Does receiving Social Security income reduce my CalWORKs Cash Aid amount?

Social Security income definitely affects your CalWORKs amount. Since you're the disabled parent receiving SSDI/SSI (not sure which one you have), that income is counted when calculating your cash grant. Your CalWORKs will likely be reduced or possibly discontinued depending on your exact household situation. However, your children might still qualify for a child-only grant if your income puts just you over the limit but not them. Make sure to specifically ask about a child-only case when you speak with your worker. As for CalFresh, Social Security income is counted there too, so you'll probably see a reduction. But they calculate it differently than CalWORKs, so don't assume you'll lose it entirely.

I went thru this last yr. Got SSDI and my cash aid got cut completely! But my kids got put on a seprate child only case and still got some $$$. They didn't do it automatically tho - I had to really push my worker to set it up right. Callfresh went down too but we still get some. Make sure u tell them your expenses like rent and utilities cuz that helps with the callfresh calculation

when u get your SS started make SURE to keep all the paperwork to show your worker. they WILL ask for verification and if u don't have it they'll cut u off. also don't spend all the money at once because sometimes SS gives u back pay and that can put u over the resource limit if u don't spend it down. my cousin lost her benefits for 3 months because of this!!

Have you tried calling your worker? I've been trying to get through to my CalWORKs office for 2 weeks about a change in my income too. So frustrating when they never pick up!

One more important thing - if you're receiving SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) rather than SSI (Supplemental Security Income), the rules are different. SSDI is always counted as income for CalWORKs, but SSI is treated differently and recipients are not eligible for CalWORKs at all. However, with SSI, other family members can still get CalWORKs as a child-only case. You mentioned getting $1,275, which sounds like SSDI amounts. In that case, definitely ask about the child-only option for your kids. Also, be sure to report this change within 10 days of receiving your first payment to avoid any overpayment issues.

tbh this is why i didn't apply for social security even tho my doctor said i should. too scared of losing my other benefits and ending up worse off. the system is so complicated!!!

I called my county office three times today but kept getting disconnected after waiting for 45+ minutes each time! This is so stressful. My first Social Security payment comes next week and I'm worried my CalWORKs will just stop automatically. Does anyone know how long they usually take to adjust the benefits after you report a change?

To summarize what everyone's said: 1. Your CalWORKs will definitely change - either reduce or stop for you personally 2. Ask specifically about establishing a child-only case for your kids 3. Report this change within 10 days of receiving your first payment 4. Keep documentation of everything - approval letters, payment amounts, etc. 5. Your CalFresh will likely decrease but not necessarily disappear 6. Be careful with any lump-sum backpay regarding resource limits Finally, make sure to submit your verification through BenefitsCal but also follow up by phone to ensure they process the change correctly. Changes involving Social Security often need additional worker attention to set up properly.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! Got approved for SSDI ($1,100/month) while getting CalWORKs for me and my daughter. Here's what actually happened: my CalWORKs case got discontinued for me but they set up a child-only case for my daughter automatically once I provided all the SS paperwork. The child-only grant was actually higher than what we were getting before because they use different income calculations for child-only cases. My CalFresh did go down from $281 to $194 but we kept some benefits. The key thing is to stay on top of your worker - mine initially just closed everything until I called and specifically asked about the child-only option. Also, when you get your first SS payment, report it immediately but ask them to walk you through exactly how they're going to restructure your case. Don't let them just close everything without exploring all options!

I'm actually in a very similar situation right now - just got my SSDI approval letter last week ($1,180/month) and I'm on CalWORKs with my three kids. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful because I was honestly panicking about losing everything. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like the key is being proactive about asking for the child-only case rather than waiting for the worker to figure it out. I'm planning to call tomorrow (wish me luck getting through!) and specifically mention that I want them to evaluate a child-only case for my kids when my SSDI starts. One question I have - for those who went through this transition, did you notice any difference in how quickly they processed things if you submitted everything through BenefitsCal versus calling? I already uploaded my approval letter to BenefitsCal but I'm wondering if I should also try to speak with someone directly to make sure they handle the restructuring correctly. Also @Quinn Herbert - your experience gives me so much hope! The idea that the child-only grant could actually be higher than what we're getting now as a family case is amazing. Did you have to deal with any of the work requirements or WTW stuff for the child-only case, or does that go away once you're excluded from the assistance unit?

I'm going through something similar right now and this thread has been SO helpful! I just wanted to add that when I called my county office about my upcoming SSDI payments, the worker told me something important - make sure you ask about keeping your Medi-Cal coverage too. Apparently when they restructure your case for the child-only CalWORKs, sometimes the Medi-Cal gets discontinued by mistake even though SSDI recipients are supposed to keep it. She said to specifically ask them to check that your Medi-Cal stays active when they exclude you from the CalWORKs assistance unit. I almost forgot to mention this but saw @Emma Taylor asking about the process and wanted to make sure everyone knows to check on ALL their benefits, not just the cash aid and CalFresh. The last thing anyone needs is to lose health coverage during this transition! Also echoing what others said about Claimyr - I used it yesterday and actually got through to my worker after trying on my own for over a week. Worth the small fee to not waste hours on hold.