To request a Welfare-to-Work exemption with CalWORKs form CW 2186A, fill in your case identification at the top, answer all eleven numbered exemption questions (with detail on the one that applies to you), attach the proof your reason requires, sign and date the back, and deliver the packet to your county welfare office. The form is available as a PDF on the California Department of Social Services website or in person at your county social services office. An approved exemption lets you keep your cash aid without meeting work or training hours, and depending on which category you qualify under, the months you receive aid may also stop counting against your 48-month lifetime limit.
First, Check Whether You Even Need This Form
Three groups of people do not use CW 2186A at all. Contact your caseworker directly instead:
- Age-based automatic exemptions: under 16, ages 16 to 18 and attending school full-time, or 60 and over. The county applies these without a form.
- 48-month time limit exemptions tied to grant status: your CalWORKs grant was less than $10, your grant was fully offset by child support collections, or you receive only supportive services such as childcare and transportation.
- Domestic abuse waivers from the time limits. The county has confidentiality procedures for these cases, including alternative mailing addresses and communication methods for your safety.
Everyone else requesting an exemption from Welfare-to-Work participation or from the 48-month clock uses CW 2186A.
Pick the Right Exemption Before You Write Anything
The form lists eleven numbered exemption reasons. They split into two groups, and the group matters because it decides whether your 48-month CalWORKs lifetime clock keeps running while you are exempt.
Questions 1–4: Stops Work Participation Only
These excuse you from Welfare-to-Work hours, but months on aid still count toward your 48-month limit.
- Question 1, pregnancy. A doctor must confirm you cannot work or participate for the required weekly hours: 20 hours if you are a single parent with a child under 6, 30 hours with no child under 6, or 35 hours in a two-parent household.
- Question 2, young child at a county-set age. You are the parent or caretaker of a child at or below your county’s threshold (12 weeks, 6 months, or 12 months, depending on the county). Available once in a lifetime.
- Question 3, subsequent infant. If you already used Question 2, you may still qualify for a shorter exemption of 12 weeks to 6 months for another infant.
- Question 4, full-time VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) participant.
Questions 5–11: Stops Both the 24-Month Work Clock and the 48-Month Limit
These are more protective because the months you receive aid while exempt generally do not count against your lifetime cap.
- Question 5, education for a 16- or 17-year-old who already holds a diploma or GED and is enrolled or planning to enroll in postsecondary or vocational training.
- Question 6, disability. A doctor must verify a physical or mental condition expected to last at least 30 calendar days that significantly impairs your ability to work or participate at the required hours. You must be actively seeking appropriate medical treatment.
- Question 7, nonparent caretaker of a court-involved child. You are a relative caring for a child who is a dependent or ward of the court, receiving Kin-GAP benefits, or at risk of foster care placement, with caregiving responsibilities beyond normal parenting.
- Question 8, caring for an ill or incapacitated household member whose condition requires your presence at home and impairs your ability to work.
- Question 9, Cal-Learn. You are eligible for, participating in, or exempt from Cal-Learn. Does not apply if you are 19 and not voluntarily participating.
- Question 10, Indian Country residence as defined by federal law, where at least 50 percent of adults are unemployed. This one applies only to the 48-month limit, not to work participation.
- Question 11, young child 0–23 months. Available once in a lifetime starting January 1, 2013, and you can save it for a future child if you prefer.
Questions 2 and 11 trip people up. Question 2 uses a county-set age (as low as 12 weeks) and only pauses work participation. Question 11 covers children up to 23 months and also stops the 48-month clock. Both are once-in-a-lifetime, and using one does not necessarily prevent using the other.
If Nothing on the Form Fits
Shorter-term barriers may qualify for a good cause deferral instead, granted by your caseworker without CW 2186A. Good cause covers homelessness, a temporary illness lasting less than 30 days, a family crisis, a court-mandated appearance, a childcare arrangement that fell through, or a temporary layoff with a callback date. A good cause deferral stops the 24-month work clock but your 48-month lifetime clock keeps running, and the county must review the deferral at least every three months. If your barrier looks like it will last 30 days or longer, ask whether a formal exemption under Question 6 or another category would serve you better.
