I'm a newer member here but also a student veteran dealing with this exact confusion! My husband is the veteran in our family and we've been getting completely contradictory information from different county workers about his GI Bill BAH. This entire thread has been so incredibly helpful - I had no idea there was a specific federal regulation that clearly exempts GI Bill benefits from CalFresh calculations! The breakdown everyone provided about CalFresh vs CalWORKs rules finally makes sense of why we were hearing such different things. I'm definitely going to implement the strategies mentioned here - especially asking upfront for a Veterans Benefits Coordinator and bringing printed copies of that federal regulation (7 CFR 273.9(c)(10)). We've been spending so much on textbooks and lab supplies that I never realized could count as educational expense deductions for CalWORKs. One thing I wanted to add - our school's Veterans Resource Center has been really helpful in explaining what documentation we should gather. They even offered to provide a letter confirming my husband's enrollment status and typical costs for his program, which seems like it could help with credibility. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and specific resources. It's so reassuring to know that other veteran families have successfully navigated this system despite the initial confusion. Planning to call our county office tomorrow armed with all this information!

Welcome to the community! Your experience sounds exactly like what so many of us have been through - that contradictory information from different workers is incredibly frustrating when you're already stressed about finances while in school. You're absolutely on the right track with your plan! Having that federal regulation (7 CFR 273.9(c)(10)) printed out has been a game-changer for many people in this thread. When workers can see the actual regulation language stating that GI Bill benefits are exempt from CalFresh income calculations, it really helps clear up the confusion. The fact that your school's Veterans Resource Center offered to provide documentation is fantastic - that kind of official letterhead from the school often carries extra weight with county workers. Having them confirm enrollment status and typical program costs could really help, especially for the CalWORKs educational expense deductions. One tip that's worked for others here: when you call tomorrow, lead with "I need to speak with someone who handles veteran benefits cases" right from the start. This helps them route you to someone who actually knows these policies rather than guessing. Your husband earned these educational benefits through his service, and you deserve accurate information about how they interact with other programs. Don't let the initial confusion discourage you - once you connect with a knowledgeable worker, things tend to move much more smoothly. Good luck with your call tomorrow! This community is here to support you through the process, so feel free to update us on how it goes. You've got this!

I just wanted to add something that might help - if you're worried about the father being unpredictable or causing problems, you can also request that all communication from the child support office goes through your caseworker instead of directly to you. This gives you an extra layer of protection and helps keep things organized. Also, when you do your CalWORKs interview, be completely honest about your concerns with your eligibility worker. They've seen it all and can guide you on whether your situation might qualify for good cause. Even if it doesn't initially seem like it would qualify, sometimes there are details that make a difference. One more thing - if you end up having to go through with child support and the father does start paying, that money belongs to your child regardless of your relationship with him. Try to think of it that way if it helps. You're advocating for your baby's financial security, not necessarily opening the door to a relationship you don't want.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact situation last year. I was terrified about listing my son's father because he had addiction issues and I was worried about what would happen if they contacted him. I ended up providing his information but immediately requested a good cause exemption. My eligibility worker was really understanding and gave me the CW 51 form to fill out. I documented his substance abuse history, erratic behavior, and concerns about him being around our child. The exemption was approved within a few weeks. The best part is that I still get my full CalWORKs benefits without having to deal with child support enforcement. My case has been much smoother since then. Don't let fear stop you from applying - there really are protections in place for situations like yours. Be honest about your concerns and advocate for yourself and your baby. Also, definitely use that Claimyr service someone mentioned if you need to call with questions. I wish I had known about it when I was going through this process!

I'm currently going through this exact transition and wanted to share what I've learned so far to hopefully help others. I was approved for SSDI last month ($1,240/month) and was really stressed about losing my CalWORKs benefits for me and my two kids. After reading through this amazing thread and talking to my worker, here's what actually happened: They discontinued my individual CalWORKs but immediately set up a child-only case for my kids. The child-only grant ended up being $624/month, which combined with my SSDI actually puts us in a better financial position than before! A few key things I learned: - Report your SSDI approval immediately when you get the award letter, don't wait for the first payment - Be very specific about asking for a "child-only case" - my worker initially just wanted to close everything until I mentioned this option - The income calculations are totally different for child-only cases, so don't assume you'll be worse off financially - My CalFresh did decrease from $289 to $203, but we still qualify for benefits - Most importantly - I no longer have to deal with WTW requirements since I'm excluded from the assistance unit! For anyone waiting to get through to their worker, I had success calling right at 8am on a Tuesday. Also keep all your SSDI paperwork organized because they'll want to see everything. The transition was way less scary than I expected once I knew what to ask for. Hang in there everyone!

