Should I use CalFresh benefits after income increase reported on BenefitsCal but worker hasn't called back?

Good job reporting your income change on time! You're actually required to report within 10 days when your income goes over the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT), so you did the right thing. Here's what you should know: 1. Until your worker processes the change and sends you a Notice of Action showing your benefits are reduced/discontinued, you can legally use the benefits that were issued to you 2. If you're now over the income limit, they'll reduce or stop your benefits for the FOLLOWING month, not retroactively 3. Since you properly reported the change, you shouldn't have to pay anything back, even if you're now over-income I would document that you reported the change (screenshot of your BenefitsCal submission) just to be safe. Your CalFresh and Cash Aid might be affected differently since they have different income limits.

be careful with this!!! i made the same mistake last year and ended up with an overpayment notice for $835 because i spent my calfresh after getting a new job. my worker said i should have KNOWN i was over income even tho they never told me! fought it for months and still had to pay it back. the system is rigged against us

It sounds like you did everything right by reporting on BenefitsCal. The problem is getting through to your worker for confirmation. When I needed to reach my CalWORKs worker about an income change last month, I was getting frustrated with the wait times and disconnects. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get a callback from my worker the same day. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE that shows how it works. It basically holds your place in line and gets the worker to call you back. I was skeptical but it worked and saved me from constantly redialing. Might be worth trying if you need an answer quickly.

Your supposed to wait til they process the change but sometimes it takes FORVER. my worker took 6 weeks to process my income change last summer!!!! what are we supposed to do, starve while we wait for them to do their jobs???

If you reported the change correctly, you should be fine to use the benefits, but it might be good to be cautious if your income went up A LOT. Like if you went from making $1,500 to $5,000 monthly, you're definitely over the limits and they might eventually determine it was an overpayment. But if you're just slightly over, it gets more complicated. For CalWORKs Cash Aid, income limits depend on your household size. For CalFresh, once they process your report, they'll determine if you're still eligible for a reduced amount or if you're completely over income. Curious though - did your BenefitsCal account show any updates or confirmation that your report was received? Sometimes there's a status that shows if it's pending or being processed.

the way it workd for me when i reported income change was they loaded my benefits then sent me a letter 3 weeks later saying i was over income and my benefits would stop next month. i could still use what was on my card no problem. just make sure u save some of ur new job money in case they do stop ur benefits so u dont get caught with no food money

There's a legal concept called "recipient error without fault" that applies here. If you properly reported the change and they still issued benefits, you shouldn't be responsible for an overpayment. Your report should be timestamped in their system. However, the issue here is that your CalWORKs Cash Aid will likely change as well, and that has different rules than CalFresh. With your new income level, it's crucial to get confirmation from your worker about BOTH programs. I recommend calling the county office and explaining that you reported an income change 2 weeks ago and need to know if you're still eligible. Be persistent - workers have large caseloads and sometimes reports sit in their queue for weeks.

wait i thought we were talking about calfresh why are u bringing up cash aid? are they the same thing? im so confused by all this benefit stuff lol

I'm in a similar situation and wanted to share what happened with me. I reported an income increase through BenefitsCal about a month ago and was worried about the same thing. My worker finally called me back after 3 weeks and explained that as long as you report timely (within 10 days of going over your Income Reporting Threshold), you can use any benefits that were already loaded onto your card without worry about overpayments. The key thing is that income changes affect the NEXT month's benefits, not the current month. So if you reported properly and got benefits loaded after that, those are yours to use. Your worker will send you a Notice of Action letter when they process the change - that's when you'll know officially if your benefits are stopping or being reduced. With your income doubling to $3,800 for a household of 3, you're likely over the limit for CalWORKs Cash Aid but might still qualify for some CalFresh depending on your exact circumstances. Don't stress about using what's already on your card - you did everything right by reporting quickly!

I'm new to this community but going through a very similar situation right now! I reported an income change about 10 days ago when I started a job that nearly tripled my income, and like you, I'm getting anxious about benefits that loaded after my report. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - it sounds like you definitely did everything right by reporting immediately through BenefitsCal. What's reassuring me (and hopefully you too) is hearing from so many people who went through this exact same process recently. The consistent message seems to be that timely reporting protects you from overpayments, and benefits loaded after your report are safe to use until you get that official Notice of Action. I've been documenting everything too - screenshots of my BenefitsCal submission, dates I've tried calling, etc. The waiting is definitely the hardest part! I keep refreshing my account hoping to see some kind of status update. Have you had any luck getting through to your worker since posting this? I'm curious if the callback service someone mentioned (Claimyr) actually works. Might be worth trying if the regular phone lines keep dropping calls. Congratulations on the new job by the way! Even though navigating all these benefit changes is stressful, doubling your income is huge. We're both moving in the right direction even if the transition feels overwhelming right now.

I'm new to this community but your post really caught my attention because I'm going through something very similar right now! I reported an income change about a week ago when I started a new position that increased my monthly income from around $2,100 to $4,200, and just like you, my CalFresh benefits loaded yesterday even though I haven't heard back from my worker yet. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational and reassuring. It sounds like you absolutely did everything correctly by reporting your income change immediately through BenefitsCal - that timely reporting within the 10-day window is what protects you from overpayment issues. The consistent message from everyone who's been through this is that benefits loaded after your proper report are safe to use until you receive an official Notice of Action. Your income jump from $1,900 to $3,800 with 2 kids sounds like it will probably result in losing CalWORKs Cash Aid but you might still qualify for reduced CalFresh since those programs have different income limits and calculation methods. The waiting period seems to average 2-4 weeks based on what others are sharing, which is frustrating but apparently normal given how understaffed the county offices are. I'm definitely going to try calling my worker again tomorrow and might look into that Claimyr callback service someone mentioned if the regular phone lines keep dropping calls. It's so helpful to have this community of people who've been through the exact same situation recently! Congratulations on your new job! Even though navigating all these benefit changes is stressful, doubling your income is a huge accomplishment and a step toward financial stability. We're both moving in the right direction even if the transition feels overwhelming right now.

I'm new to this community but your situation is almost exactly what I'm going through right now! I reported an income increase through BenefitsCal about 12 days ago when I started a position that bumped me from $2,200 to $3,900 monthly, and like you, my benefits loaded yesterday while I'm still waiting to hear from my worker. Reading through all these responses has been so reassuring - it's clear you did everything perfectly by reporting immediately within that 10-day window. That timely reporting is what protects you from overpayment issues, and the consistent message from everyone who's been through this recently is that benefits loaded after your proper report are safe to use until you get that official Notice of Action. Your income jump and family size sound very similar to what others have shared who ended up losing CalWORKs Cash Aid but keeping reduced CalFresh benefits. The 2-4 week processing time seems to be standard based on everyone's experiences, which is frustrating but at least we know what to expect. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr callback service someone mentioned since the regular phone lines have been impossible to get through. It would be nice to get direct confirmation from our workers even though everything points to us being protected by proper reporting. Congratulations on your new job! It's easy to get caught up in the stress of benefit changes, but doubling your income is a huge accomplishment toward financial stability. We're both moving in the right direction even if the transition feels overwhelming. Keep those screenshots and don't stress about using what's on your card - you followed all the rules perfectly!