Weird CalWORKs reload amounts on my teens' 4.0 cards - $1,306 and $600?

same thing happened 2 my niece last month!! she got a big deposit and was all excited but then they took half of it back 3 days later saying it was a error. i would call ur worker ASAP b4 u spend any!!

Those amounts don't align with standard CalWORKs payments. The 4.0 cards are typically for school achievement incentives, not regular Cash Aid. The large deposits could be retroactive payments if you had a recent eligibility change, or they might be related to a special program for teens in Independent Studies. Check your MyBenefits account for any notices explaining the deposits. I recommend calling your eligibility worker to verify before spending the funds. If it is an error, they can take the money back without much notice, which could cause problems if you've already spent it. Document the date/time of the deposits and take screenshots as evidence.

Wait, are your daughters on your CalWORKs case or do they have their own? Because those amounts look like individual Cash Aid payments, not just school achievement money. If they recently turned 18 or 16 and qualify for their own benefits due to the Independent Studies, that might explain it. The county doesn't just randomly give extra money without a reason.

Those payment amounts are definitely unusual for CalWORKs. The $1,306 could be a combination of current and retroactive payments if there was an adjustment to your case. Is it possible someone reported your daughters as not living with you, and then it was corrected? Or maybe there was an income calculation error that was fixed? Whatever you do, DON'T spend that money until you confirm with your county worker. I've seen many cases where people spent unexpected benefits only to find out it was an error, and then they had their regular payments reduced for months to recoup the overpayment.

I spend 4 hours on hold trying to reach my CalWORKs worker last month about a similar issue with unexpected money on my EBT card. Finally gave up and used Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they got me connected to a real person in 20 minutes! You can see how it works in their video: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE Worth it because my situation was actually a system error that would have caused me big problems if I hadn't checked. The worker was able to fix it right away once I actually got through to someone.

It might be related to the new Young Adult CalWORKs program! If your 18-year-old is still completing high school requirements through Independent Studies, they might qualify for the separate payment. The amounts are higher than standard because it's designed to help with transition to adulthood. Your 16-year-old's $600 could be a special needs supplement for the alternative education program. I've seen both these programs roll out in some counties recently.

U should check if they enrolled ur kids in that new CalWORKs educational support program they started rolling out. My friend's daughter got extra $ for keeping her grades up while in alternative education. It's like an incentive thing 4 teens.

UPDATE: I just called my county office to ask about this situation (I work with CalWORKs recipients). The worker explained that California recently implemented an expanded educational support program for teens in alternative education programs like Independent Studies. The payments include: - Basic educational support: $600 for 16-17 year olds - Enhanced educational support: $1,200+ for 18-19 year olds still completing high school requirements - Additional incentives for maintaining good grades (like your daughters' 4.0 GPAs) This is still being rolled out county by county, which is why some people haven't heard about it. You should still verify with your specific worker, but it sounds like this may be legitimate!

idk but i wouldnt question free money lol just spend it quick before they figure out if its a mistake 😂