How does CalWORKs disburse child support payments after approval?

When you're receiving CalWORKs, most of the child support actually goes to the county to reimburse them for your Cash Aid. But California does have a "disregard" amount of $100 for one child or $200 for two or more children that you get to keep without affecting your cash benefits. You'll get a separate debit card called the California Child Support Card (looks different from your EBT card) where they'll deposit your disregard payment. The rest of the support payment goes to pay back the county for your Cash Aid. The Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) handles all this, not the CalWORKs office. They should be sending you information about your case and the debit card in the mail. You can also set up direct deposit instead of using their card if you prefer.

when i got calworks they gave me $50 for 1 kid from the child support my ex was paying. the rest went to the county. its dumb cuz ur ex thinks hes paying all this money for ur kid but the county keeps it and he still gets mad at u lol

I'm going through this right now too. The $100/$200 disregard payment comes on a separate blue card from DCSS, not your regular EBT. They should mail it to you automatically after they process the first payment. Also, make sure you save all your CalWORKs paperwork because when you eventually stop receiving Cash Aid, you'll get to keep ALL the child support, but sometimes there's confusion about when exactly that transition happens. My worker didn't explain any of this to me either!

Why would u even bother with child support cooperation if u only get $100??? Seems like a waste of time and just causes more drama with the ex. Can't u just claim good cause and not deal with all this?? CalWORKs system is so broken smh

I had this same question when i first got approved!!! The whole child support system with calworks is SO CONFUSING. took me forever to understand it. Basically: 1. Your ex pays support to LCSA (local child support agency) 2. LCSA gives you $100 for 1 kid or $200 for 2+ kids 3. LCSA gives the rest to the county to pay back your cash aid 4. You get the money on a blue card that comes in mail 5. When you stop getting calworks you get ALL the child support honestly the most annoying part is my ex thinking im getting all his money when really im only getting $100 of it lolol

I've been dealing with DCSS for years and it's honestly been a nightmare trying to reach anyone when there are problems. I waited 3+ hours multiple times just to talk to someone about why my payments weren't being processed correctly. I finally gave up calling the regular number and used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person in about 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE It's the only way I've been able to get my child support issues resolved quickly. The regular phone system is completely broken.

To summarize the correct information about child support and CalWORKs: 1. When you receive CalWORKs, you're required to cooperate with child support collection unless you have an approved "good cause" exemption (typically for domestic violence situations). 2. The Local Child Support Agency (LCSA) collects payments from the non-custodial parent. 3. California provides a "disregard" payment of $100 for one child or $200 for two or more children that you receive without affecting your Cash Aid amount. 4. The remainder of collected child support reimburses the county for providing your Cash Aid benefits. 5. You'll receive a California Child Support Card (blue card) in the mail where the disregard amounts will be deposited monthly. This is separate from your EBT card. 6. Once you stop receiving CalWORKs, you should receive the full child support amount directly. 7. You can check your child support case status at childsupport.ca.gov or by calling 1-866-901-3212. It typically takes 30-45 days after CalWORKs approval for the DCSS system to process everything and begin payments, assuming the non-custodial parent is already in the system and paying.

Kinda related question - does anyone know if receiving the $100 disregard payment affects other benefits like CalFresh or Medi-Cal? I'm waiting on my blue card too and worried if this small amount will mess up my other benefits.

Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago. The timeline can vary a lot depending on your county and whether your ex is already in the system. In my case, it took about 8 weeks from CalWORKs approval to getting my first payment on the blue card because they had to establish paternity and locate my ex first. One thing nobody mentioned - if your ex stops paying or his employment changes, the payments can get really inconsistent. DCSS will try to collect but there's not much you can do if he doesn't have income to garnish. Also keep all your documentation because when you transition off CalWORKs, you'll need to provide proof of how much support was collected during your time on benefits for tax purposes. The blue card works just like a regular debit card - you can use it at ATMs or stores, but there are some fees if you use out-of-network ATMs. You can also set up direct deposit to your bank account instead which is what I ended up doing.

I went through this process about a year ago and wanted to share some additional tips that might help! First, definitely create an account on childsupport.ca.gov as soon as possible - you can track payments, view case details, and even message your caseworker there. It's way easier than calling. One thing I wish someone had told me: if your ex has irregular income (like gig work or seasonal jobs), the payments can be really unpredictable. Some months I'd get the full $100, other months nothing. DCSS will try to collect but they can only garnish what's there. Also, make sure you update your address with DCSS if you move - even if you update it with CalWORKs, they're separate systems and your blue card could get sent to the wrong place. I learned this the hard way when I moved and had to wait weeks for a replacement card. The good news is once you're off CalWORKs, you get 100% of whatever they collect, and they keep trying to collect even if he was behind on payments while you were on benefits. So it's worth cooperating even though you only get $100 now.

