How to update phone number on BenefitsCal for CalWORKs without calling the office?

Thank you so much!! I swear I looked everywhere but somehow missed that. Just found it and updated my number. One more question - do I need to separately notify my worker about the change or will they automatically see my updated number in the system?

Oh no that's exactly what I'm worried about! I really don't want to miss my redetermination interview. I guess I'll have to try calling after all 😩

That's really smart, I'll definitely take screenshots. I'm not sure how to send a message through BenefitsCal though? Is that option somewhere on the website?

Found it! Just sent a message. Thanks for walking me through this - I feel much better knowing I've covered all my bases.

I've never heard of that before! Does it actually work? I'm desperate at this point because I NEED to make sure they have my right number before my redetermination. I'll check out that video, thanks!

Yes, it really works! I was skeptical at first but it saved me so much time. Just make sure you have your case number and personal info ready when they connect you.

No, I didn't move - just got a new phone. Still at the same address in the same county. But thanks for the warning!

Thank you for this info! I had no idea I needed to fill out a SAR 7 just for a phone number change. I thought those were only for income reporting. I'll definitely download and submit one right away.

You're welcome! The SAR 7 is for income reporting, but it's also used for contact info changes between your regular reporting periods. There's actually a box specifically for address/phone changes. This way it gets properly documented in your case file.

Technically yes, any change in contact info should be reported. Phone numbers are especially important because missed calls from your worker can lead to benefit delays or cuts. But if you're changing numbers frequently, I'd recommend calling your worker directly to ask the best way to handle it in your specific situation.

That Google Voice tip is brilliant! I never thought of that but it makes so much sense, especially for people who might need to change phones frequently due to financial reasons or other circumstances. I'm definitely going to look into setting that up as a backup plan. It would save so much hassle compared to going through all these update steps every time. Thanks for sharing that practical solution!

@Ana that Google Voice suggestion is amazing! I had no idea you could do that. I've been stressing about potentially having to change my number again soon because my current phone plan is getting too expensive. This would solve so many problems - not just with CalWORKs but also with keeping consistent contact info for job applications and everything else. Do you know if there are any downsides to using Google Voice for official government stuff like this?

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice for government stuff for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! Most agencies accept it just like a regular phone number. The only small downside I've noticed is that sometimes automated systems take an extra second to connect, but that's pretty minor. One thing to keep in mind - make sure to set up voicemail on your Google Voice number and check it regularly, since some workers prefer to leave messages rather than keep trying to call. Also, you can set it up to send transcripts of voicemails to your email, which is super helpful for keeping records of communications from your worker. The peace of mind of having a stable number that follows you no matter what phone situation you're in is totally worth it, especially when dealing with benefits that depend on being reachable!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice for CalWORKs and other government benefits for about 2 years now with no issues! The workers can't tell the difference - it shows up as a regular phone number on their end. The only minor downside is that sometimes there's a very slight delay when calls come through, but it's barely noticeable. Just make sure to set it up properly so calls forward to your actual phone and texts come through. Also keep your Google account secure since that's what the number is tied to. But honestly, the peace of mind of having a stable number that I never have to update with CalWORKs again has been worth it. I wish I had known about this option years ago! You can sign up for free at voice.google.com and pick a local number. Takes about 10 minutes to set up.

