The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWorks) program aims to provide financial money assistance to eligible families with children, so the amounts may vary from one household to another, and it is delivered in the first few days of October. California is one of the states in the United States that offers numerous financial assistance programs.
While there are many that are very popular, such as CalFresh, which is the state name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP, there are others that are equally important but don’t receive the same attention. One such program is CalWorks, which provides payments ranging from $700 to $3,000 dollars to different eligible groups.
Understanding CalWorks California’s money Assistance Program for Families with Children
The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program, known by its acronym CalWorks, is a public assistance program that provides monetary assistance and services to eligible families in the state who have one or more children in the household. It also promotes employment, offers opportunities for family rehabilitation, and ensures that children who cannot reside in their homes receive appropriate care and treatment according to their needs.
The primary goal of CalWorks is the care and well-being of the youngest members of the household. Therefore, it has very specific eligibility criteria that include citizenship, age, income, assets, and other applicant factors. In addition, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Have a child or children in the household who have been deprived of parental support or care due to the absence, disability, or death of one or both parents.
- Families with children when both parents are in the home, but the primary breadwinner is unemployed.
- Needy caretaker relatives of a child or children in foster care.
Eligible children can benefit from CalWorks until they reach 18 years of age or complete high school or vocational school, as long as they are expected to finish any of these programs before turning 19.
As mentioned, income and asset capacity of the household are also considered. Individuals with property must meet certain established limits that depend on the family composition and the presence of elderly members. The family home is exempt as long as it is the primary residence. There are no specific residency duration requirements for the CalWorks program.
The program also establishes a gross income limit, from which $450 dollars are first deducted from the income of each employed individual in the family. There is also an exemption for the value of a car, up to $32,045 dollars.
To determine the amounts you will receive from CalWorks, which can range from $707 to $3,094 dollars, it will depend on the number of eligible individuals within the household. After the mentioned deductions, the remaining income, both earned and unearned, is combined to calculate the family’s gross income. This figure is compared to the Minimum Basic Standard of Adequate Care (MBSAC) for the family size.
If, after deducting $450 dollars from the total gross income of the family, the income exceeds the MBSAC threshold for the respective household size, they will not qualify for CalWorks benefits. Assistance payments are disbursed within the first three calendar days of each month, according to the CalWorks program.