Do I need to report disability income to CalWORKs while still receiving Cash Aid?

YES! You NEED to report this to CalWORKs asap!! You have 10 days to report any income changes when you go above the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT). Even though you haven't received the payments yet, the approval for disability counts as a change that needs reporting. They DO NOT automatically know - the systems don't talk to each other like they should. I learned this the hard way and got hit with a $2,750 overpayment that I'm still paying back.

You absolutely need to report this to your CalWORKs worker. When you start receiving disability, it counts as income and will affect your Cash Aid amount. You should submit a mid-period report (called a "CW 3") as soon as you receive your first disability payment. Technically, you're right that you don't need to report until you actually receive the money. But it's always better to give your worker a heads-up that disability has been approved so they can note it in your case. The systems between EDD (who handles disability) and CalWORKs don't automatically share information, so your worker won't know unless you tell them.

I had this EXACT situation last yr! They dont know automatically, the systems are totally separate. You gotta tell them within 10 days of getting your first disability check. But heres the thing - disability usually pays more than CalWORKS so you might not even qualify for cash aid anymore once disability kicks in. My worker actually helped me figure out if I should stay on CalWORKS for the other benefits (like childcare) even tho my cash amount went to $0. Def call them!!

If you've been trying to reach your CalWORKs worker about this without success, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's been a lifesaver for me when dealing with benefit reporting issues. They basically call the county for you and get you connected to a real person instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE I used it when I had a similar situation with reporting my workers comp and needed to talk to someone right away to avoid problems. Got through to a worker in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying.

I'm going through almost the same thing!!! Also on CalWORKs and just got approved for disability in June but still no payments either!! What county are you in? I'm in Sacramento and they told me that I need to report the disability approval on a SAR 7 form, but only when I actually get paid. My worker said if I haven't received anything yet, there's nothing to report. But definitely DON'T wait longer than 10 days after you get your first disability check. Oh and the way disability affected my case: they counted my disability as unearned income, which gets deducted dollar for dollar from your CalWORKs after the first $90 disregard. So basically my cash aid went to almost nothing, but I still qualify for Medi-Cal and childcare benefits which is what I really need.

one other thing - when you report your disability income make sure you bring or upload the award letter that shows your weekly benefit amount. they wont just take your word for it and if you dont have documentation they might cut off your benefits for "failure to provide verification" which is a whole other nightmare!!!

every county is difrent tho. my sister in riverside county said they found out about her unemployment automaticly and reduced her CalWORKs without her telling them. so maybe they do know??

dont forget that if ur on calworks u might also be on calfresh and u gotta report the disability income for that too! they have different reporting rules sometimes its so confusing

Just wanted to update what others have said with the current Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) rules for 2025. For a family of 3, your IRT is $2,950 per month now. If your monthly disability payments plus any other income will put you over that amount, you MUST report within 10 days of receiving payment. If it's under that amount, you can wait until your next SAR 7 or recertification. But honestly, I always recommend reporting any income change right away just to be safe. Dealing with an overpayment is so much worse than just reporting properly from the start.

I'm in a similar boat - just got approved for disability but no payments yet. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like the safest approach is to give your worker a heads up about the approval even before you get paid. I've been burned before by not reporting things early enough. One thing I'd add - make sure you understand how disability income will be counted. SDI is "unearned income" so after the $90 monthly disregard, it reduces your CalWORKs grant dollar for dollar. But like others mentioned, you can often stay on CalWORKs with $0 cash aid and keep other benefits like childcare and Medi-Cal. Also, don't forget that if you're getting disability, you might qualify for a disability exemption from your Welfare-to-Work requirements. Ask your worker about that when you report the income - it could save you from having to do workfare hours while you're dealing with your disability. Good luck getting through to your worker! The phone system is brutal but it's worth the hassle to get this sorted out properly.

I went through this exact situation last year! Here's what I learned: You definitely need to report the disability approval to your CalWORKs worker, even before you receive payments. I made the mistake of waiting until I actually got paid and ended up with complications. What I'd recommend: Call your worker ASAP and let them know you were approved for SDI in July. Bring your award letter as documentation - they'll need to see the weekly benefit amount. Even though you haven't been paid yet, getting this on record protects you from potential overpayment issues later. The good news is that once your disability kicks in, you'll likely still qualify for childcare assistance and Medi-Cal even if your cash aid drops to $0. And definitely ask about the disability exemption from work requirements - that was a game changer for me when I was dealing with my health issues. Don't stress too much, but do get it reported soon. Better to be proactive than deal with the headache of overpayments later!

