Is my CalWORKs Cash Aid coming from my daughter's father's child support payments?

The Cash Aid you receive through CalWORKs is not directly from your daughter's father. When you apply for CalWORKs, you typically have to cooperate with child support enforcement (unless you have good cause not to), but they're two separate systems. Here's how it works: - The county pays you the CalWORKs benefit - Separately, the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) tries to collect support from the non-custodial parent - If they collect any child support, most of it goes to the county to reimburse the CalWORKs benefits, but you should get the first $100 passed through to you (called the "disregard") So your CalWORKs payments aren't dependent on whether they collect anything from him. You'll get your regular Cash Aid regardless.

they take the child suppotr mony from him and keep it!! its the biggest scam ever. my ex pays $437 a month for our son and i only get $100 of it and the rest the county keeps!! they say its to "pay back" the benefits but im only getting $664 for me and my son anyway so they r making PROFIT off of us single moms im telling u

When I first applied for CalWORKs, I was terrified about the child support cooperation thing because my ex was abusive. Just wanted to make sure you know there are exemptions to the child support cooperation requirement if you have concerns about safety! It's called "good cause" and you can request it if contact with your child's father would put you or your daughter at risk of harm. Just mentioning in case that applies to your situation.

wait so does this mean they know where her dad is? like do they have his address now? im in similar situation and dont want my ex knowing where we live

I spent HOURS trying to get answers about this exact thing last month! Kept calling my county office but couldn't get through to anyone who could explain it clearly. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual caseworker who explained everything. They have this video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Basically, your CalWORKs benefits and child support are separate systems that interact with each other. Your benefits aren't dependent on them collecting from him, but if they do collect, you should get that $100 "disregard" payment added to your regular benefits amount.

To add some additional important details: The $100 pass-through (or "disregard") mentioned is specifically for families with one child. If you have two or more children on your case, the disregard is $200 per month. This amount doesn't affect your CalWORKs grant - it's extra money on top of your regular benefit. You can check if you're receiving this by looking at your quarterly child support statement from DCSS (they should mail this to you) or by calling DCSS directly. Sometimes there are issues with the pass-through not being properly applied, so it's worth checking if you've never received it.

No, the DCSS statements come separately from your CalWORKs notices. It's quite possible they haven't located him or haven't been able to collect anything yet. If you want to check on the status, you can contact your local DCSS office directly. They can tell you if a case has been established and if any collections have been made.

@profile8 yes it worked for me! I tried for 2 days straight to get through about my child support question and kept getting stuck in the automated system or disconnected. Used Claimyr and got through in about 20 minutes. Definitely worth it when you're dealing with something complicated that the automated system can't handle.

they ned to change this stupid system, its so messed up. if the dad is paying support why does the county get to keep most of it?? and if hes not paying anything you get the same anyway so whats the point?? anybody else think this is totally unfair or just me?

I understand your confusion - this system can be really overwhelming! Just to clarify something that might help: you mentioned signing cooperation papers during your application. Those papers basically said you'd help the county try to establish paternity and collect child support from your daughter's father IF possible. But like others said, your CalWORKs benefits don't depend on whether they actually succeed in collecting anything from him. The county pays your benefits from general funds, not from child support collections. If they do eventually collect support, you'd get that extra $100 per month on top of your regular CalWORKs amount (since you have one child). But even if they never collect a penny from him, your regular Cash Aid continues unchanged. Don't feel embarrassed about asking these questions - the system is complicated and caseworkers often don't have time to explain everything thoroughly during the application process!

I want to add something that might be helpful - if you're ever wondering about the status of your child support case, you can also check online through the California Child Support Services portal. You can create an account and see if a case has been opened, any payments collected, and your current balance. It's much easier than trying to call and wait on hold! Also, just to echo what others have said - don't feel embarrassed about not understanding everything during the application process. They throw SO much paperwork at you all at once, and when you're stressed about needing help for your family, it's totally normal to miss some details. The important thing is that you're asking questions now and getting the information you need!

I just wanted to share my experience since I went through something similar when I first started getting CalWORKs. The whole child support cooperation thing was really confusing to me too! What helped me understand it better was thinking of it this way: CalWORKs is like temporary assistance that the state provides to help families in need. The child support enforcement is the state's way of trying to get reimbursed for that assistance from parents who should be financially responsible for their kids. But they're completely separate processes. So your monthly CalWORKs payment will come regardless of what happens with child support. If your daughter's father never gets located, never pays, or disputes paternity - none of that affects your CalWORKs benefits. The cooperation requirement just means you agree to provide information and participate in the process if needed, but you're not responsible for the outcome. I've been on CalWORKs for about a year now and they still haven't collected anything from my son's father, but my benefits have been consistent the whole time. Hope this helps ease your worries!

Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - if you ever need to update information about your daughter's father (like if you find out his current address, employer, or Social Security number), make sure to let both your CalWORKs worker and DCSS know. Sometimes cases get stuck because they have outdated or incorrect information. Also, keep all your CalWORKs paperwork organized because if child support does get collected in the future, you might need to reference dates and case numbers. I learned this the hard way when I had questions about my disregard payments and couldn't find my old notices! The system is definitely confusing at first, but you're asking all the right questions. Don't hesitate to keep advocating for yourself if you need clarification on anything - it's your right to understand how your benefits work.

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! My caseworker briefly mentioned the child support cooperation during my interview, but I was so focused on just getting approved that I didn't really absorb all the details. Reading everyone's explanations here has been incredibly helpful. One thing I'm still curious about - does anyone know approximately how long it typically takes for DCSS to establish a case and start trying to collect? I provided my son's father's information about 3 months ago when I applied for CalWORKs, but I haven't received any communication from DCSS yet. Is that normal, or should I be following up with them? Also, thank you to everyone who mentioned not being embarrassed about asking these questions. It's such a relief to know that other people found this system confusing too. There's so much information thrown at you during the application process that it's impossible to remember and understand everything the first time around!

