Struggling to see CalWORKs worker in-person at Riverside County - Corona office has no workers?
I'm at my wits end trying to speak with an actual CalWORKs worker in Riverside County! I drove all the way to the Corona office yesterday (with my 2 kids in tow) and when I finally got to the front of the line, they told me they don't have ANY CalWORKs workers at that location?! How is that possible? I've been calling my assigned worker's direct line for 3 days straight with no response. My cash aid was supposed to be deposited last week and nothing has shown up. I have rent due in 5 days and my landlord is already threatening eviction. Do I need to go to a specific office location to speak with someone in-person? The Riverside office is much further from me but I'll drive there if that's the only option. Has anyone successfully met with a CalWORKs worker face-to-face recently? I'm desperate!
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Nathan Dell
Unfortunately, Riverside County has been centralizing their CalWORKs staff to specific locations. Corona office is mostly just for document drop-off and general information now. For in-person meetings, you'll need to go to the main office in Riverside on Olivewood Avenue or the Hemet office if that's closer to you. But even then, you need an appointment these days - they don't really do walk-ins for CalWORKs anymore unless it's an emergency situation. Have you tried submitting a message through your BenefitsCal account? Sometimes that gets faster responses than calling.
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Rebecca Johnston
•Ugh, that's so frustrating! I don't have a car most days (borrowed my sister's to go to Corona) so getting to Riverside is going to be a real challenge. I did try messaging through BenefitsCal but the status just says "pending" for the last 4 days. Do you know if they consider missing cash aid payments an emergency? Because it definitely feels like one to me!
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Maya Jackson
they moved all the caseworkkers out of corona like 8 months ago!! waste of time going there, i found out the hard way too. gotta go to riverside main office but u need appointment. good luck getting thru on phones tho, i always get disconnected after waiting 2+ hours 🙄
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Tristan Carpenter
•This is why I stopped trying to call the regular CalWORKs line altogether. It's actually FASTER to use Claimyr.com - they have this service where they wait on hold with the county for you then call you back when they get a worker. Saved me like 3 hours of hold time last month when my WTW hours weren't being counted right. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE showing how it works. It's literally the only way I can talk to my worker nowadays without taking the whole day off work.
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Amaya Watson
The same thing happend too me in Febuary!!! I went too Corona with my kids and they said the same thing. No CalWorks here. I was so ANGRY because nobody told me! They should put that information in the letter's they send us or something because how are we suppose to know? I had to take 2 buses to get there with my kids and it was for nothing.
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Rebecca Johnston
•Exactly! Why don't they update their website or send us notifications? It's like they make it deliberately difficult. Did you ever manage to speak to someone?
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Grant Vikers
This is unfortunately becoming common across many counties. Riverside has been shifting to a centralized caseworker model since mid-2024. Here's what you need to know: 1. For a missing Cash Aid payment, this IS considered an emergency situation. You should go to the Riverside office on Olivewood Ave and tell the front desk it's regarding a missing payment emergency. 2. Bring proof of your approval - your most recent Notice of Action showing you're eligible for the payment period in question. 3. If you can't get to Riverside, call the Customer Service Center at 1-877-410-8827 and specifically say it's an emergency regarding missing benefits. They should prioritize your call. 4. If your payment was due last week, also bring your last SAR7 or recertification proof to show you've complied with all reporting requirements. One more tip: If you submitted any verification documents recently, bring copies of those as well. Sometimes payments get held up due to verification issues.
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Rebecca Johnston
•Thank you! This is really helpful. I do have my last Notice of Action showing I was approved through August, and I submitted my SAR7 on time last month (got the confirmation receipt). I'll try calling that number first thing tomorrow morning and if that doesn't work, I'll find a way to get to the Riverside office.
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Giovanni Martello
Have you tried asking the Corona office to contact your worker while you're there? Sometimes they can call internally even if they don't have workers on-site. Also, if you're facing eviction, make sure to tell them that specifically - they have special procedures for housing emergencies. Your case might qualify for expedited processing if you're at risk of homelessness.
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Rebecca Johnston
•I did ask if they could call someone for me, but the lady at the counter said their system doesn't allow them to contact workers directly anymore. She just kept telling me to call the main number, which is exactly what I've been trying to do without success. I'll definitely mention the potential eviction situation though - didn't know they had special procedures for that.
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Savannah Weiner
This is EXACTLY why I had to get a fair hearing last year!!! The system is BROKEN! They say call this number but nobody EVER answers! Then when your benefits get cut off because you couldn't reach anyone, they blame YOU! I ended up having to file for a state hearing and only THEN did someone actually contact me. By that point I had already been without benefits for 45 days and almost lost my apartment. The whole system is designed to make you give up!!
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Maya Jackson
•for real tho! happened to my sister too. they make it impossible to talk to anyone then act like its your fault for not reporting something on time smh
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Nathan Dell
Just to follow up on this - if you absolutely can't get to the Riverside office and the phone isn't working, there's one more option. You can contact the Riverside County CalWORKs Ombudsperson. Their job is specifically to help when you're having problems reaching your worker. The number is 1-951-358-3010. They can often internally contact your worker or supervisor much faster than you can through regular channels.
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Rebecca Johnston
•Thank you! I had no idea there was an ombudsperson. I'll try this number tomorrow too. Anything is worth a shot at this point. Really appreciate all the suggestions everyone.
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Maya Jackson
update us on what happens! i need to go in next month for my recertification interview and wanna know if u get anywhere with riverside office
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Rebecca Johnston
•Will do! I'm planning to try the phone numbers tomorrow morning and if that doesn't work, I'll see if my neighbor can drive me to the Riverside office on Thursday. This is so much more complicated than it needs to be...
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Maya Lewis
I'm so sorry you're going through this Rebecca! I had a similar issue a few months ago where my benefits got delayed and I was about to lose my housing. One thing that really helped me was going to the office FIRST THING in the morning when they open - like be there at 7:45 AM before the 8:00 opening. The security guard told me that emergency cases (like missing payments) get priority if you're one of the first people there. Also, bring every single document you have - your ID, Social Security cards for you and the kids, any recent pay stubs, your lease agreement showing rent is due, and definitely that eviction notice if your landlord gave you one in writing. They can sometimes issue an emergency payment same day if you have all your paperwork ready. Don't give up - you've got this! Your kids need those benefits and you deserve to have someone actually help you instead of giving you the runaround.
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