I work as a community advocate and deal with CalWORKs cases regularly. You absolutely should report the disability approval to your worker ASAP, even before receiving payments. Here's why: 1. **Documentation trail**: Getting it on record now protects you from overpayment claims later 2. **Planning ahead**: Your worker can help you understand exactly how the disability will affect your benefits before payments start 3. **Exemption opportunities**: You may qualify for disability exemptions from work requirements - ask about this! The key thing everyone's mentioning about the $90 disregard is correct - SDI counts as unearned income, so after that $90 monthly disregard, it reduces your CalWORKs dollar for dollar. But you can stay on CalWORKs with $0 cash aid and keep Medi-Cal, childcare, and other supportive services. Pro tip: When you call, ask your worker to put a note in your case file about the disability approval date and that you're waiting for payments to begin. This creates a paper trail showing you reported proactively. Don't let the phone system discourage you - keep trying or consider using services like Claimyr that others mentioned to get through faster. This is too important to put off!

As someone who recently went through a similar situation with reporting disability income to CalWORKs, I want to echo what others have said - definitely report the SDI approval to your worker even before you receive payments! I waited until I got my first check and it caused unnecessary complications. Here's what worked for me: I called my worker and explained that I had been approved for disability but hadn't received payments yet. She appreciated the heads-up and made a note in my case file. When the payments eventually started (took 3 months!), the transition was smooth because everything was already documented. A few practical tips: Bring your SDI award letter when you report - they'll need the weekly benefit amount for their calculations. Ask about the Good Cause exemption for your work requirements if your disability affects your ability to participate in WTW activities. And don't worry about losing all your benefits - like others mentioned, you'll likely keep Medi-Cal and childcare even if your cash aid goes to $0. The phone system is frustrating but keep trying! Some counties have online portals where you can submit changes too. Better to deal with a few phone calls now than an overpayment headache later. You've got this!

I just went through this exact situation a few months ago! You definitely need to report the SDI approval to your CalWORKs worker ASAP, even though you haven't received payments yet. I made the mistake of thinking I could wait until the money actually hit my account, and it created a mess that took weeks to sort out. Here's what I learned: Call your worker tomorrow and tell them you were approved for disability in July but are still waiting for payments. Ask them to document this in your case notes - this creates a paper trail showing you reported proactively. When your payments do start coming (mine took 4 months!), you'll already have everything set up properly. Also, don't panic about losing all your benefits. SDI counts as unearned income, so after the $90 monthly disregard, it reduces your CalWORKs cash dollar-for-dollar. But here's the good news - you can stay on CalWORKs with $0 cash aid and keep your Medi-Cal, childcare, and other supportive services. That was actually better for me because the disability paid more than CalWORKs anyway. One more thing - definitely ask about disability exemptions from your WTW requirements when you call. If your condition affects your ability to work, you might qualify for Good Cause which can exempt you from workfare hours. This was huge for me when I was dealing with my health issues. The phone system is brutal but don't give up! Some people mentioned Claimyr which helps you get through faster. Whatever you do, don't wait - protecting yourself from overpayments is worth the hassle of making that call.

I'm new to this community but going through something similar right now! Just got approved for SDI two months ago but still waiting on my first payment. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it's clear I need to call my CalWORKs worker ASAP to report the approval even without getting paid yet. What really helped me understand this was seeing how many people got hit with overpayments when they waited vs. those who reported proactively. The tip about asking them to put a note in the case file is brilliant - I'm definitely going to request that when I call tomorrow. One question for those who've been through this: did any of you have trouble getting your worker to understand that you wanted to report income you hadn't received yet? I'm worried they might think I'm confused or wasting their time since there's no actual money to report right now. Also, thanks everyone for explaining the $90 disregard and how SDI counts as unearned income. As someone completely new to navigating these systems, this thread has been incredibly educational. It's such a relief to know I can keep childcare and Medi-Cal even if my cash aid drops to zero once the disability payments start.