SAR 7 submitted on BenefitsCal but CalFresh didn't come through - should I call my worker?

you DEF need to call!!! same thing happened to me and my worker said the online system doesnt alert them when reports get submitted!! i waited 3 weeks thinking they were reviewing it but they had no idea i even submitted anything smh the whole system is broken

Unfortunately, you should always follow up after submitting documents online. While BenefitsCal does send notifications to the county, those notifications can get lost in the worker's queue or the system might have glitches. When you submit something important like a SAR 7, I recommend always calling 3-5 business days afterward to confirm receipt. Since your CalFresh benefits didn't come through, this is now urgent - you should call immediately and let them know your SAR 7 was submitted and your benefits weren't issued. They can expedite processing of your report and potentially issue emergency CalFresh benefits if you qualify for expedited service.

This happens literally every other month for me. The BenefitsCal system is a joke. I've learned to just physically go into the office and hand everything to an actual person who will stamp it received right in front of my face. Better than their "online system" that supposedly makes things easier 🙄

Yes, definitely call your worker ASAP. The BenefitsCal system is supposed to notify workers, but many county offices are short-staffed and workers have huge caseloads. Your SAR 7 might be sitting in their electronic queue without them knowing it needs immediate attention. If you're having trouble getting through on the phone (which is very common), I've had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They keep calling the county office for you and connect you directly to a worker when they finally get through. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE showing how it works. I was skeptical at first but it saved me hours of being on hold last time I had an issue with my CalWORKs paperwork not being processed.

Call immediately! And ask for supervisor if worker doesn't answer. They should backdate ur CalFresh to the date they should have issued it once u explain the situation. I always take screenshots of my BenefitsCal submissions as proof just in case. the system says "received" but workers don't always check their queues. good luck!

I remember when we had to mail in SAR 7 forms and then call to confirm they got them. Then we had to fax them. Now we upload them and STILL have to call. Nothing changes lol

Make sure ur checking the right program. sometimes people confuse calworks and calfresh deadlines and reporting periods. they might be different depending on when u got approved. did u also check if u went over the IRT (income reporting threshold)? if u earned more than ur IRT and didnt report within 10 days that could cause a stop in benefits too

To answer your question about retroactive benefits - yes, if they determine your SAR 7 was properly submitted and there was a county error in not processing it, they should issue your CalFresh benefits retroactively from the date they should have been issued. Make sure to specifically request the retroactive benefits when you speak with them. If they initially say no, ask to speak with a supervisor and cite "county administrative error" as the reason for requesting the retroactive benefits. Document everything - who you talk to, date/time, and what they say.

Update us on what happens! I'm curious if they'll actually fix it quickly. When this happened to me it took almost 3 weeks to resolve. the system is such a mess.

One more tip - when you call, have your BenefitsCal confirmation number for the SAR 7 submission ready. Should be in your BenefitsCal notifications or account history. This will help them locate your submission faster.

UPDATE: Finally got through to someone! You all were right - they had my SAR 7 in their system but it was just sitting there not assigned to anyone for review. The worker I spoke with apologized and said they'd process it today and issue my CalFresh benefits within 3 business days. She also noted I should receive the full month's amount, not just prorated from today. So relieved! Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

Glad you got it sorted out! This is exactly why I always recommend calling within a week of any online submission. The "received" status on BenefitsCal basically just means it uploaded successfully, but doesn't guarantee anyone will actually look at it. I've been dealing with this system for years and learned the hard way that you have to be your own advocate. For future reference, I keep a simple spreadsheet tracking when I submit things and when I follow up - it's saved me so much stress. Hope your benefits come through on time now!

I'm so glad you got this resolved! This is exactly why I always tell people in this community to never assume the system is working just because it says "received." I've been on CalWORKs for about 8 months now and learned early on that the online system is basically just a fancy way to upload documents - it doesn't actually notify anyone that urgent action is needed. What really helped me was creating a simple rule: any time I submit something important (SAR 7, income changes, etc.), I automatically call 3-5 business days later to confirm they're actually processing it. It's frustrating that we have to babysit the system like this, but it's better than having benefits cut off unexpectedly. Thanks for updating us - your experience will definitely help other people who run into this same issue!

This whole thread is so helpful! I'm fairly new to CalWORKs (just got approved 2 months ago) and had no idea that the online system doesn't actually alert workers when we submit things. I've been trusting that "received" status thinking everything was automatic. Your experience is a perfect example of why this community is so valuable - learning from each other about how the system actually works versus how it's supposed to work. I'm definitely going to start following the 3-5 day call-back rule that everyone mentioned. Question for the group: does this same issue happen with other documents too, like when we report income changes or submit verification documents? Should I be calling to confirm receipt of everything I upload to BenefitsCal?