Hey Diego! I just went through this whole process last month and wanted to share what I learned. The $100 disregard (for one child) that everyone mentioned is correct, but here's what my caseworker didn't explain well: The blue DCSS card usually arrives 4-6 weeks after your first child support payment is processed, not necessarily 4-6 weeks after CalWORKs approval. So if your ex's employer takes a while to start the garnishment, the card could take longer. One thing that really helped me was calling DCSS at 1-866-901-3212 about 3 weeks after my CalWORKs approval to confirm they had all my info correct and that the case was being processed. They can tell you if there are any delays or issues. Also, your CalWORKs grant amount won't change because of the child support - the $100 is truly "extra" money on top of your regular benefits. And yes, your ex will get statements showing where the money goes, which actually helped in my situation because he could see I wasn't pocketing all $450. The whole system is confusing but once you get through the initial setup, it becomes more routine. Hang in there!

I'm new to this whole process but reading through everyone's experiences has been so helpful! I just got approved for CalWORKs two weeks ago and signed the child support cooperation forms, but my caseworker barely explained anything about how the payments work. From what I'm understanding here, I'll get $100 (since I have one child) on a separate blue card from DCSS, and the rest of the $325/month my ex is supposed to pay goes to reimburse the county for my Cash Aid. That seems frustrating but I guess it makes sense from the county's perspective. One question I haven't seen addressed - what happens if my ex tries to pay me directly instead of through DCSS? He's been texting me saying he wants to just give me cash to avoid the "government getting involved." I'm worried this could mess up my CalWORKs case somehow. Should I tell him all payments have to go through the official system now? Also, does anyone know if there are any requirements about reporting the $100 disregard payments anywhere, like on annual paperwork or anything? I want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly since I'm still learning how all these programs work together.

Just wanted to add something that might help with the timeline expectations - I got my CalWORKs approved about 3 months ago and it took exactly 6 weeks from approval to getting my first payment on the blue DCSS card. My ex was already in the system from a previous case though, so that probably sped things up. One thing I learned the hard way: make sure your mailing address is exactly the same with both CalWORKs and DCSS. My apartment number was listed differently in their systems and my first card got returned to sender. Had to wait another 2 weeks for a replacement. Also, don't stress too much about only getting $100 out of the $450 - I know it seems unfair but remember you're also getting your CalWORKs cash aid, CalFresh, and Medi-Cal. When you add it all up, you're actually getting more support than just the child support alone would provide. And like everyone said, once you're off CalWORKs you'll get the full amount. The DCSS online portal is definitely worth setting up early. You can see exactly when payments come in and track any issues. Way better than trying to call them!

I'm in a similar situation - just got approved for CalWORKs last month and my caseworker rushed through the child support cooperation paperwork too! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful since I felt so lost about how this all works. One thing I want to add that I learned from calling DCSS directly - they told me that if your ex has been paying child support through the court system before you applied for CalWORKs, there might be a brief interruption in payments while they transfer the case to DCSS. Mine stopped for about 3 weeks during the transition, which was stressful, but then the payments resumed and I got my blue card. Also wanted to mention that the DCSS customer service rep told me they send text alerts when payments are deposited to your card, which is really helpful for budgeting. You have to opt in for the notifications when you activate the card. This whole thread has made me feel so much better about understanding the process. The $100 disregard seemed so small at first, but like others said, it's extra money on top of all my other benefits and it'll be the full amount once I'm back to work and off CalWORKs. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

This thread has been so incredibly helpful! I'm also new to CalWORKs (just approved 3 weeks ago) and my caseworker gave me basically no information about how the child support piece works. Reading everyone's real experiences has answered so many questions I didn't even know I should be asking. A couple things I wanted to add from my research: 1. If you're worried about the timeline, you can actually check if your case has been referred to DCSS by logging into your CalWORKs account online (if your county has that option). There should be a section that shows the status of your child support cooperation. 2. I called my county's LCSA directly and they were actually more helpful than the main DCSS line. They could tell me exactly where my case was in the process and gave me a more realistic timeline based on my specific situation. 3. For anyone wondering about the $100 vs $50 amounts people mentioned - it depends on when your case was approved. California increased the disregard amount from $50 to $100 (and $200 for multiple kids) in 2019, so if someone got CalWORKs before then, they might remember the old amounts. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing for actually getting practical information that the caseworkers don't always explain well!