How much will CalWORKs reduce my Cash Aid for not meeting the 30 WTW hours requirement?

Hi there - first, try not to panic. In a WTW sanction, they don't reduce your entire Cash Aid amount. They only remove YOUR portion from the grant, not your daughter's. So if your total grant is $1,105 for you and your daughter, and your portion is $475, they would reduce it to $630 (just your daughter's portion). This happens after you've gone through the entire sanction process though, which takes some time. They must send you a Notice of Action with the exact amount first, and you have the right to request a hearing if you disagree.

they did this 2 me last yr and it suuuucked. they gave me this NA 840 form first that said i wasnt meeting my hours. i had 20 days to either start meeting the hours OR give them a "good cause" reason why i couldnt. did ur worker give u that form yet?

My dumb question - are you in the CalWorks self-sufficiency program too or just regular WTW? Because I think the rules are different. My cousin got sanctioned and she said they took like $150 from her check but she has 3 kids so maybe that's different?

Just to clarify some information here: When a sanction occurs, the parent portion is removed from the cash grant. The children continue to receive their portions. Before a sanction is imposed, you should receive: 1. A Notice of Action (NA 840) 2. A chance to show "good cause" (which can include your child's medical issues) 3. A chance to agree to a compliance plan Also, since your child has medical issues, you should absolutely discuss with your worker about getting a temporary exemption or reduced hours requirement. The fact that your child has chronic asthma might qualify you for a reduction in required hours or a temporary exemption, especially if you have medical documentation. Make sure to get this in writing from your doctor.

Have you tried explaining your situation to your caseworker? They might be able to adjust your required hours if you have a good reason. And sometimes they can backdate participation too if you had legit reasons to miss hours.

Been there with trying to reach workers... it's IMPOSSIBLE sometimes. I was in the same boat last year needing to discuss my WTW requirements. After a week of trying to get through the regular channels with no luck, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They basically hold your place in the phone queue and call you when a real person answers. Saved me HOURS of hold time and I actually got through to discuss my exemption. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Once I actually got to talk to my worker, I was able to get a temporary reduction in hours because of my situation. Definitely worth trying if you're struggling to get through.

THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!!! They require these impossible hours knowing full well most single parents can't consistently meet them, especially with sick kids. Then they use ANY excuse to cut your benefits. I got sanctioned last year when my childcare fell through - THEIR childcare program BTW that THEY approved!! - and they didn't care at all that it was THEIR fault I couldn't make my hours. The whole point is to find reasons to kick people off. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and request a hearing if they try to sanction you!!

btw did u sign up for the supportive services? they have money for car repairs and stuff that helps u get to work/school. my worker never told me about this until i was already sanctioned smh

One more important thing: if you do end up getting sanctioned, make sure you still submit your SAR7 forms and any other required paperwork on time. A sanction only affects the adult portion of the grant, but missing paperwork can cause you to lose the entire grant including your daughter's portion. Also, you can cure the sanction at any time by contacting your worker and agreeing to a compliance plan, which will restore your portion of the grant once completed.

Just wanted to add that you should also ask your worker about the "hourly credit" system. If you're doing job search activities, some counties give you credit for more hours than you actually spend. Like if you spend 2 hours at a job interview, they might count it as 4 hours toward your requirement. Also, attending your daughter's medical appointments might actually COUNT as WTW hours under certain circumstances - especially if it's related to your own ability to participate in work activities. Don't let them make you feel like you're not trying hard enough when you're dealing with legitimate barriers. Single parenting with a chronically ill child is incredibly challenging, and the system should be supporting you, not threatening you.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress - the uncertainty is honestly the worst part. Just wanted to share that I went through something similar with my son who has special needs. The key thing that saved me was getting everything documented BEFORE the formal sanction process started. I learned that you can actually request a "pre-sanction conference" with your worker and their supervisor to discuss your barriers. During mine, I brought medical records showing my son's appointments and explained how his needs affected my availability. They ended up reducing my required hours from 30 to 20 per week and gave me a 6-month review period. Also, don't forget that travel time to and from WTW activities counts toward your hours - if you're spending time getting to appointments or job searches, make sure your worker knows and counts those hours too. Hang in there, and definitely get that medical documentation from your daughter's doctor as others mentioned!

I'm a new member here but I've been reading through all these responses and wanted to add something that helped me when I was in a similar situation. If you haven't already, make sure to ask your caseworker about the "Illness or Incapacity of Child" exemption. This is specifically designed for situations like yours where you're caring for a child with ongoing medical needs like chronic asthma. With proper medical documentation (the CW 61 form others mentioned), you might qualify for a complete temporary exemption rather than just reduced hours. I got a 90-day exemption when my daughter was going through a series of specialist appointments, and it gave me breathing room to get everything organized. Also, keep a detailed log of every medical appointment, pharmacy visit, and day your daughter is too sick for school - this creates a paper trail that shows the ongoing nature of her condition. The caseworkers respond much better when you can show patterns rather than just isolated incidents. Don't give up - there are more protections available than they usually tell you about upfront!