UPDATE: Had my interview this morning and it went way better than expected! The worker was actually really nice and didn't lecture me about missing the SAR7 before. She just reminded me about reporting deadlines and the Income Reporting Threshold (which I guess is higher now in 2025?). She said since I'm already working, I still need to attend WTW orientation but it can be done online now. The only issue is they need verification of my kids' school enrollment and my landlord needs to fill out a housing form. They said I should get a notice within 7-10 days. Thanks everyone for your help! I feel so much more prepared than I was yesterday.

Congratulations on getting through your interview! That's such a relief when it goes better than expected. Quick tip about the housing form - make sure your landlord fills it out completely and signs it. I had to get mine redone twice because my landlord left some sections blank the first time. Also, for the school enrollment verification, you can usually get that same day from the school office or sometimes even print it from the parent portal online if your school district has one. Getting those documents in quickly will definitely help speed up your approval!

when I was on calworks they told me differnt counties have differnt hours. i think its dumb they can just decide when to stop answering calls. i remember in LA county they stopped taking calls at 4 but in san bernardino they were open till 5. My cousin in alameda county said there open till 5:30 there!!!! makes no sense why every county is different when its all the same calworks program!!!!

Call hour the same 8 to 5 but they stop putting ppl in line early. my worker told me they all do this. riverside extra bad tho, my friend had to physically go into the office to resolve her case they NEVER anwsered phones.

This is amazing, thank you so much for sharing! I've been struggling to reach someone about my case for over a month now. My benefits got suspended because they said I didn't report my part-time job income, but I DID report it on my SAR7 form back in January. I've been calling every day during lunch breaks at work but can never get through. I'm definitely going to try the 7:57 AM trick tomorrow morning - I'll have to wake up extra early but it's worth it if I can finally get this mess sorted out. My kids need their benefits restored ASAP. Did you have all your paperwork ready when you called, or were they able to look everything up in the system?

This is such valuable information! I've been dealing with CalWORKs phone hell for months trying to get my transitional benefits sorted out after I started working part-time. The regular hours are absolutely impossible - I've literally spent entire lunch breaks on hold just to get disconnected. I'm definitely setting my alarm for 7:50 AM tomorrow to try this trick. It's crazy that we have to figure out these workarounds just to access services we're entitled to, but I'm grateful you shared this discovery. Quick question - did you notice if the workers who answer during that early time slot seem to have more time to actually help with your issue, or are they just as rushed as the ones during regular hours?

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been on CalWORKs for about 8 months with my 2-year-old son and I honestly had no clue about this diaper benefit until now. Looking back at my benefit statements, I think I might have been getting it this whole time but just assumed it was part of the regular cash aid amount. I never really paid attention to the line items on my Notice of Action - I just looked at the total amount each month. This is a good reminder to actually read through all the paperwork they send instead of just glancing at it. $30 may not cover a full month of diapers but you're all right that every little bit helps, especially when you're trying to budget everything so carefully. Thanks for sharing all this helpful information about how the benefit works!

This has been such an eye-opening thread! I'm a single mom with a 20-month-old and I've been on CalWORKs for about 5 months. I had absolutely no idea about the diaper benefit until I stumbled across this post. After reading everyone's comments, I immediately went and dug out my old Notice of Action papers and sure enough - there it is! "Diaper Benefit $30.00" listed right there. I feel so silly for not noticing it before, but honestly when you're juggling everything as a new CalWORKs recipient, it's easy to just focus on the bottom line total. What really bothers me is that my caseworker never mentioned this benefit when we went through my application. She explained the cash aid and food benefits but completely skipped over the diaper money. I wonder how many other parents are missing out on benefits they're entitled to simply because no one tells them about it? Reading through all your experiences makes me realize I need to be more proactive about understanding what I'm eligible for instead of just accepting whatever they give me. The tip about checking BenefitsCal messaging instead of calling is a game-changer too - I've wasted so many hours on hold trying to get answers to questions. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge here - this community is such a lifesaver for navigating all the confusing government benefit stuff!

I wanted to update everyone - I was finally able to reach my worker after using that Claimyr service someone suggested. They immediately helped me file the good cause claim and reassured me that my address won't be disclosed. They're sending me the CW 51 form today and said my benefits won't be affected as long as I return it within 20 days. Such a relief! Thank you all for the advice and support!

So glad to hear you got this resolved quickly! Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this thread - if you're in immediate danger, you can also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. They can help you create a safety plan and connect you with local resources. Your safety should always come first, and there are people trained to help navigate these situations while you're dealing with the CalWORKs process. Stay safe and don't hesitate to reach out for additional support if you need it!