Only got $25 CalWORKs for family of 7 in Bay Area - how is this possible?

Unfortunately that sounds about right - CalWORKs has a pretty strict income limit. If your income is just below the threshold, you might only qualify for a small grant amount. The way they calculate it is they take your gross income, subtract a few deductions and 'disregards,' and then compare what's left to the maximum aid payment for your family size. If you're close to the income limit, you only get the difference. For a family of 7, the maximum aid payment is around $1,700, but with your income after their calculations, you're probably just $25 below their threshold. That's why you only get that amount.

same thing happened to me but i have 4 kids. got approved for $43 a month lol. what a joke. bay area prices are insane and they treat us like were living in some cheap rural area. totally get ur frustration

I work for a non-profit that helps families navigate benefit systems, and this is unfortunately a common issue. The CalWORKs income limits are set at the state level and don't account for regional cost of living differences. The good news is that even though your cash grant is small, you likely qualify for these additional benefits: 1. Maximum CalFresh benefits (since you have CalWORKs, even at $25) 2. Priority for subsidized childcare through CalWORKs childcare program 3. Medi-Cal for the whole family 4. Reduced utility rates through CARE/FERA programs Did your worker explain all these connected benefits? Sometimes they focus just on the cash aid amount without explaining the full package.

this is exactly why I gave up on CalWORKs entirely. they act like $3k is some huge amount of money when a 2-bedroom apartment costs $2500+. the system is broke af

Have you tried calling back and asking for a detailed breakdown of how they calculated your benefit? Sometimes they make mistakes. I had something similar happen and when I finally got through to someone who actually reviewed my case, they had counted some income twice by accident. It's worth double-checking.

When I had a similar issue trying to reach my worker about my CalWORKs benefits, I finally used Claimyr and it saved me hours of frustration. It's a service that calls the county for you, waits on hold, and then connects you once a real person answers. I was about to give up after being disconnected multiple times, but with Claimyr I got through in about 20 minutes while I did other things. Check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE so you can see how it works. Their website is claimyr.com - definitely worth it when you need to get important benefits issues resolved!

It absolutely works! I was skeptical too until my sister recommended it. Saved me from taking a day off work just to sit on hold. You definitely need to ask about the childcare benefits - that's worth thousands more than the actual cash aid!

One thing to double-check is whether your worker applied all possible income deductions correctly. For CalWORKs, they should deduct: - First $450 of earned income for a family your size - 50% of the remaining earned income - Child care expenses (if not reimbursed by another program) - $10 per day for work transportation If they didn't apply all these properly, your grant calculation could be wrong. Also, make sure to ask specifically about the CalWORKs Stage 1 Childcare program. With six kids, childcare assistance would be worth far more than the cash grant itself, and you qualify because you're a CalWORKs recipient - even at the $25 amount.

That's definitely a deduction they should have applied! The childcare expenses alone could make a significant difference in your benefit calculation. When you get through to them, make sure to tell them about those expenses. And definitely ask about enrolling in the Stage 1 Childcare program - they should pay your childcare costs directly while you're working, which would save you that $350/week!

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at the county office! You all were right - I qualify for CalWORKs childcare assistance even with the tiny cash grant. The worker is sending me the forms today. This will save us around $1,500 a month in childcare costs! They're also reassessing my Cash Aid amount since they didn't factor in my childcare expenses. Thank you all so much for your help and advice!!