Gather Your Documentation First
The form warns that “you may be asked to give the county proof of your reason for requesting an exemption.” In practice, the county almost always asks. Attaching the proof with your form prevents the most common delay — a request sitting in limbo while the county waits for paperwork.
- Disability or pregnancy: a written statement from a doctor or other licensed health care provider stating the expected duration, how the condition impairs your ability to work or participate at the required hour level, and confirmation that you are actively seeking appropriate medical treatment. The county may use Form CW 61, or accept a statement on the provider’s letterhead.
- Caring for an ill household member: medical documentation from that person’s provider confirming the illness or incapacity and the need for your presence at home.
- Young child exemptions (Questions 2, 3, or 11): the child’s birth certificate or hospital records showing date of birth.
- Nonparent caretaker of a court-involved child: court orders establishing dependency or wardship, or county documentation showing the child is at risk of foster care placement.
- Domestic abuse (when claiming a participation exemption rather than a time-limit waiver): your sworn statement is legally sufficient to establish abuse unless the county documents an independent reason to question your credibility. Police reports, restraining orders, or records from a domestic violence counselor strengthen the request but are not required.
Filling Out the Form
CW 2186A is two pages. The front collects identification and walks through the exemption questions. The back is where you sign.
Top Section: Your Identification
Fill in your name, address, and phone number exactly as they appear in your county case file. The case name, case number, county, worker name, and worker phone number should match your most recent Notice of Action or other county correspondence. If you are unsure of your case number, call your caseworker before submitting. A mismatched number can delay processing or route your request to the wrong file.
Middle Section: The Eleven Questions
Read all eleven and answer each. The form instructs you to answer every question, not only the one that applies to you, and notes that “the county cannot answer these questions for you.” For the question that matches your situation, use the full space available. If you are claiming disability, reference the attached medical documentation and describe how the condition limits your participation. “I can’t work” without any connection to a specific medical finding gives the county less to approve.
Watch the hour thresholds on Questions 1 and 6. The form asks whether your condition prevents you from working a specific number of hours per week based on your household type. Your doctor’s statement should address the same hour thresholds. A note that says “limited capacity” without specifying hours may not meet the county’s standard.
Back of the Form: Sign and Date
Sign and date the back. An unsigned form will be returned. If a medical provider is completing a separate verification like CW 61, that is a different document attached to your packet. The provider does not sign CW 2186A itself.
Where to Submit the Packet
Deliver the completed form and all supporting documentation to your local county welfare department. You have three options:
- In person at your county social services office. Ask for a date-stamped copy of the first page as your receipt.
- By mail to the address on your most recent Notice of Action. Use certified mail or keep a tracking number so you can prove delivery.
- Online, through your county’s portal, where available. Check the county social services website or ask your caseworker.
Keep copies of everything. If the county later says it never received a document, your copies are what prevents you from starting over.
What the County Does Next
The county reviews your request and sends a written Notice of Action approving or denying the exemption. An approval specifies which category applies, when the exemption begins, and when it is expected to end.
Duration depends on the category. A disability exemption lasts as long as the disability and treatment continue and can be verified, with no arbitrary cutoff. Young child exemptions end when the child ages out of the qualifying range. The county may evaluate your status monthly, and your caseworker will contact you 30 to 60 days before an exemption is expected to end to talk through next steps. When an exemption expires and nothing else applies, you re-enter Welfare-to-Work and develop a new participation plan with your caseworker.
If the County Denies Your Request
You have 90 days from the date the county mailed or gave you the Notice of Action to request a state hearing. After 90 days you must show good cause for filing late. You can request a hearing online at acms.dss.ca.gov, by phone at (800) 743-8525, or in writing using the form on the back of your Notice of Action or a letter sent to your county welfare department or to the California Department of Social Services, State Hearings Division, P.O. Box 944243, Mail Station 9-17-442, Sacramento, CA 94244-2430.
At the hearing you have the right to appear in person, bring a representative of your choice (lawyer, advocate, friend, or anyone else), present documents and witnesses, review your case file, and cross-examine county staff. Include your full name, address, phone number, county, and the aid program involved. Keep copies of everything you submit. The hearing officer’s decision must explain the facts found and how the regulations were applied to them, and your own records are what let you point to errors in that reasoning.