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs for about a year now and haven't had any issues! The county workers can call it just like any regular number, and you can still receive text messages if your county sends those. The only minor downside is that sometimes there's a slight delay when calls get forwarded, but it's really not noticeable. Just make sure when you set it up that you can receive calls reliably on whatever phone you're forwarding to. I'd also recommend testing it by having someone call your Google Voice number first before you give it to CalWORKs, just to make sure everything works smoothly. But honestly, it's been such a game-changer for me - no more worrying about updating my number with every agency every time I switch phones!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! The workers treat it just like any other phone number. The main thing to watch out for is making sure your Google Voice app notifications are turned on so you don't miss calls. Also, sometimes the voicemail transcription isn't perfect, so I always listen to the actual message too. But honestly, it's been so worth it - I've switched phones 3 times and never had to update my number with the county office. Just make sure to test that calls are coming through properly after you set it up!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice for CalWORKs communications for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! It works just like a regular phone number - you can receive calls and texts normally. The main thing to remember is to make sure your Google Voice settings are configured to forward calls to your actual phone so you don't miss anything important. The only minor downside I've encountered is that sometimes automated systems take an extra second or two to connect, but that's pretty rare. For government agencies, they just see it as a regular phone number. I actually prefer it now because I can access my voicemails and texts from any device if needed, which has been super helpful when my phone was broken once. Just make sure to keep your Google account secure since that's how you'll manage the number!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs for about 2 years now with no issues! The county workers can't tell the difference - it rings just like a regular number. The only minor downside is that sometimes there's a slight delay when calls forward, but it's barely noticeable. Just make sure to set up voicemail on your Google Voice number too, not just your actual phone. And test it first by having a friend call to make sure it forwards properly. The peace of mind is totally worth it - I haven't had to update my contact info with any agencies since I switched to using Google Voice as my "official" number.

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! The government agencies accept it just like any other phone number - they can't tell the difference. Just make sure to: 1. Set up voicemail on your Google Voice number 2. Enable text forwarding if your worker sends SMS updates 3. Test that calls are forwarding properly before giving them the number The only minor downside is that sometimes there's a tiny delay when calls forward, but it's barely noticeable. And if your Google Voice number ever gets spam calls, you can easily block them through the app. It's been such a relief not having to worry about updating my contact info every time I switch phone plans!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice for government stuff including CalWORKs for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! A few things to keep in mind though: 1. Make sure you can receive calls and texts reliably - sometimes there's a slight delay but nothing major 2. The number will show as a different area code than your physical phone, but that's totally fine 3. You can still give out your "real" number for emergencies if needed 4. Some automated systems work better with regular numbers, but I've never had problems with CalWORKs specifically The biggest advantage is exactly what you mentioned - you can keep the same number on all your paperwork, job apps, medical forms, etc. even when you switch phones or carriers. I wish someone had told me about this when I first started receiving benefits - would have saved me so much stress! Just make sure to test it out first by having someone call/text the Google Voice number before you submit it as your official contact info.

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! Government agencies generally accept it just fine since it's still a real phone number that can receive calls and texts. The only minor downside I've encountered is that some automated systems occasionally have trouble with it, but for actual calls from workers it works perfectly. Plus you can set it up to ring multiple phones if needed, and you get voicemail transcripts which can be really helpful for keeping records of what your worker said. Definitely worth setting up - it's free and gives you so much more flexibility!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice for my CalWORKs case for about 2 years now with no issues! Government agencies accept it just like any other phone number - they can't tell the difference. The only minor downside is that sometimes there's a very slight delay when calls are forwarded, but it's barely noticeable. Just make sure to test it first by having someone call your Google Voice number to confirm it rings through to your actual phone properly. Also, you can set up voicemail through Google Voice which gives you transcriptions of messages via email - super helpful if you miss a call from your worker. Overall it's been one of the best decisions I made for managing my benefits communications!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs and other government programs for about 2 years now with no issues at all! It's completely legitimate - it's just a regular phone number that happens to forward to your actual phone. The government agencies can't tell the difference, and it works for calls, texts, and even voicemail. The only minor downside I've found is that sometimes there's a very slight delay in call forwarding (like maybe 1-2 seconds), but it's barely noticeable. And you do need internet access to manage your Google Voice settings, but you can do that from any computer or phone with wifi. The benefits far outweigh any small inconveniences though - I've saved myself so much stress by not having to update my number with like 10 different agencies every time I switch phones or plans. Plus Google Voice is completely free, which is perfect when you're trying to save money. Definitely recommend setting it up!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! The workers can call it just like any regular number, and you can receive texts too. The only minor downside is that sometimes there's a very slight delay in call forwarding, but it's barely noticeable. Just make sure to test it first by having someone call your Google Voice number to make sure it forwards properly to your actual phone. Overall it's been super reliable and has saved me from having to update my contact info multiple times. Definitely worth setting up!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with government agencies for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! It works just like a regular phone number - you can receive calls, texts, and voicemails normally. The only thing to keep in mind is that some automated systems occasionally have trouble with VOIP numbers, but I've never had that problem specifically with CalWORKs or other benefit programs. Just make sure to test that you can receive calls and texts on it before giving it as your primary contact number. You can set up Google Voice to forward to multiple phones too, which is really helpful if you share a phone with family members or need backup options.