This whole situation is exactly why I've become such an advocate for staying on top of the system! I've been on CalWORKs for about 3 years now and I can't tell you how many times I've seen people get their benefits cut off because they trusted that the online system was working properly. What I've learned is that BenefitsCal is basically just a fancy filing cabinet - it stores your documents but doesn't actually tell anyone they need to look at them urgently. For anyone reading this thread, here's my personal system that's saved me countless headaches: I take screenshots of everything I submit (including the timestamp), then I set a phone reminder for exactly 5 business days later to call and confirm they received it and that it's being processed. I also keep a simple notebook where I write down who I talked to, what date, and what they told me. This has literally saved my benefits multiple times when workers claimed they never received something or when documents got "lost in the system." It's frustrating that we have to manage the county's job for them, but until they fix their internal processes, we have to protect ourselves. I'm so glad you got your CalFresh sorted out and that you'll get the full month's benefits! Your story is going to help so many other people avoid this same stress.

I'm so glad you shared this experience! I just started receiving CalWORKs benefits last month and I had no idea that the BenefitsCal system worked this way. I've been assuming that when it says "received" that means someone is actually looking at it and processing it. This is honestly terrifying - I submitted some income verification documents two weeks ago and just assumed they were being reviewed. After reading this thread I'm definitely calling tomorrow to make sure they actually received them and are processing them. It's really frustrating that we have to babysit a system that's supposed to make things easier for us. Thank you for updating us with the resolution too - it gives me hope that if I stay on top of things I can avoid having my benefits interrupted. This community is invaluable for learning how things actually work versus how they're supposed to work!

This thread has been so eye-opening for me! I'm pretty new to the CalWORKs system (about 6 weeks in) and I had absolutely no clue that submitting documents online didn't automatically trigger someone to review them. I've been sitting here thinking the county was just really thorough and slow with their processing, but now I realize I need to be way more proactive. I actually have my first SAR 7 coming due in a couple weeks and was planning to just submit it through BenefitsCal and wait. After reading everyone's experiences, I'm definitely going to call within a few days to make sure it's actually being looked at. It's honestly kind of shocking that a system designed to be more convenient actually requires the same amount of phone calls as the old paper system. Thank you Lena for sharing your story and for updating us with the resolution - knowing that they were able to fix it and give you the full month's benefits is really reassuring. And thanks to everyone else who shared their strategies for staying on top of the system. I'm going to start implementing the screenshot and follow-up reminder approach right away. This community is amazing for learning the real ins and outs of how everything actually works!

This is such an important thread for anyone dealing with CalWORKs and CalFresh! I've been on the system for about a year now and I wish someone had told me this when I first started. The BenefitsCal system is really misleading because that "received" status makes you think everything is handled automatically, but it's basically just confirming your upload worked - not that anyone is actually reviewing it. I learned this lesson the hard way about 6 months ago when my quarterly report sat unprocessed for almost a month. Like others mentioned, I now take screenshots of everything I submit and set calendar reminders to call within a week. It's frustrating that we have to manage the county's workflow for them, but it's better than losing benefits unexpectedly. For anyone new reading this: definitely adopt the follow-up calling strategy everyone's talking about. Also, if you're having trouble getting through on the phone, try calling right when they open in the morning - I've had better luck getting connected that way. And always ask for the worker's direct extension if they'll give it to you, because calling the main line can be a nightmare. Thanks for sharing your experience and the positive update, Lena! Stories like this really help the community understand how to navigate this confusing system.

This is such a valuable thread for newcomers like me! I just got approved for CalWORKs benefits a few weeks ago and had no idea about any of this. The way everyone describes the BenefitsCal system makes so much sense now - I was wondering why it felt like such a basic upload system when everyone talks about how "digital" and "streamlined" it's supposed to be. Reading through all these experiences, it's clear that the "received" status is basically just confirming your file uploaded correctly, but doesn't mean anyone is actually looking at it or prioritizing it for review. I'm definitely going to implement the strategies everyone mentioned here - taking screenshots, setting follow-up reminders, and calling within 5 business days of any submission. It's pretty disappointing that a system designed to make things easier actually requires the same level of phone follow-up as the old paper system, but at least now I know what to expect. Lena, thank you for sharing your story and especially for updating us with the resolution! Knowing that they were able to fix it quickly once you got through and that you'll receive the full month's benefits is really encouraging. This community is amazing for learning how things actually work in practice versus how they're supposed to work on paper.