Welcome to the CalWORKs program at Rio Hondo College!
Our team is here to assist you on your journey through college.
Tel: 562-463-7311
Location: Student Services Building SS220
 Our primary mission is to help you in any way
possible. Here are just some ways we can help you:
 Academic, Career & Personal
Counseling
 Priority Registration
 Ancillary (book and supply)
Request
 Computer Lab
 Laptop Loan Program
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School Supplies
Assistance with county paperwork
Workshops
Work-study
On and Off campus Referrals
Legal Aid Services
Personal
Academic
 Complete a
Student Education
Plan to plan out
your classes to
reach educational
goal
 Review certificates,
Graduation, and
Transfer
requirements
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Study Skills
Time Management
Goal Setting
Self-Esteem
Domestic Violence
Housing Assistance
Referrals
Career
 Help choosing
career/major
 Career Change
 Develop resume,
cover letters, and
thank you letter
 CalWORKs students now have priority registration!
 You are one of the first groups of students to register
for classes.
 You will have access to more classes and greater control
over your schedule.
 See a CalWORKs counselor every semester to develop
your Educational Plan so that you know which classes to
register for.
Gain pays for the following:
 Textbooks
 Required textbooks by your instructor(s)
 Fees
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College Fee, Health Fee, Lab Fees
Parking Permit
Fingerprinting fees for licensures
Student Id
Exam fees (e.g., GED)
 Tools/Clothing
 Supplies (backpacks, pencils, pens, paper,
etc.)
 Art Supplies (if needed for elective classes
if the class counts towards the degree or
certificate of the participant’s approved
Welfare-to-Work activity)
 Tools/supplies related to a specific field of
study such as for Automotive or Policy
Academy
 Nursing uniforms
 Cap and Gown
 The CalWORKs office can provide you with basic
supplies like scantrons, pens, paper, etc.
 Supplies are limited and based on funding.
 Use the CalWORKs computer lab to complete your
required supervised study time
 It’s open during office hours – just sign in on the front
computer
 Monday – Thursday: 8:00am – 4:30pm
 Friday: 8:00am - 12:00pm
 You can print up to 10 pages a day for FREE
 The CalWORKs program can lend you a laptop that
you can take home with you.
 Limited to 3 days.
 Fill out a contract at the CalWORKs office.
 The CalWORKs work study program assists in finding
CalWORKs students employment on campus
 Benefits of working on campus:
Career Training/Networking
Exempt from cash aid
Work maximum of 20 hrs/wk
The hourly pay rate is $8.00
Our office will assist you with:
 Resume Writing
 Thank You Letters
 Employment Search
 Interview Skills
 Cover Letter
 Faxing
For more information contact:
Marta Munoz
Rio Hondo College
CalWORKs Program-Room SS-220
(562) 463-7311
 Every semester you will be required to do the following:
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Complete an intake form
Print out your class schedule
Complete a Daily Schedule
Complete a book & supply request
Provide current documentation that proves YOU (not just your children) are
receiving cash aid. Acceptable documents are:
 Verification of Benefits
 Notice of Action – for cash aid only
 The intake form is required
each semester to make sure
the CalWORKs office has
your most updated
information.
 Make sure to answer EVERY
question, initial, and sign or
it may delay processing your
paperwork.
 Print out your Detail Schedule on your AccessRio account.
 Only enroll in classes approved by GSW and CalWORKs Counselor.
 Complete the Daily Schedule
based on the classes you are
taking each semester.
 You can also add 2 hours of
study time (aka Tutorial lab)
for each hour you are in class
per week.
 Courses must be approved by
CalWORKs Counselor and
GSW.
 This form is available online at
http://www.riohondo.edu/calw
orks/forms/
 Use this form to request required textbooks
 Need to take original receipts to Gain Service Worker (GSW) ASAP.
 To download this form
visit:
http://www.riohondo.
edu/calworks/forms/
1. Visit www.rhc.bkstr.com
2. Go to “Books” then click on “Textbooks & Course
materials”
3. Look up your class by selecting the corresponding
“Semester”, “Department”, “Course ID” and
“Section”
4. Add the “new” textbooks to your cart
5. Print the shopping cart with all required textbooks
6. Attach this printout to your Book Verification Form
 GAIN will provide you with
$35 for basic supplies each
semester e.g. pencils,
erasers, notebooks, etc.
 Use this form to request any
additional supplies and
other fees.
 Need to take original
receipts to GSW (Gain
Service Worker) ASAP.
 Download at:
http://www.riohondo.edu/ca
lworks/forms/
 Verification of Benefits
 You obtain this form
through DPSS
This is your customer ID. Use
it to set up your DPSS online
account.