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! The county workers can't tell the difference - it rings and receives texts just like a regular number. The main thing to watch out for is making sure you don't lose access to your Google account (keep your recovery info updated). Also, Google Voice can sometimes have delays with text messages, but for CalWORKs purposes that's usually not a big deal since most important stuff comes as calls anyway. Just make sure when you first give them the Google Voice number, you mention it in your messaging that it's your permanent contact number so they know to use it for everything going forward.

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs and other government agencies for about 2 years now with no issues! It's a real US phone number so it works just like any other number for official purposes. The only minor downside is that some automated systems occasionally don't recognize it as a "mobile" number, but that's rare. For CalWORKs specifically, it's been perfect - my worker can call and text it normally, and I get all the automated reminders. Just make sure to keep your Google account secure since that's what the number is tied to. It's honestly been one of the best decisions I made for managing all my benefit programs!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice for CalWORKs and other benefits for about 2 years now with no issues! The government systems treat it just like any other phone number - they can't tell the difference. The main thing is to make sure you don't lose access to your Google account since that's how you manage the forwarding. A few tips: set up account recovery options, enable two-factor authentication, and maybe write down the Google Voice number somewhere safe. Also, you can forward to multiple phones at once, so if you have an old phone that still connects to wifi, you could have calls go to both your main phone and the backup. The only minor downside is that sometimes there's a slight delay when calls forward, but honestly it's way better than missing important calls because your number changed. Definitely worth setting up!

I've been using Google Voice for CalWORKs and other government stuff for about two years now with no issues! The main things to know: 1) It's a real phone number so agencies accept it just like any other number, 2) You can receive texts and calls normally, 3) You get voicemail transcriptions which is actually helpful for keeping records of what workers tell you, and 4) It's completely free. The only minor downside is that some automated systems occasionally don't recognize it as a "real" mobile number, but I've never had that problem with CalWORKs specifically. Just make sure to set up the forwarding properly and test it before giving them the number. It's honestly been one of the best decisions I made for managing my benefits - no more stress about phone changes!

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice with CalWORKs and other government programs for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! The number works just like any regular phone number for calls and texts. A few things to keep in mind though: - Make sure you set up the Google Voice app properly so you don't miss calls - You can choose to have it ring both your Google Voice app AND forward to your actual phone number for redundancy - Some automated systems occasionally have trouble with Google Voice numbers, but I've never had that problem with CalWORKs specifically - Keep your Google account secure since that's how you manage the forwarding The biggest advantage is exactly what you mentioned - you never have to update your contact info with agencies again! I've switched phone carriers three times since setting it up and CalWORKs has no idea because the Google Voice number stays the same. It's been a game changer for me.

@Anastasia I've been using Google Voice for CalWORKs and other government stuff for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues! The main things to keep in mind: 1. Make sure you can receive texts on it (some automated systems send verification codes) 2. Double-check that calls forward properly - test it before giving out the number 3. Keep the Google Voice app updated so you don't miss notifications 4. You might want to mention to your worker that it's a forwarding number, just to be transparent The only minor downside I've experienced is that very occasionally there's a slight delay in call forwarding, but it's rare. Overall it's been super helpful for maintaining consistent contact info across all my benefits and services. Definitely worth setting up!