How soon can I add my newborn to CalWORKs? Do I need birth certificate first?

Congrats on your baby girl! You should report the birth to CalWORKs ASAP - you have 10 days to report household changes. The hospital discharge papers are enough to start the process - they should have the baby's name, date of birth, and your name as the mother. You don't need to wait for the birth certificate. Call your county office or report it through BenefitsCal. Your cash aid should increase beginning the month after you report the birth. For a family of 3 (you and 2 kids), you should get about $107 more per month than what you were getting for just you and your 3yo.

i added my son last year and just used the papers from hospital. but took almost 2 months to actually see the increase on my card!! typical county smh they always make u wait

You can definitely report this through BenefitsCal, but fair warning - sometimes the online system can be glitchy with updating household composition. Here's what I recommend: 1. Report online through BenefitsCal first (upload the hospital discharge papers) 2. ALSO call your county office and leave a message specifically stating you've had a baby and need to add them to your case 3. Make sure to mention you've already reported online Keep documentation of when you reported the change. They should increase your grant from the month following the report. And don't forget - you can also get the special $30 diaper allowance for children under 3 years old, so you'll qualify for that for your newborn too!

I tried calling for 2 weeks when my baby was born last year and couldn't get through. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to my worker in like 20 minutes. They charge a small fee but it was worth it cause I got my increase the next month. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE And yeah like others said, the hospital papers are fine to start. They'll eventually want the birth certificate but that can come later.

my situation was kinda similar but they also made me fill out paternity stuff for child support even tho i told them i dont know who the father is. just heads up u might have to deal with that nonsense too

congratsss!! just rmember when they increase ur benefits they might also review your whole case again so make sure all your other documentation is current. My sister had a baby and when she reported it they ended up askin for a bunch of other verification she wasnt expecting!!

The system is SO FRUSTRATING!!! When I had my last baby, they took FOREVER to add him to my case! I reported it right away with hospital papers and they said I needed the birth certificate anyway. Then when I brought that in, they said I needed to wait for his social security card too!!! By the time they actually increased my benefits, my baby was almost 3 months old. And they only gave backpay from when I submitted the LAST document, not from when I first reported the birth! Make sure you document EVERYTHING. Take screenshots if you report online. Get names of everyone you talk to. The county workers will try to screw you over if you don't stay on top of them.

One more important thing - since you've had a baby, you might qualify for a Welfare-to-Work exemption if you're currently required to participate in WTW activities. Parents of children under 24 months can get an exemption from WTW requirements (one time only). If you're already using this exemption for your 3-year-old, you won't qualify for another one, but if you haven't used it yet, now would be a good time to request it.

Congratulations on your new baby girl! 🎉 I just went through this same process a few months ago. Here's what worked for me: Report ASAP - you definitely have 10 days to report the birth, and the hospital discharge papers are totally fine to start with. I used BenefitsCal online and it was actually pretty smooth. Just make sure to upload clear photos of the hospital paperwork. The grant increase should kick in the month after you report (not the same month). For me it took about 3-4 weeks to see it on my EBT card. With 2 kids now, your family size goes from 2 to 3 people, so you should see a decent increase. Pro tip: When you report online, print out or screenshot the confirmation page! I learned this the hard way when they claimed they never received my report the first time. Also don't forget about WIC if you're not already on it - having a newborn makes you automatically eligible and the extra food benefits really help with the grocery budget. You can apply at your local health department. Good luck mama, you've got this! 💪

Congratulations on your baby girl! 🎉 You've gotten some great advice here already. I wanted to add that you should definitely keep copies of everything you submit - both online and any paperwork you drop off or mail in. I've had the county "lose" my documents before and having my own copies saved me a lot of headaches. Also, since you mentioned your worker is hard to reach, try calling first thing in the morning right when they open (usually 8am) or right after lunch around 1pm. Those seem to be the best times to actually get through to someone instead of just leaving another voicemail that won't get returned. One last thing - if you're breastfeeding, make sure to mention that when you talk to them. There might be additional food benefits or resources available for nursing moms that they don't always tell you about unless you ask specifically. Wishing you and your little one all the best! The first few months are tough but you're doing great by staying on top of getting her added to your case. 💕

Congrats on your baby girl! 💕 I just wanted to add that when you do get through to report the birth, make sure to ask about getting your newborn added to your Medi-Cal too if she isn't already. Sometimes they handle CalWORKs and Medi-Cal separately and you don't want any gaps in her healthcare coverage. Also, since you have a 3-year-old already, you might want to ask about the CalFresh (food stamps) increase too when you report the birth. Adding another family member should bump up your food benefits as well, not just the cash aid. The hospital social worker might also be able to help you navigate some of this if your county worker is being unresponsive. They usually have direct lines to the eligibility workers and can sometimes get things moving faster. Hang in there mama - the bureaucracy is frustrating but you'll get through it! ❤️