Will my CalWORKs application be denied if I don't know who my child's father is?

You're doing the right thing by cooperating with child support. To be clear, just saying "I don't know" about the father won't automatically disqualify you from CalWORKs. The important part is that you agreed to cooperate with child support services. If you refused cooperation without good cause (like domestic violence concerns), THEN they could deny your Cash Aid or reduce it by 25% depending on your case. As long as you continue cooperating with whatever information they request during the child support process, your CalWORKs eligibility should not be affected by not knowing who the father is.

when i applied i was in same boat, didnt kno who my sons dad was for real but i told them i would cooperate. they just had me fill out this form with whatever info i could give them (even if it wasnt much) and then i got approved for cash aid no problem. dont stress about it

This happened to my cousin and they still approved her but she had to meet with the child support worker like every month for a while. They kept asking for more details and stuff but never cut her benefits. As long as u show up when they ask u to ur fine.

You're okay as long as you're cooperating with Child Support Services. There are two main things you need to understand with CalWORKs and child support: 1. You MUST agree to cooperate with child support enforcement unless you have "good cause" for non-cooperation (like domestic violence or fear of harm) 2. If you refuse to cooperate without good cause, they can reduce your grant by 25% or deny it Simply not knowing who the father is will NOT disqualify you if you're willing to provide whatever information you do have and cooperate with their process. They understand some situations are complicated. Just be honest with whatever information you have and attend any meetings they schedule. Also - make sure you're turning in ALL your verification documents on time this time around! That's a common reason for denial.

Ugh the child support thing is so FRUSTRATING. They act like they're helping but sometimes they just make life harder. I told them I didn't know who the father was either, and they kept sending me letters and scheduling appointments I couldn't make because of work. Then they threatened to cut my benefits!!! I had to get a good cause exemption because the situation was dangerous for me. Make sure you tell them if there's ANY safety concern - don't let them bully you into a dangerous situation just to get your benefits!!

my sister had this exact same problem last year!!! the county worker was sooooo rude about it too like she was lying or something. she just kept going to all the appointments and eventually they gave up lol. as long as you show up when they tell you to they cant deny your CalWORKs

I used to be a CalWORKs eligibility worker, and I can tell you that cooperating with child support is a requirement, but not knowing the father's identity won't disqualify you as long as you're willing to work with them. Here's what the process typically looks like: 1. You'll complete a form with whatever information you have (even if minimal) 2. You might need to attend an interview with child support services 3. They'll use whatever information you provide to attempt to locate the father 4. You just need to respond to their requests for information and attend scheduled appointments If you truly don't know or have limited information, just be honest about it. They can't force you to provide information you don't have. The key is your willingness to cooperate with the process.

If youre having trouble reaching someone at the CalWORKs office about this, try using Claimyr. I was trying to get through to my worker for DAYS with no luck - kept getting disconnected or stuck on hold forever. Claimyr got me through in like 15 minutes! Just go to claimyr.com or check out their video at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE - it seriously saved me so much frustration when I was trying to sort out my child support cooperation situation.

one other thing u should know they will keep ur child support money if u get calworks. they only give u the first $100 for one kid or $200 for 2+ kids each month (they call it the disregard amount) and keep the rest to pay back ur cash aid. just so u know what ur getting into

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! I was so stressed about it too, but it turned out fine. When I said "I don't know" about my baby's father, they just had me fill out a form with whatever details I could remember - even tiny things like his approximate age, where I might have met him, physical description, etc. They're not expecting you to be a detective, they just want to see that you're willing to help with whatever you can. The child support worker was actually pretty understanding about it. My CalWORKs got approved without any issues and I've only had to meet with child support twice since then. Just be honest and cooperative and you'll be fine!

I'm going through something similar right now and this thread has been so helpful! I've been putting off applying for CalWORKs because I was worried about the father situation too. Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel like I can actually do this. My case worker keeps emphasizing that cooperation is key, and it sounds like as long as you show up and provide whatever info you have (even if it's minimal), they can't penalize you for genuinely not knowing details. Thanks everyone for being so open about your experiences - it really helps newcomers like me understand what to expect!

