Do I have to include my boyfriend on my CalWORKs renewal if he was mistakenly added before?

You're right that you probably didn't need to include him! CalWORKs has different household rules than CalFresh. For CalWORKs, you only need to include people who are related by blood or marriage, or the parents of a child on your case. If your boyfriend isn't the father of your children and you're not married, he's NOT required to be on your CalWORKs case unless he's giving you money regularly. During renewal, explain that there was a misunderstanding and request to have your household composition corrected. They may ask for verification that he doesn't financially support you.

u can take him off!! happened to me too, my bf was working and they counted his income against me but he wasnt helping with anything... made my cash aid super low. talk to ur worker durin renewal and tel them u want ur case fixed. have the convo in writing too so they cant say u didnt tell them

This is a common misunderstanding. Your eligibility worker likely confused the rules for CalFresh (where household composition includes everyone who purchases and prepares food together) with CalWORKs rules (which is based on blood, marriage, or parent-child relationships). When you complete your renewal, use the SAR7 or SAWS2 form to indicate the correct household composition. In Section 2 where it asks about household changes, clearly state that your boyfriend should not have been included as he is not related to you by blood or marriage and is not the father of your children. Bring documentation showing that he doesn't financially support you or your children - separate bills, rent receipts, etc. can help. If questioned during your interview, politely explain that you were following instructions but have since learned the correct policy.

Did your boyfriend ever sign the SAWS2 form? If he did, the county might give you trouble when you try to remove him. They did with me and kept saying we were in a "family unit" even though we weren't married and didn't have kids together. Took me THREE RENEWALS to finally get him off my case.

If you're having trouble getting through to someone at the county to fix this during your renewal, try using Claimyr.com - it helped me get through to an actual person at CalWORKs when I needed to fix a household composition issue similar to yours. They have a service that gets you through the phone queue and connects you directly with a worker. Saved me hours of waiting and hanging up/calling back. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE

be careful if u take him off they might think hes still giving u $ and just not reporting it. my cousin got investigated when she did this and they came to her house to check if the bf still lived there. make sure u have proof he doesnt help with bills!!!!

its dumb how they make the rules so confusing. my worker told me different things every time i asked about my bf being on my case. first he had to be on it, then he didnt, then he did. like make up ur mind!!!

For your renewal, explicitly state this correction on your SAWS2 form. In Section 9 where it asks about unrelated adults, check "No" where it asks if the person buys/prepares food separately. Also write a brief note explaining the situation. For the question about overpayments - they technically could create an overpayment if his income was counted and shouldn't have been. However, if the error was their fault (the worker telling you incorrect information), you might be able to request a waiver of the overpayment based on administrative error. Make sure to explain that you were following the guidance you received from your worker at the time.

The whole system is designed to CONFUSE US!!! They WANT us to make mistakes so they can cut our benefits. I had a worker straight up lie to me about who needed to be on my case. When I found out the truth and fixed it, they tried to say I committed fraud!! DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!!

Update us after your renewal! I'm curious if this works out for you. Also, for anyone else reading this with the same issue - you can request copies of your case notes through a form called a "PA 29" to see what your worker has documented about household composition discussions.

This situation highlights how important it is to understand the difference between CalWORKs and CalFresh household rules - they're completely different programs with different requirements! For CalWORKs specifically, you only include people who are: 1) Related by blood/marriage, 2) Parents of children on your case, or 3) People who are legally responsible for the children. Since your boyfriend doesn't fit any of these categories, he should NOT have been included on your CalWORKs case. During your renewal, clearly explain this was an error and request the correction. Your benefits should increase once his income is no longer counted against your household. Keep records of all conversations and don't let them intimidate you - you're fixing their mistake, not committing fraud!