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Aaliyah Reed

When will I get my $200 WTW participation grant after sanction removal?

Hey guys, I'm super confused about a WTW payment. About 2 weeks ago I finally went in to get my Welfare to Work sanction removed (been sanctioned for like 3 months ugh). The worker who helped me said I would receive a $200 grant for participating in the job search program after my sanction was lifted. I've been doing everything they asked - going to the job search workshops and turning in my applications proof and everything. But I haven't seen any money show up on my EBT card yet. Does anyone know if this payment comes with next month's regular Cash Aid or will it post separately to my card? The worker wasn't clear about the timing and I'm trying to budget for some things my kids need for school.

i think the $200 wil be added to ur next months regular payment. thats what happened to me when i got unsanctioned last year. took like 3-4 weeks b4 i saw any $$ and it just came with my regular amount. but that was in riverside county so might be different where u are

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Thanks! I'm in LA County. Did yours show up as a separate payment or was it just added to your regular amount? I'm trying to figure out if I'll know when it's the participation bonus vs regular Cash Aid.

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The WTW participation incentive payment ($200) typically shows up on your next regular monthly issuance after your sanction has been lifted and you've met the participation requirements. It's usually added to your regular cash aid amount, not issued separately. You should be able to see it itemized on your Notice of Action that explains your benefit calculation for the month. If it's been more than 30 days since your sanction was removed and you've been participating, you should contact your worker to verify it's being processed correctly.

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Thank you for explaining! I haven't gotten a new Notice of Action since the sanction was removed, should I have received one by now? The worker just told me verbally about the $200 but didn't give me anything in writing.

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DONT GET YOUR HOPES UP! they told me the same thing & i never saw an extra penny!!! been doing wtw for 6 months after my sanction & my worker keeps saying "oh it's coming" but nothing! the system is broken & they lie to get u to participate! 😡😡😡

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They don't just lie about the participation incentive. Some counties are better than others about processing it correctly. It's definitely a real program - I've received it multiple times. The key is making sure your worker properly coded the removal of your sanction in the system AND that they've verified your participation hours. Both steps have to happen or the payment won't generate automatically.

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This happened to me when I got off sanction in October. The $200 participation incentive doesn't come immediately. For me it showed up with my next month's regular payment and my Notice of Action listed it separately as "WTW Participation Bonus" or something like that. If you don't see it by your next payment date, definitely call and ask about it. Sometimes they forget to process it if your worker doesn't enter the right code.

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Thanks! This is super helpful. I'll wait till my next payment and then check. At least now I know what to look for on the Notice of Action.

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Just to clarify something important - the $200 payment isn't automatic just for getting your sanction removed. You have to actually meet your required WTW participation hours for the month after the sanction is removed. So if your sanction was removed mid-month, you might not get the participation incentive until you've completed a full month of meeting your hours. Make sure you're turning in all your participation verification forms on time too!

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Ohhh that makes more sense. My sanction was removed on the 10th, so maybe I need to complete this full month first. I've been going to the job search program 3 days a week since then, so hopefully that's enough hours.

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Did they actually remove your sanction completely or did they just start the process? When I went through this last year, I had to complete 30 days of participation BEFORE my sanction was fully removed, then the $200 came like 6 weeks later. The whole process took almost 3 months. So frustrating how every worker tells you something different!

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Now I'm confused again! 😩 The worker definitely said my sanction was removed that day, not that I was starting the process. But maybe she meant I was starting the process? I wish they'd be clearer about these things!

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I've been trying to call my CalWORKs worker for a similar issue for 3 weeks now and couldn't get through. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a live person in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Totally worth it! Once I got through, I found out my WTW incentive payment was held up because they needed one more verification form. Maybe something similar happened with yours?

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does that actually work? ive wasted literal DAYS of my life on hold with these people!!

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Here's what you need to do: 1) Call your worker and specifically ask if your sanction has been officially CURED in the system (not just that the cure process has started). 2) Ask them to verify you've submitted all required participation verification. 3) Request a clear timeline for when you can expect the $200 incentive payment. 4) Ask them to send you something in writing confirming all of this. The participation incentive is an established program, but the timing and process varies by county.

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Thank you! I'll definitely do this. I didn't realize there were so many steps involved. The worker definitely made it sound simpler when I was there in person.

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oh also make sure ur not confusing the WTW participation payment with the diaper stipend if u have kids under 3. they're different things but both around the same amount

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My kids are 5 and 7, so definitely the WTW payment. I didn't even know there was a diaper stipend! That would have been helpful a few years ago lol

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Hey Aaliyah! I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago in Sacramento County. The $200 WTW participation incentive is real, but the timing can be confusing. In my case, it took about 5-6 weeks after my sanction was officially removed to see the money. What really helped me was going back to my worker's office in person (I know it's a pain) and asking them to print out my case activity screen so I could see exactly when my sanction cure was processed in the system. Turns out there was like a 2-week delay between when they told me it was removed and when it actually got entered into CalWIN. Once that happened, the $200 showed up with my next regular payment and was clearly labeled on my Notice of Action. Don't give up - just stay on top of them about it!

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