Sample Notice of Action
 These are samples of an eNotice and a mailed Notice of Action.
 A NOA is sent whenever there is a change in the CalWORKs case.
Customer ID
 You have online access to all your GAIN forms sent
within the past 90 days at:
www.dpssbenefits.lacounty.gov
 You will need your 10-digit customer ID which is
located on a Notice of Action form.
 You will need to create a 6-digit PIN.
 Rio Hondo Email
 Your AccessRio is going to be your primary form of contact for many offices at Rio
Hondo College including CalWORKs and Financial Aid.
 Check your email consistently so that you don’t miss out on time sensitive
information.
 How to create an Access Rio email:
 If you are a registered student of Rio Hondo College, your AccessRio account gives
you the ability to send and receive e-mail. To create your AccessRio email account,
click on the AccessRio logo and follow the directions. Your new Rio Hondo email
address will end with @my.riohondo.edu
When you create your account, you can opt to forward your AccessRio email to
the email box that you most often use, whether that's Yahoo, gmail, Hotmail, or
some other provider.
 Inform CalWORKs office of any changes
 We need to know if you change your address, phone number, GSW, etc.
 Changing your information at admissions or GAIN office does NOT change it at the
CalWORKs office.
 There are a number of GAIN requirements for ALL
CalWORKs students to meet.
• You need to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• You can only enroll in classes that are required for your
certificate and/or degree program. GAIN may NOT pay
for classes that are NOT required for your educational
goal.
• GAIN will not count any hours towards your
participation hours for classes that are NOT required
for your educational goal listed on your GN 6005/GN
6006 form.
• GAIN may not pay for books for repeated classes.
 Unless exempt, all students must complete a
set amount of participation hours.
Number of Adults in the Family (Assistance Unit)
Weekly Hours of
Participation
Single-adult with a child under 6 years old
20
Single-adult with no children under 6 years old
30
Two-parent families
35
 There are many forms that you have to complete in
order to remain in compliance with GAIN.
 Remember to schedule an appointment in order to
have your forms completed.
 The following are samples of common GAIN forms.
The GN 6005A is completed
once when you begin
receiving GAIN services.
GAIN office information and student’s information is completed by the GAIN
Services Worker (GSW) and signed by the student.
Section II:
is completed and signed
by the school and signed
by the student.
 The GN 6006 is completed
once when you begin
receiving GAIN services.
Section A:
• Completed and signed by the GAIN
Services Worker.
• Signed by the participant to
authorize exchange of information.
Section B:
• Completed and signed by the
school.
Section C:
• Completed only by the Vocational
Assessor, not the school.
• The Progress Report requires an
appointment to be completed.
• This is a form from the GAIN office
that requires your signature and
phone number.
• You are required to report how you
are doing in class every 3 months.
Think of it as a mini report card.
Student completes this
portion only
The MAR is a self-report of
participation hours that must
be completed each month.
Record the hours you
attended class-it should
match your Daily Schedule.
Record any class absences.
Record supervised study
time-it should match your
Daily Schedule.
Record any study time
absences.
Completed
by CalWORKs
staff/faculty.
Requires an
appointment
Don’t forget to total your hours for the month!
Student completes this
portion only
• This form is used by childcare
provider EACH semester.
• It verifies the student’s semester
schedule.
• You need to be enrolled in
classes and have completed the
Daily Schedule for that semester.
• To be completed by
appointment.
1. Keep Copies!
2. Write everything down.
3. Always request a fair
hearing right away if you
disagree with a county
action.
You should always keep copies of all papers
you give or mail to the welfare department (CA7’s, pay stubs, childcare receipts), and get
receipts for anything that you hand-deliver.
Never give your only copy of a document to the
county.
Keep a notebook where you write down important
information about your case. Record names and phone
numbers of your workers, and write down the date,
time, and substance of every conversation you have
with the county, and the workers name.
Whenever you receive a notice about something that
doesn’t seem right, like a grant cut or a sanction, request
a fair hearing immediately. Ask for a hearing by calling
1(800) 952-5253 or sending a letter to your worker that
says, “I request a fair hearing about_______.” You can
always cancel it later if you change your mind or
something changes.
4. Never ignore a notice
from the county.
5. Always get it in writing.
6. If you don’t understand
it, don’t sign it.
The notices the county sends often have important
information or dates on them, even when they are confusing
or don’t seem to make sense. Ignoring a notice may result in
a sanction or a grant cut, so ask a friend or legal aid attorney
to explain the notice, but don’t ignore it! It’s a good idea to
keep a file of all the notices that you get.
