CalWORKs

There are many reasons the county might say you cannot get CalWORKs benefits. Some of these reasons are that your income is too high, you have too much property, you don’t have custody of your children, or you did not turn in paperwork to the county.

The county must give you a written notice telling you that the county thinks you cannot get CalWORKs and why. If you think the county is wrong, you can appeal and have your case heard by an independent hearing officer. You have 90 days from the date of the written notice to appeal the county’s decision. If you have a very good reason for appealing late, you can appeal up to 180 days after the date of the written notice.

If the county does not let you apply or does not give you benefits but does not give you written notice, you can still appeal. If your notice does not meet legal requirements, such as not giving a reason or not being in your primary language, you can appeal even after that.

Once you appeal, there will be a hearing scheduled to give you a chance to explain why you think you are eligible for CalWORKs and for a hearing officer to decide if the county is right or wrong. If the hearing officer decides you are right, the hearing officer can order the county to pay you benefits or to consider your application again.

Download our State Hearing Tips fact sheet