Missed my SAR 7 phone interview but BenefitsCal shows I'm approved - do I still need to call CalWORKs back?
Super stressed right now! I had a phone interview scheduled with my CalWORKs worker yesterday for my Semi-Annual Report (SAR 7) but my kid was sick and I totally forgot about it until this morning. I was freaking out and about to call the county office, but when I logged into my BenefitsCal account, I see a message saying my benefits are approved and will continue. I'm confused - does this mean I don't need to do the phone interview anymore? Or will they still discontinue my Cash Aid because I missed the call? Has anyone had this happen before? My worker is impossible to reach by phone and I really can't afford to lose my benefits right now.
18 comments
Adrian Hughes
This has happened to me before! If you already submitted your SAR 7 form with all the verification documents they needed, sometimes they can process and approve it without the interview. Check if there's any message in your BenefitsCal inbox asking for additional information. If it clearly says approved and your next benefit amount, you should be good. But I'd still try to call just to make sure there's nothing else they need from you.
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Lara Woods
•Thank you! Yes I did upload all my pay stubs and rent receipt with the SAR 7 before the due date. I'll try calling tomorrow just to be safe. My anxiety is through the roof with this stuff.
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Molly Chambers
my case worker told me the phone interview is only required if theres something they need to clarify from your SAR 7... if everything looks good and matches what they already know about your case they can just approve it. but maybe call to be safe bc u never know with CalWORKs lol
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Ian Armstrong
•This is NOT accurate information. The SAR 7 interview requirements vary by county and case circumstances. Some counties require interviews for ALL SAR 7 reports, while others only require them in specific situations (changes in income, household composition, etc). Never assume you're exempt from an interview unless explicitly told by your worker.
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Eli Butler
Honestly if your BenefitsCal account shows approved you're probably fine, but the system messes up ALL THE TIME. I once got a message saying I was approved and then got discontinuance notice in the mail a week later! Their computer systems don't always sync up. I'd definitely try to reach your worker just to confirm everything is good.
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Lara Woods
•Ugh that's exactly what I'm worried about! I don't want to get my hopes up and then have my benefits cut off with no warning.
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Marcus Patterson
I recommend definitely calling your worker to document your attempt to complete the SAR 7 interview. Even if the system shows you're approved now, they could realize later that the interview was missed and retroactively discontinue your benefits. If you have trouble getting through to your worker (which is super common), try using Claimyr.com - it's a service that gets through the CalWORKs phone system and has a rep call you back when they reach a real person. I used it last month when I needed to reach my worker about a WTW exemption. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Anyway, the most important thing is making sure you have documentation that you attempted to resolve the missed interview, even if they end up not requiring it.
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Lara Woods
•Thanks for the tip about Claimyr - I've never heard of that before but might try it. The last time I called I waited for 2 hours and then got disconnected. So frustrating!
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Lydia Bailey
i had something similar happen with calfresh last month. got apprpved online but then got a letter saying i missed interview. turned out thet had old phone # for me
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Lara Woods
•Oh no, that's a good point. I should double check they have my current number. I changed my phone a few months ago.
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Mateo Warren
Here's the official policy: If you submitted your SAR 7 with complete verification documents by the due date (usually the 5th of your SAR month), AND there are no discrepancies or questions about the information you provided, the county CAN process your continuation without requiring the interview. However, they are still supposed to attempt to reach you for the interview. If they scheduled an interview and you missed it, they should have attempted to contact you again before making a final determination. The fact that your BenefitsCal account shows approval suggests they determined the interview wasn't necessary after all. That said, it's always best to document your attempt to complete program requirements. I suggest: 1. Call and leave a voicemail explaining you missed the interview but are available to complete it 2. Send a message through your BenefitsCal account saying the same thing 3. Keep documentation of both attempts This creates a paper trail showing you made a good faith effort to comply with program requirements, which protects you if there's any question later.
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Lara Woods
•Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I'll definitely call tomorrow and also send a message through BenefitsCal. I didn't realize I could document things that way.
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Ian Armstrong
I just want to clarify something important - CalWORKs and CalFresh have different SAR 7 processing rules. For CalWORKs, they're required to make a reasonable attempt to contact you before discontinuing benefits for a missed SAR 7 interview. Also, check your Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card balance after your next deposit date to confirm your benefits were actually issued. Sometimes the system shows approval but the actual payment gets held up.
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Eli Butler
The EXACT same thing happened to me! I missed my interview but got approved anyway. My worker told me later it was because I had no income changes since my last report. But then 2 months later they tried to say I was overpaid because I never did the interview! Had to fight with them about it for weeks. DEFINITELY call and get something in writing that you're good.
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Molly Chambers
•omg thats crazy!! the system is so broken sometimes i swear
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Adrian Hughes
Update us after you call them! I'm curious what they say. I've had different answers from different workers about the same situations so many times.
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Lara Woods
UPDATE: I finally got through to my worker this morning! She confirmed that my SAR 7 was processed and approved without needing the interview because all my info was complete and unchanged from previous months. She said the interview was just scheduled as standard procedure but wasn't actually required in my case. My Cash Aid and CalFresh benefits will continue without interruption. So relieved! Thanks everyone for your help and advice.
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Mateo Warren
•Great news! I'm glad it worked out. For future reference, you might want to ask your worker about the specific SAR 7 interview policy for your case. That way you'll know whether interviews are always required or only in certain circumstances. Each county implements the rules slightly differently.
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