The county is required to give you written notice of most
important decisions affecting your case. Verbal
explanations or promises are difficult to understand or
prove later, so ask for it in writing.
Signing a document indicates that you understand it
and can mean you agree with what it says. Don’t sign
anything that you don’t understand; ask a friend or a
legal aid attorney to explain the effect of signing. If
your worker says you have to sign it or you will be
sanctioned, ask for a fair hearing.
7. Go up the chain of
command.
8. Keep all receipts.
9. Be persistent.
10. Stay calm.
If you aren’t getting anywhere with your worker, or you think he/she is
not giving you the correct information, ask politely for a supervisor. If
the supervisor isn’t helpful, ask to speak with the next person up the
ladder in the welfare office. If you have to, go all the way up to the
county welfare director.
If you spend your own money for things that CalWORKs will cover, such as
child care, transportation or books, always keep your receipts. You may be
able to get reimbursed later, but only if you have proof of what you spent.
Dealing with the county can be frustrating and demanding, but don’t
give up! If you don’t understand something, or think your rights are
being violated, keep asking until you get the information you need.
It can be tempting to scream and yell at a county worker who is being difficult or rude. Other times,
the situation can be so overwhelming it’s hard not to cry. Stay calm, even when the worker is rude
and things are scary. Take a friend with you for moral support if you think it will help you stay coolheaded. Remember that if you request a hearing (see #3) a neutral judge will decide the issue no
matter how threatening the workers seems.
 CalWORKs eligibility helpline: 1(877) 481-1044
 GAIN Customer Service: 1 (877) 292-4246
 As a CalWORKs student, you may qualify for
following programs on-campus:
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Career Center
Computer Labs
DSPS
EOP&S/CARE
Financial Aid
Psychological Services
Student Health Office
Transfer Center
TRiO/SSS
And more…..
Lab
Location
*Phone #
Math & Science Center
S-300
(562)463-7571
District Computer Lab
B-114
(562)463-7364
LC-144
(562)908-3418
CalWORKs Lab
SS-220 (2nd floor)
(562)463-7311
Disabled Student’s Services Lab
SS-330 (3rd floor)
(562) 908-3420
S-206
(562) 463-3758
LRC 2nd floor
(562) 908-3416
Learning Assistance Center
Nursing Lab
Library
 Here are the locations where you can complete
supervised study time. Call for hours of operation.
 Disabled Students Program & Services provides services above
and beyond those services that may be available through other
programs on campus.
 Services may include: in-classroom services (such as notetaking, sign language interpreter, specialized furniture, etc.)
and specialized services such as registration assistance,
counseling, access to DSPS computer lab and assistive
technology.
 All services and accommodations must be requested in a timely
fashion and approved by a DSPS Specialist or counselor each
term.
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Counseling
Priority Registration
Academic probation intervention & monitoring
Merit grants
Book services and book loans
Graphing/Scientific calculator loans
Educational supplies
Scantrons
Myers Briggs and Strong Tests assessment
Transfer application fee waivers
Cap and gown for graduation
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Grants (money that doesn’t have to be paid back)
Pell Grant, Cal Grant, FSEOG grant, and Chafee Grant
California Dream Act
BOG Waiver
Loans
Federal Work Study
 Stress Management
 Biofeedback & Relaxation
Training
 Individual psychotherapy
 Consultations
 Referrals
 Appointments
For further information or to make an
appointment, visit:
Student Health Office
Room SS-230
Or Call:
(562) 908-3438
http://www.riohondo.edu/studenthealth-services/psychological-services/
A full-time clinical psychologist and psychology graduate students are available to ALL
students who would like help with personal problems.
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First aid care
Diagnosis and treatment of short-term medical problems
Medication dispensed and/or prescriptions ordered
Laboratory tests
Free and low cost immunizations
Hearing/vision exams, blood pressure checks, height and weight measurement
Gynecology clinic (pap smears, breast exams, and contraception counseling)
Referrals for special tests
Health consultations
Sick room available
Over-the-counter medication available for minor illness
Psychological services
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Counseling
University Representative Appointments
Transfer Fairs
Transfer Conference
Transfer Information Workshops
University Tours/Northern California Tour
University Pathways
Transfer Admission Guarantees
Associate Degree for Transfer
CSU Dominguez Hills Pathways to Success
Summer Scholars Transfer Institute (SSTI)
Application Workshops
Transfer Reference Library
Computer Lab
For updates, visit: www.riohondo.edu/calworks
Also check your Rio Hondo email for updates!