I'm in a very similar situation and this whole thread has been incredibly reassuring! I was terrified that not knowing my daughter's father would automatically disqualify me, but it sounds like cooperation is really the main thing they care about. Reading everyone's real experiences here gives me so much more confidence going into this process. It's clear that the workers understand these situations happen and they're not trying to trip you up - they just want to see that you're willing to work with them. Thank you all for being so open and supportive about such a personal topic. This community really makes navigating these systems feel less intimidating when you know others have walked this path successfully!

I went through this exact situation about 3 years ago when I first applied for CalWORKs. I was so anxious about the father question too, but honestly it worked out fine. When I told them I didn't know who my son's father was, they just had me fill out this form with whatever little information I could provide - like general timeframe, physical description, maybe a first name if I remembered one. The child support worker was actually pretty patient and explained that they deal with situations like this all the time. They tried to locate him with the limited info I gave, but when they couldn't find anything, they just closed that part of the case. My CalWORKs benefits continued without any problems. The most important thing is just being honest and showing up to any appointments they schedule. Don't stress yourself out over this - you're doing everything right by cooperating!

I'm new to this community and currently going through my CalWORKs application process. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful and reassuring! I was also worried about the father situation with my application. Like many of you, I don't have much information to provide, but seeing how cooperative and understanding the process can be when you're honest and willing to work with them gives me so much confidence. It's clear that the key is just showing up and providing whatever little information you do have, even if it feels inadequate. Thank you all for sharing such personal experiences - it really helps newcomers like me understand that these situations are more common than we think and that the system does account for complicated family circumstances. This community support makes navigating government assistance so much less intimidating!

I'm currently in the middle of my CalWORKs application and was having the exact same worries about the father situation! This entire thread has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea so many people go through this same thing. I've been losing sleep over whether being honest about not knowing would hurt my case, but reading everyone's real experiences shows that cooperation really is the main thing they care about. It's such a relief to know that the caseworkers understand these situations happen and aren't trying to set us up for failure. I feel so much more confident now going into my next appointment. Thank you everyone for being so open about your experiences - this community support means everything when you're trying to navigate these systems for the first time!

I'm going through my CalWORKs application right now and honestly this thread has been a game-changer for my anxiety levels! I was terrified that not knowing my baby's father would automatically disqualify me, but reading everyone's real experiences shows that honesty and cooperation are what really matter. It's such a relief to see that the caseworkers understand these situations are common and complicated. I have my child support interview scheduled next week and I was dreading it, but now I feel prepared to just be upfront about the limited information I have. Thank you all for sharing such personal stories - knowing I'm not alone in this situation and that others have successfully navigated this process makes all the difference. This community is amazing for supporting each other through these challenging systems!

I'm currently in the early stages of my CalWORKs application and was so worried about this exact issue! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring. I was afraid that not having the father's information would automatically disqualify me, but it's clear from all your stories that cooperation is really what they're looking for, not perfect information. I have very limited details to provide, but seeing how understanding the caseworkers can be when you're honest and willing to work with them gives me so much confidence. This community has been amazing - knowing that others have successfully navigated this same situation makes me feel like I can handle whatever comes next. Thank you all for being so open about your experiences. It really helps newcomers like me understand that complicated family situations are more common than we think, and the system does account for that. I'm feeling so much more prepared now to be upfront with my worker and attend whatever appointments they schedule!

I'm just starting my CalWORKs application and was panicking about this exact same thing! Reading through all these experiences has been such a huge relief. I thought not knowing my daughter's father would automatically disqualify me, but it's clear that being honest and willing to cooperate is what really matters. It's so helpful to see that the caseworkers understand these situations happen and that many people have successfully gotten their benefits approved despite not having complete information about the father. I feel so much more confident now about being upfront when they ask me these questions. Thank you everyone for sharing such personal experiences - this community support makes navigating these systems feel so much less scary when you know others have walked this path before!

I'm new to this community and currently going through my CalWORKs application process too! This entire thread has been incredibly helpful - I was having the exact same fears about the father situation. It's so reassuring to see that cooperation is really the key factor, not having perfect information. Reading everyone's real experiences shows that caseworkers understand these situations are common and they're not trying to set anyone up for failure. I have my interview coming up next week and I was dreading the child support questions, but now I feel so much more prepared to just be honest about what little information I do have. Thank you all for being so open about your experiences - it really helps newcomers like me understand that we're not alone in these complicated family situations and that the system does account for that. This community support makes such a difference when you're trying to navigate these processes for the first time!