If a California county welfare department has denied, reduced, or terminated your CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, or other public assistance benefits, you can file a California state hearing appeal with the Department of Social Services and have an independent Administrative Law Judge review the county’s decision.1California Department of Social Services. Hearing Requests You have 90 days from the date the county mailed your Notice of Action to file, but if you want your current benefits to keep running during the appeal, you usually have to file even sooner.2California Department of Social Services. General Information Regarding a State Hearing
The Two Deadlines That Matter
The outer deadline is 90 days from the mailing date printed on your Notice of Action. CDSS is explicit that 90 days is not the same as three months and is often shorter, so count actual days.2California Department of Social Services. General Information Regarding a State Hearing
The earlier deadline is the effective date of the county’s action, also on the Notice. If you file before that date, you can keep your current benefits at their existing level while the appeal is pending. File after it, and your benefits change on schedule no matter when your hearing takes place.
If you miss the 90-day window entirely, you can still request a hearing by showing good cause for the delay, but treat that as a fallback, not a plan. File on time.
How to File Your Request
CDSS accepts hearing requests three ways:1California Department of Social Services. Hearing Requests
- Online through the Appeals Case Management System at acms.dss.ca.gov, where you can also upload supporting documents.3California Department of Social Services. Public Appeal Request – ACMS
- By phone at (800) 743-8525, or TDD (800) 952-8349 for hearing- or speech-impaired callers. A staff member takes your information and starts the request during the call.
- By mail to the California Department of Social Services, State Hearings Division, P.O. Box 944243, Mail Station 9-17-442, Sacramento, California 94244-2430. You can also mail or hand-deliver the request to the county welfare department at the address on your Notice of Action.
If you mail your request, use a method that gives you proof of the send date. The filing date controls whether you met the 90-day deadline, and you do not want that in dispute.
Filling Out the NA Back 9
Flip your Notice of Action over. The reverse side is a form called the NA Back 9, and it works as your hearing request.4California Department of Social Services. Form NA Back 9 – Hearing Request Check the box for the program at issue (Cash Aid, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, or other), fill in your name, address, phone number, and date of birth, and add a representative’s contact information if someone will speak for you. Check the interpreter box if you need one.
Explain why you disagree in specific terms. “The county miscounted my income” or “my roommate is not in my household” gives the State Hearings Division something concrete to review. Vague disagreement makes your case harder to prepare and harder to win.
Anyone who has applied for, currently receives, or previously received California public assistance can request a hearing, including situations where the county failed to act on your application or refused to let you submit one.5California Legislative Information. California Welfare and Institutions Code 10950 You do not need a lawyer, and you can file yourself or through a friend, family member, or advocate.
Keeping Your Benefits During the Appeal
The protection is commonly called “aid paid pending.” If the county is reducing or terminating benefits you already receive, filing your hearing request before the Notice’s effective date keeps those benefits at their current level until the judge rules. Miss the effective date and the change takes hold regardless of your later appeal.
CDSS gives scheduling priority to cases where the person is not receiving aid paid pending, so appeals filed after the effective date should still move faster through the queue.5California Legislative Information. California Welfare and Institutions Code 10950
For Medi-Cal managed care plans, federal rules require the plan to continue previously authorized services if you file the appeal and request continuation by the later of 10 days after the plan sends its adverse decision or the intended effective date of the change.6eCFR. 42 CFR 438.420 – Continuation of Benefits
One risk to weigh: if you receive aid paid pending and then lose your appeal, the county may seek to recover the cost of benefits paid during that period.
Reviewing the County’s Evidence Before the Hearing
You have the right to inspect your entire case file and every document the county plans to use, both before and during the hearing.7eCFR. 45 CFR 205.10 – Hearings Call your county welfare office to schedule a review. Files often contain errors or outdated information, and you want to find those before the hearing, not during it.
The county also has to prepare a Position Statement listing the regulations and facts behind its decision, along with any budget computations if the dispute involves the amount of your grant. When the county has at least 10 days’ notice of the hearing date, it must make the Position Statement available at the county office no fewer than two working days before the hearing. If the county misses that deadline or changes the statement after giving it to you, you can request a postponement.8California Department of Social Services. Manual of Policies and Procedures Chapter 22-000 – State Hearing
What the Hearing Is Like
An Administrative Law Judge who does not work for the county runs the hearing. Everyone is placed under oath and the session is recorded. The county goes first, citing the regulations behind its decision and walking through its evidence. Then you present your side, submit documents, and bring witnesses if you have them. The judge asks questions of both sides to resolve conflicts on things like income, household composition, or disability status.
Most hearings happen by phone. Some are scheduled in person at a county office. Your hearing notice will tell you the format, date, and time. If you need to reschedule, the judge can grant a continuance of up to 30 days for good cause.
Before the formal hearing, the county may reach out to try to settle the dispute. If the county sees its error after reviewing your appeal, it can correct the action without going through a hearing. You are not required to accept any informal resolution, and your right to a hearing stays intact if you don’t.
When You’ll Get the Decision
For CalFresh cases, federal rules require the state to hold the hearing, issue a written decision, and notify you and the county within 60 days of receiving your request.9eCFR. 7 CFR 273.15 – Fair Hearings For other programs, the deadline for adopting and acting on a decision is 90 days from the filing date.
The written decision explains the judge’s reasoning, cites the regulations that apply, and tells you whether the county’s action is upheld, overturned, or modified. If you win, the county is directed to take specific corrective steps, which may include restoring benefits, recalculating your grant, or processing a denied application. Postponements requested by either side can push these timelines out.
Interpreters and Disability Accommodations
If English is not your primary language, you have the right to a qualified interpreter at no cost. Use the interpreter box on the NA Back 9 to specify your language or dialect.4California Department of Social Services. Form NA Back 9 – Hearing Request The state provides the interpreter, and friends or family members cannot serve in that role at the hearing. Interpreters must be competent in both languages, trained in interpreting ethics, and familiar with benefits terminology.10Federal Register. Title VI Policy Guidance on the Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination
If you have a disability, the State Hearings Division has to provide reasonable accommodations so you can participate, which can include sign language interpreters, accessible hearing locations, and modifications to standard procedures.11ADA.gov. State and Local Governments Contact the Division before your hearing date to arrange what you need.
If You Lose the Hearing
You can seek judicial review by filing a petition in California superior court under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.5. The court reviews the hearing record to decide whether the evidence supports the decision and whether the law was correctly applied. You have one year from the date you receive notice of the department’s final decision to file.12California Legislative Information. California Welfare and Institutions Code 10962
Superior court is more formal than the State Hearing, and having a lawyer at this stage matters. If you cannot afford one, legal aid organizations across California take public benefits cases for free based on income.
Free Legal Help
Plenty of people handle State Hearings on their own and win. But if your case involves complicated calculations, overlapping programs, or a large amount of back benefits, get help. LawHelpCalifornia.org connects you with local legal aid offices that handle benefits cases, with eligibility usually based on income. Every California superior court runs a free self-help program that can explain your options, though staff there cannot represent you at the hearing. Some California law schools run free clinics that take public benefits cases.
Reach out early. Legal aid offices often have waiting lists, and your representative needs time to review the case file and the county’s Position Statement before your hearing date.