CalWORKs in Santa Clara County

A directory listing, not an eligibility decision.

UniHealth can identify a possible match, but the responsible program makes the final decision.

What to know

Why it may fit: Your circumstances can be checked against the program’s published guidelines.
What to do next: Monthly cash aid for families raising children. A grandparent or other relative raising a child can ask for aid for the child only. The child also gets Medi-Cal.
Who runs it: County of Santa Clara

What the program may consider

An eligible child or a pregnancy in the family (the assistance unit)
Parent absent, deceased, disabled, or principal earner unemployed
Income within the Region 1 limit for a new application (the Minimum Basic Standard of Adequate Care, MBSAC), after the deduction for each worker
2026 CalWORKs resource limit
Time-limit, cooperation and work-program rules

How to get it

Monthly cash aid for families raising children. A grandparent or other relative raising a child can ask for aid for the child only. The child also gets Medi-Cal.

How to apply

California's one application for Medi-Cal, CalFresh and cash aid

Online it is BenefitsCal. On paper it is the SAWS 2 PLUS. One application can ask for several programs at once.

The same application can also ask for CalFresh Food, Extra Help with Medicare drug costs, General Assistance, Aged, Blind and Disabled Federal Poverty Level Medi-Cal, Disabled Adult Child protection and 11 more.

OnlineBenefitsCal websiteApply online for Medi-Cal, CalFresh and cash aid, any time of day.
PhoneEBT card customer service: 1-877-328-9677Set or change your PIN, or report a lost card.
PhoneMedi-Cal health plan choice line (Health Care Options): 1-800-430-4263
PhoneSanta Clara County benefits line: (408) 758-3800Apply or ask questions by phone, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
FaxSanta Clara County benefits fax: (408) 295-9248
MailSanta Clara County benefits mail: P.O. Box 11018, San Jose, CA 95103
In personSanta Clara County benefits offices: 1867 Senter Rd, San Jose; 1330 W. Middlefield Rd, Mountain View; 379 Tomkins Ct, Gilroy

Getting help

Someone can apply for you

Anyone can help you fill out and send the application. You must sign it yourself. The county still interviews you. It can skip you only if a health problem keeps you from taking part. It needs proof of that. Forms at the interview are signed by phone or with DocuSign, an e-signature tool. To let a helper talk with the county about your case, sign a release. It lasts up to 1 year. By phone, the county talks with your helper only when you are both on the call.

A helper can fill it out, but you still sign.

What happens after you apply

The county records the day it gets your signed application. Your cash aid counts from that day. If you apply on paper, you may not finish the whole form that day. Then ask for form SAWS 1 and sign it. That holds your start date.
The county
Are you facing an emergency, like no food or an eviction notice? Ask for Immediate Need help. The county talks with you and decides by the next working day. It can pay up to $200 right away.
Only if you have an emergency
The countyOnly you can do thisBy the next working day after you ask.
A county worker calls you for an interview. You can ask to meet in person instead. The county can also ask to see you in person. If you miss the first interview, the county sends a letter denying the application. If someone helps with your case, they can join, but the county still talks with you.
The countyOnly you can do thisWithin 7 working days of applying.
At the interview you sign more forms, by phone or with DocuSign. If the aid is for the child only, you also sign form SCD 345. It is about the child in your care.
YouOnly you can do this
Every adult applying shows a photo ID to a county worker. You can do it in person or on a Microsoft Teams video call. If you do not, the whole family loses aid. You may not need to if the county already has your photo ID. If you have no photo ID, ask the county. You can sign a statement for now.
The countyOnly you can do this If you applied online: within 15 working days after approval. If you applied on paper or in person: within 10 days, before approval.
The county mails a list of papers it needs. Common ones are the child's birth certificate, proof you are related, and the child's Social Security number. For aid for the child only, you do not have to prove your own income or savings. The worker may still ask about them.
The countyA helper can help with this Usually 10 days. A birth certificate can wait up to 90 days if you sign a statement first. Shot records for children under 6 are due 45 days after you apply.
Tell the county what you know about the child's parents who live somewhere else. The child support office may contact you. If this could put you or the child in danger, ask to be excused.
YouA helper can help with this
You get a letter that says yes or no, and how much aid you get.
The countyWithin 45 days of applying. It can take longer if the delay is outside the county's control.
Your EBT card comes by mail. An EBT card works like a debit card. Set your PIN to use your cash. Your first payment counts from the day you applied.
The stateOnly you can do this
The child also gets Medi-Cal. You choose the child's Medi-Cal health plan. Health Care Options can explain the choices.
YouOnly you can do this

What only you can do

Sign the application yourself.
Answer the county's interview call. It comes within 7 working days of applying.
Sign the interview forms by phone or with DocuSign.
Show a photo ID in person or on a Teams video call, unless the county already has it.
Send the papers the county asks for, like the child's birth certificate.
Get shot records for children under 6, or ask the county about an exemption.
Share what you know about the child's parents who live elsewhere, unless you are excused for safety.
Get the EBT card and set your PIN.
Choose the child's Medi-Cal health plan.
Do the renewal interview each year.

How long it takes: Up to 45 days from the day the county gets your signed application. It can take longer if the delay is outside the county's control. In an emergency, Immediate Need help can come by the next working day.
You are enrolled when: You are enrolled when you have an approval letter and cash is on your EBT card. You must also finish the photo ID check, or aid can stop. The child's Medi-Cal is active too.
To keep it: If the aid is for the child only, you renew once a year with an interview. Report income above the limit on your notice. Report big changes, like the child moving. Show shot records for children under 6 at renewal. If you get aid for yourself too, you also send a report every 6 months. At 60 or older, you do not have to join the work program. If you disagree with a letter, ask for a hearing within 90 days.

Can’t be combined with

Refugee Cash Assistance. If your family can get CalWORKs, you get it instead of Refugee Cash Assistance.