lift any sanction and restore your full benefits. The fact that you've been cooperating all along is good - some people refuse to provide information and get their grants reduced. Also, once child support starts coming in, you'll get a notice from both DCSS (child support) and CalWORKs explaining how the payments affect your benefits. Pay close attention to these notices because sometimes they contain errors that you'll need to appeal quickly if you spot them.

Congrats on them finally finding him! I went through this exact situation 2 years ago. A few things to keep in mind: - The child support office will probably send you paperwork to fill out about your expenses and his information (if you have any) - They might ask you to attend a "case conference" before any court hearing to try to work out an agreement - Keep all the paperwork they send you! You'll need it for your CalWORKs worker too - Don't be surprised if he tries to claim he has no income or is unemployed - they have ways to investigate that The whole process is honestly pretty slow but at least now there's movement on your case. And yeah definitely report this to your CalWORKs worker ASAP so there's no issues later. Good luck mama, you've been dealing with this for 7 years so you're already stronger than you know! 💪