Unexpected CalWORKs cash deposit hit my account today - San Bernardino County

I'm in San Bernardino too and YES! Got an extra $287 today and was totally confused. My regular payment came on time earlier this month. I checked BenefitsCal but there's nothing explaining it. Might be that cost-of-living adjustment they mentioned at my last redetermination? But weird timing...

HOLD UP DON'T SPEND IT YET!!! They did this to me last year and then sent me an overpayment notice two weeks later saying I had to pay it ALL back. Turns out they processed my SAR7 wrong and thought I had less income than I reported. When they fixed it they said I had to return the money and started taking it out of my regular benefits. ALWAYS CALL AND ASK!!! The county NEVER admits their mistakes unless you force them to!!!

It could be several things, most likely it's either: 1. A retroactive payment if they recently processed a change that affected your benefit amount for past months 2. A special payment like the diaper stipend if you have children under 3 3. A supplement if your household size or income recently changed 4. An adjustment based on a policy change Definitely call your worker to find out what it's for. Document the call (date/time/who you spoke with) and ask them to send you something in writing explaining the payment. This way if it is their mistake, you have proof you tried to resolve it.

Not in San bernardino but in riverside we got something similar last month. It was a correction because they calculated our benefits wrong for 3 months. But we didnt have to pay it back since it was their error not ours. Def call to find out tho!

I went through this exact situation last year with an unexpected deposit. I spent hours trying to reach someone at San Bernardino County to figure it out. I recommend using Claimyr.com - it helped me bypass the phone wait times and get through to a real person in about 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Turns out my extra payment was for a transportation allowance for my WTW activities that I didn't even know I qualified for! So it could actually be something you're entitled to.

My sister got something similar last month. Turns out it was a retroactive adjustment because they didn't process her income decrease fast enough. They had to make up the difference for the months they underpaid her. Maybe check if your income changed recently?

mine wasnt a mistake when this happened 2 me. i had switched from exempt to non-exempt for WTW and they gave me a transportation allowance + childcare stipend. it was like $300 something. do u have welfare to work requirements?

Based on your responses, this sounds like it might be a supportive service payment related to your Welfare to Work participation. San Bernardino County often provides transportation allowances, ancillary payments (for things like books, supplies, or uniforms), and sometimes retroactive childcare stipends to WTW participants. These are separate from your regular Cash Aid amount. However, the only way to know for sure is to contact your worker. When you call, specifically ask if it's: 1. A WTW supportive service payment 2. The diaper benefit for your 2-year-old ($30/month per eligible child) 3. A retroactive adjustment Also request that they document in your case notes that you called to inquire about the payment. This protects you in case they later claim it was an overpayment.

UPDATE: Finally got through to my worker! It WAS the transportation allowance for my WTW activities plus they owed me a diaper stipend for my 2-year-old that hadn't been processed correctly. She said I should have gotten a notice about it but it must have gotten lost in the mail. She's sending me a new one. Thanks everyone for the help!!