I'm so glad you asked this question! I went through the same confusion when I first started receiving CalWORKs benefits for my two kids. The whole child support cooperation thing really stressed me out because I thought my benefits might depend on whether they could actually collect from my ex. What really helped me understand it was when my caseworker explained that CalWORKs is funded by state and federal money - it's not coming from individual child support payments. The county pays your benefits from their budget, regardless of what happens with child support collection efforts. The cooperation requirement is basically you agreeing to help them TRY to collect support, but your benefits aren't contingent on them being successful. I've been on CalWORKs for over a year now, and even though DCSS has only collected sporadically from my ex, my monthly benefits have remained exactly the same. If they do collect child support in the future, you should receive that extra $100 monthly disregard payment (since you have one child) on top of your regular CalWORKs amount. But even if they never collect anything, your Cash Aid continues unchanged. Don't feel bad about not understanding everything during the application - they really do throw a lot of information at you all at once when you're already dealing with a stressful situation!

I completely understand your confusion! When I first applied for CalWORKs about 6 months ago, I had the exact same questions and worries. The way the caseworker explained it during my interview made it sound like the two systems were more connected than they actually are. Here's what I wish someone had told me from the beginning: Think of CalWORKs as your safety net that the government provides regardless of what your child's father does or doesn't do. The child support cooperation is just the state's way of saying "we'll help your family, but if we can get reimbursed by the other parent, we're going to try." Your CalWORKs benefits come from government funding, not from child support collections. Even if they never find your daughter's father, never collect a penny, or if he disputes paternity - your monthly Cash Aid stays exactly the same. The cooperation requirement just means you agree to provide information if they ask, but you're not responsible for making sure they actually collect anything. I was so anxious about this for months until I finally understood that these are two separate systems. Your EBT card will keep getting loaded with your CalWORKs benefits no matter what happens with the child support case. Hope this helps ease your mind like it did mine!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to say thank you to everyone who explained this so clearly! I'm about to apply for CalWORKs for me and my 2-year-old son, and I've been really worried about the child support cooperation requirement. My son's father has been completely absent since I told him I was pregnant, and I honestly don't even know if the information I have for him is current. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially understanding that the CalWORKs benefits are separate from child support collection. I was terrified that if they couldn't find him or collect anything, we might lose our assistance. Now I understand that cooperation just means providing the information I have and helping if they ask, but the outcome isn't my responsibility. It's also really reassuring to know that so many other parents have gone through this same confusion. The whole system seems so complicated when you're just trying to get help for your family. Thank you all for being so supportive and patient with these questions!

I went through this exact same confusion when I first started receiving CalWORKs about a year ago! The way they explain the child support cooperation during the application makes it sound like everything is connected, but it's really not. Here's the simple version: Your CalWORKs Cash Aid comes from government funds, period. It has nothing to do with whether your daughter's father pays child support or not. The county pays you from their budget regardless of what happens with child support collection efforts. The child support cooperation you signed just means you agree to help them TRY to collect from him if possible - like providing his information, participating in paternity establishment if needed, etc. But your benefits don't depend on them being successful. Even if they never locate him or collect a single dollar, your EBT card will still get loaded with the same amount every month. If they DO eventually collect child support from him, here's what happens: most of it goes to the county to reimburse the CalWORKs costs, but you get the first $100 per month as a "pass-through" payment on top of your regular benefits. But again, this is just extra if it happens - not something your regular benefits depend on. Don't feel embarrassed about being confused! This system is complicated and they really don't explain it well during the application process when you're already stressed about everything else.

I'm so glad you asked this question because I had the exact same confusion when I started CalWORKs! The whole process can be really overwhelming, especially when you're already dealing with so much. Just to add to what everyone else has explained so well - I found it helpful to think of it this way: CalWORKs is the government's promise to help families in need, regardless of what individual parents do or don't do. Your benefits are guaranteed based on your family's eligibility, not on whether they can collect from your daughter's father. The child support cooperation is completely separate - it's just the state's way of trying to recover some of the money they're spending on CalWORKs benefits by collecting from parents who should be contributing. But whether they succeed or fail at that doesn't affect your monthly payment at all. I've been on the program for about 8 months now, and my benefits have been exactly the same every month even though I don't think they've collected anything from my child's father yet. The security of knowing that your CalWORKs payment will come regardless is such a relief when you're trying to plan and budget for your family. Don't ever feel embarrassed about asking these questions - the system is confusing and they really should explain it better during the application process!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said and add that you're definitely not alone in feeling confused about this! When I first applied for CalWORKs about 6 months ago, I had almost identical questions and worries. What really helped me was learning that the cooperation requirement is more about documentation than results. When you signed those papers, you were basically agreeing to provide information and participate in the process IF they need you to - like answering questions about your daughter's father, providing any new contact info you might get, or participating in court proceedings if it comes to that. But you're not responsible for making sure they actually find him or collect money. Your CalWORKs benefits are completely separate and secure. Think of it like this: the government decided your family qualifies for assistance based on your income and situation, so they're going to provide that assistance regardless. The child support stuff is just them trying to get reimbursed if possible, but it doesn't change what you're entitled to receive. I was so stressed about this for months until I finally understood that distinction. Now I just focus on taking care of my family and know that my monthly benefits will be there regardless of what happens with the child support case. Don't hesitate to ask your caseworker for clarification if you need it - these are totally reasonable questions that lots of parents have!