One important recommendation: While you're waiting for your case to be resolved, you might qualify for emergency CalFresh (food stamps) if you haven't already maxed out your benefits. You can apply for an emergency allotment that can be approved within 3 days if you meet the criteria. Also, contact local food banks and community resource centers immediately. Many have emergency assistance programs specifically for situations like yours. For your EBT card security going forward: 1. Change your PIN as soon as you get a new card 2. Check your balance frequently (ideally daily) 3. Never share your PIN with anyone 4. Consider withdrawing your cash benefits all at once when they're deposited Wishing you the best with resolving this quickly.

I'm so sorry this happened to you! EBT theft is unfortunately becoming more and more common. I work at a community resource center and we see cases like yours every week. A few additional tips that might help: 1. Document EVERYTHING - take screenshots of your account balance showing $0, write down the exact date/time you discovered the theft, and keep records of all your calls and case numbers. 2. If you have trouble reaching your CalWORKs worker, you can also file the theft report online through your county's website in some counties, or visit any county office location - you don't have to go to the specific office where your worker is located. 3. While waiting for resolution, check if your area has any emergency rental assistance programs. Many cities and nonprofits have funds specifically to help prevent evictions. 4. Consider asking your landlord for a few extra days if possible - explain the situation and show them your theft report documentation. Many landlords are understanding when they see you're actively working to resolve the issue. Stay strong - I know this is incredibly stressful but you're taking all the right steps to get this resolved!

I'm going through the exact same situation right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! My worker also incorrectly told me to include my boyfriend when I first applied, and I've been getting reduced benefits for over a year because they're counting his income. What really stood out to me from everyone's advice is how important it is to document everything and have the specific policy references ready. I'm planning to call the CalWORKs Policy Unit that @Luca Conti mentioned to get official confirmation before my renewal, and I love the idea of preparing a one-page summary like @Miguel Alvarez suggested. It's both frustrating and reassuring to know this mistake happens so frequently - frustrating because it means workers aren't properly trained on the household composition rules, but reassuring because it shows I'm not alone in dealing with this. The fact that multiple people have successfully gotten $150-200+ monthly increases after fixing this gives me hope that I can get my family's benefits corrected too. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and specific steps. This community support is exactly what I needed to feel confident about advocating for my children's benefits!

Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly validating - I had no idea so many people were dealing with this exact same household composition error! It's clear that workers mixing up CalWORKs and CalFresh rules is a widespread problem that's costing families hundreds of dollars in benefits they're legally entitled to. What I've learned from everyone's advice: 1) Document everything in writing, 2) Reference specific regulation numbers (82-820 and 82-821), 3) Call the state CalWORKs Policy Unit for official confirmation, 4) Prepare a clear one-page summary explaining the correction needed, and 5) Remember that "aid continuing" protects you during the review process. The key seems to be approaching this confidently as correcting an administrative error, not trying to hide anything. Your boyfriend doesn't meet any of the three criteria for CalWORKs inclusion (blood/marriage relation, parent of child on case, or legal financial responsibility), so removing him is simply following correct policy. For anyone else dealing with this: don't let workers make you feel guilty about fixing their mistake. The $150-200+ monthly increases people have shared show how much this correction can help families. Your children deserve every dollar they're entitled to under the actual CalWORKs policies! @Omar Zaki - you've got an entire community rooting for you. Go into that renewal prepared and confident. This is absolutely fixable!

Congratulations on getting the job! That's a big step. Just wanted to add that you should also ask about transportation assistance when you talk to your worker. CalWORKs can help with gas money, bus passes, or even car repairs if you need them to get to work. A lot of people don't know about this benefit but it can really help when you're transitioning to working. Also, keep track of any work-related expenses like uniforms or supplies - some of those can be deducted from your income calculation too. You're doing great by working and staying on top of reporting your changes!

Your worker can help you apply for transportation assistance - it's part of the CalWORKs Supportive Services. You don't need a separate application, just ask them about it when you finally get through! For work expenses, things like uniforms, safety equipment (like your non-slip shoes), and sometimes even tools can be deducted from your countable income. Make sure to keep all your receipts! The transportation assistance is usually pretty generous too - they can cover gas, car maintenance, bus passes, or even help with car insurance in some cases. Since you're spending $60/week on gas, that's definitely worth pursuing. You're absolutely right to feel more confident now - working while on CalWORKs is totally doable and there are so many supports in place to help you succeed!

Wow, this entire thread has been so educational! I'm brand new to this community and the CalWORKs system - just got approved last month and feeling pretty overwhelmed by everything. Reading about @ThunderBolt7's struggle to find the recertification option is both scary and helpful. Scary because it shows how confusing the system is, but helpful because now I know what to expect and where to look when my time comes. It's honestly ridiculous that something as important as benefit recertification can be hidden in so many random places on the website. The fact that it ended up being under "Documents > Required Renewals" is so unintuitive - I would have never thought to check there either! I'm definitely saving this thread as my go-to guide for when I need to recertify. Having all these different locations mapped out (Actions tab, Report Changes dropdown, Documents section) feels like having insider knowledge for navigating this broken system. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions, and especially @ThunderBolt7 for following up with where you finally found it. This community is clearly a lifeline for people trying to navigate these poorly designed government systems!

This thread is exactly what I needed to see! I just got my CalWORKs approval a couple weeks ago and I'm already worried about my first recertification based on all the horror stories I've heard. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both terrifying and incredibly helpful - terrifying because it confirms the system is as broken as I feared, but helpful because now I have a roadmap of where to actually look when the time comes. @ThunderBolt7 I'm so glad you were able to find your recertification under Documents > Required Renewals! That location makes absolutely no sense from a user experience perspective. I work part-time in customer service and if we hid important functions in random menu sections like that, we'd get fired. But somehow it's acceptable for government systems that people's survival depends on. I'm bookmarking this entire thread as my unofficial BenefitsCal survival guide. Having all these different locations documented (Actions tab, Report Changes workaround, Documents section) feels like having cheat codes for a really frustrating video game. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this community is proving to be more helpful than any official documentation I've found!

I'm pretty new to CalWORKs (just got approved last month) and reading all these experiences is both reassuring and terrifying! My first deposit came exactly at midnight, so I was expecting the same this month, but it's been super inconsistent since then. Last week I called my worker about something else and she mentioned that the state is rolling out some new payment processing system in phases, which might explain why everyone's timing is so different. She said it could take several more months before everything stabilizes. In the meantime, I've started setting aside a tiny emergency fund from other sources when I can - even $10-15 helps with the anxiety of not knowing exactly when benefits will hit. It's frustrating that we have to plan around their technical issues, but at least knowing it's a widespread problem and not something wrong with our individual cases helps a little bit!

This whole thread is so validating! I've been on CalWORKs for about 6 months and thought I was going crazy with how unpredictable the deposit times are. Mine usually hits around 1-2am but last month it didn't come until almost noon and I had a full panic attack thinking they'd terminated my benefits. The anxiety of waiting and not knowing is honestly worse than just being broke - at least when you're broke you can plan around it! I've started checking the CalFresh subreddit too and apparently their deposits are having similar issues with the system updates. Really wish they would send us notifications about delays or maintenance windows. Even my bank sends me alerts when they're doing system updates! Reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel so much less alone in this stress. Hope they get their act together soon because this monthly emotional rollercoaster is exhausting! 💙