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!