I'm going through this exact same situation and this thread has been such a lifesaver! I just received my SSDI approval notice two days ago ($1,189/month) and I've been on CalWORKs with my three kids for about 8 months. I was honestly panicking thinking we'd lose everything, but reading all these real experiences has given me so much hope. The most important thing I'm taking away is that I need to be proactive about asking for the child-only case option rather than assuming my worker will automatically know to do this. It's both reassuring and frustrating to see how many people had to specifically advocate for this - but at least now I know what to ask for! I'm planning to call first thing Monday morning (8am sharp based on everyone's timing advice) with all my SSDI paperwork ready. My main questions for my worker will be: 1) Setting up a child-only case for my kids, 2) Making sure my Medi-Cal stays active, 3) Understanding how this affects my CalFresh, and 4) Getting everything properly documented in my case file. One thing I'm wondering - has anyone dealt with this transition while also having childcare assistance through CalWORKs? I'm currently getting help with daycare costs for my youngest and I'm hoping that continues under a child-only case since I'll still need childcare to manage my disability appointments and treatments. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences so openly. This community support is incredible and I feel way more prepared to navigate this transition now!

I'm so glad to see this thread - it's such a perfect example of how this community comes together to help each other navigate these scary situations! As someone who's been on CalWORKs for a few years now, I've learned that the Homeless Assistance program is one of the best-kept secrets in the system. Most caseworkers don't proactively tell you about it unless you're already homeless, which is backwards since it's designed to PREVENT homelessness. A few additional tips for anyone else facing eviction: - If you're denied for any reason, ask about the appeal process immediately - you have 90 days to appeal - Some counties have partnerships with legal aid organizations that can help negotiate with landlords - Keep a log of every phone call, visit, and interaction with your caseworker - documentation is key @Ava Rodriguez you handled this crisis exactly right by reaching out here and acting fast. This thread should be bookmarked by everyone because housing instability affects way too many CalWORKs families. Hoping everything works out perfectly for you and your kids! 💪

Reading through all these responses has been so educational! I'm a new CalWORKs recipient and had no idea about the Homeless Assistance program until seeing this thread. It's concerning that this crucial information isn't being shared proactively during the application process. For anyone else who might be in a similar situation in the future, I found this thread incredibly helpful in understanding: - The difference between temporary and permanent homeless assistance - The once-in-a-lifetime limitation (which is really important to know!) - The specific documents needed and timeline for emergency processing - Alternative resources like 211 and legal aid partnerships @Ava Rodriguez - I hope your payment processes smoothly! You've been such a great advocate for yourself and your kids by acting quickly and getting all the right documentation together. Please keep us updated on how everything turns out. This community is amazing - the level of detailed, practical advice from people with real experience is invaluable. I'm definitely saving this thread for future reference and sharing it with other families I know who might benefit from this information. Thank you to everyone who took time to share their knowledge and experiences! 🙏

Congratulations on your new baby! I just went through this same process about 2 months ago when my son was born. Here's what happened in my case: The CalFresh increase showed up on my EBT card within about 10 days on my regular issuance date. The cash aid took a bit longer - about 2 weeks - but like others have mentioned, you do get backpay from your baby's birth date which was such a huge relief when it finally came through. One thing that really saved me stress was discovering you can check the status of pending changes in your BenefitsCal account. Look for the "Case Actions" or "Pending Changes" section - it will show whether they're still processing your baby's addition or if it's been completed. This way you don't have to keep calling just to get status updates. Since your rent is due next week, definitely stress that urgency when you call your worker back tomorrow. Ask specifically about emergency rental assistance programs - many counties have one-time emergency funds that can help bridge the gap while you're waiting for your increased benefits to process. They don't always mention these programs unless you ask directly. Also, try calling right at 8am when the offices open - that's when I had the best luck getting through to a real person without waiting on hold for hours. And keep all your documentation - screenshots of submissions, confirmation numbers, call dates, etc. If there are any processing delays, having that proof makes everything much easier to resolve. The $30 diaper allowance will be automatically included in your regular cash aid amount, not sent separately. And don't forget to update WIC with your new baby's info too since they process independently from CalWORKs. Hang in there! I know the waiting is incredibly stressful when you're already financially stretched with a newborn, but based on everyone's experiences here, it should come through within the next week or two.

Congratulations on your new baby! I just went through this exact process about 8 weeks ago when my daughter was born, so this is all still very fresh for me. Here's what happened with my case: The CalFresh increase showed up on my EBT card within about a week on my regular issuance date. The cash aid took longer - almost 2.5 weeks - but I did get the backpay from her birth date just like everyone mentioned, which was such a huge help when it finally processed. One thing I found super helpful was setting up text alerts in my BenefitsCal account so I'd get notifications about any case updates. You can also check the "Pending Changes" section to see the status without having to call constantly. When I checked mine, it showed "Processing" for about 10 days before switching to "Approved." Since your rent is due next week, definitely call your worker first thing at 8am (best time to get through) and explain the urgent situation. Ask specifically about emergency rental assistance - my county had a program that could provide one-time help while waiting for benefit increases. They didn't mention it initially, so I had to ask directly. Also, make sure to document everything - I took screenshots of all my uploads and saved confirmation numbers, which saved me when there was a small glitch with processing. The $30 diaper allowance gets added right into your regular cash aid, not as a separate payment. Hang in there! The waiting is so stressful with a newborn and tight finances, but it sounds like you did everything right by reporting quickly and uploading all the documents. It should process within the next week or so based on what I've seen.