Will CalWORKs discontinue Cash Aid if I refuse immunizations for my child using a Good Cause claim?

I went thru this same thing last yr. CalWORKs requires immunizations for children in the household as part of the School Attendance and Immunization requirements. If u don't get the shots OR have a valid exemption they can sanction u and reduce ur cash amount. The Good Cause letter is how u request an exemption but they dont automatically aprove it just cuz u submit it. They review ur reasons and decide if its valid.

actually thats not completely correct, the rules for this changed in 2025. CalWORKs follows state immunization laws. if ur friend gets a MEDICAL exemption from a doctor thats still valid but personal belief exemptions aren't accepted anymore for school attendance. but the good cause process is different and is about if there was a good reason u couldnt meet a requirement not if u choose not to. just saying so ur friend knows what shes up against

Let me clarify this because there's some confusion. CalWORKs does require that children be up-to-date on immunizations unless there is a valid exemption. However, the rules for exemptions under CalWORKs follow the Dept of Public Health guidelines. Currently, California only accepts medical exemptions from licensed physicians for school attendance, but for CalWORKs specifically, there are a few additional pathways. Your friend completed a Good Cause claim form, which will be reviewed by the county. For immunization requirements, Good Cause can include: 1. Medical exemptions (documented by a physician) 2. Temporary postponement for medical reasons 3. Limited personal belief exemptions (though these are increasingly restricted) The key issue is whether her written explanation will be considered sufficient. A simple statement of "I don't believe in immunizations" without further context is unlikely to be approved. If there's a religious basis, she should clearly document this with specific religious teachings or practices that prohibit vaccinations. Her benefits won't be immediately discontinued, but if the Good Cause claim is denied, she may receive a Notice of Action with a sanction that reduces (not eliminates) the Cash Aid amount by removing the parent portion while keeping the child's portion. She would have appeal rights at that point.

When I had to deal with CalWORKs for my kids shots they were total NIGHTMARES!!! Kept sending me notices for appointments but never telling me which clinic to go to. Then they sanctioned me anyway even though it was THEIR FAULT I couldn't get the shots done on time!! The system is rigged to kick people off no matter what you do!!!

The county is usually supposed to make a determination on Good Cause claims within 10 working days. However, they're often backlogged, so it can take 2-3 weeks in reality. If your friend hasn't heard back after 2 weeks, she should contact her worker. One thing that helped me enormously when dealing with CalWORKs was using Claimyr to get through to an actual person at the county. It's a service that calls the county for you and gets you connected to a live worker without waiting on hold forever. Check out the demo at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE - I used it when I was dealing with similar issues and it saved me hours of frustration. The website is claimyr.com if she wants to look into it. Much better than calling directly and getting disconnected after waiting an hour.

Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: If your friend's Good Cause claim is denied, she has the right to request a State Hearing within 90 days of receiving the Notice of Action. During the hearing process, she can present evidence supporting her reasons for not wanting to vaccinate her child. Additionally, there's often confusion between different exemption processes. The personal belief exemption (PBE) for school enrollment is different from the Good Cause determination for CalWORKs. While California has eliminated PBEs for school enrollment, the CalWORKs determination is a separate process with its own criteria. If your friend has genuine religious objections, she should: 1. Document the specific religious beliefs that prohibit vaccination 2. Provide any supporting documentation from religious leaders if possible 3. Be prepared to explain how these beliefs specifically conflict with vaccination requirements This documentation can significantly strengthen her case during review or appeal.

my kid didnt get shots for 2 years and nothing happened with my calworks lol they probably just lost the paperwork. the county office never knows whats going on anyway

Just a quick update 4 any1 who reads this later - my kid got behind on shots during covid and I did the good cause form. They approved it temporarily (gave me 3 months to catch up) but said if I didn't get them done by the deadline I would be sanctioned. Not sure if thats helpful but wanted to share my experience

Hey, I've been following this thread and wanted to add something that might help your friend. I went through a similar situation last year when my county started really cracking down on immunization compliance. One thing I learned is that the quality of the Good Cause explanation really matters. Like CosmicVoyager mentioned, just writing "I don't believe in immunizations" probably won't be enough. When I helped my neighbor with her form, we made sure to be very specific about her religious beliefs and how they specifically conflicted with vaccination requirements. Also, even if the initial Good Cause claim gets denied, don't panic! The appeal process (State Hearing) gives you another chance to present your case with better documentation. I'd recommend your friend start gathering supporting documents now - letters from religious leaders, documentation of specific religious teachings, etc. - just in case she needs them for an appeal. The most important thing is to stay in communication with her worker and respond to any requests for additional information quickly. Counties sometimes deny claims just because people don't provide enough detail, not necessarily because the reason itself is invalid. Hope this helps and that everything works out for your friend!

I'm pretty new to navigating CalWORKs myself, but I wanted to share what I learned from my case worker about the timeline for appeals since someone just asked about it. When you request a State Hearing, they're supposed to schedule it within 90 days, but it's usually much faster - like 30-45 days in most counties. The good news is that if you request the hearing before your benefits get reduced, you can ask for "aid continuing" which means they keep paying your full amount while the appeal is pending. You have to specifically ask for this though - it's not automatic. One thing that really helped me when I was dealing with a different CalWORKs issue was keeping a simple log of every phone call and interaction. I just wrote down the date, who I talked to, and what they said. It sounds like overkill but it actually saved me when there was confusion about what documents I had already submitted. Also wanted to mention that some counties have CalWORKs advocates or legal aid services that can help with appeals for free. It might be worth looking into if your friend's situation gets more complicated. The whole system can be really overwhelming when you're dealing with it alone!