Moving from WA to CA due to job loss – when to apply for Medi-Cal?

Hi there!

My family is going through a little bit of a complex situation right now (that's how it feels in the thick of it anyway) and I'd appreciate some weigh-in.

Long story short, my husband is accepting a severance offer to leave his job (downsizing – a rock or hard place decision). I'm a SAHM to a toddler and 20 weeks pregnant. We decided that the safest option for our imminently growing family would be to take the payment, settle our commitments, and get out of Dodge. We've already broken our lease and will be moving in with my parents in California at the end of this month so that we will be near extended family during this untimely period of transition.

While we're still waiting on specifics from his job, having left the same company myself in the past I can assume our health insurance will end at the end of the month. Cobra will be an option but not one we can afford. The severance should be a lump sum payment alongside his final paycheck, he will be unemployed, and so am I, so I understand we should qualify for Medi-Cal – or at least I will because I'm pregnant and my toddler can get CHIP, right? We'll have money in the bank but from what I've read so far, Medi-Cal doesn't consider assets. Please do let me know if I'm totally off base regarding eligibility, but…

At the moment my real question is when should I start applying for benefits? I'll wait, of course, until his employment has officially expired, but I would love to get the ball rolling as early as possible because my pregnancy is high risk and half gone and I need a new OBGYN ASAP. I obviously have our new address, but do I need to have visited the DMV to update our licenses first? Will a change of address postcard from the post office suffice? Or should I really be waiting until our feet are on California soil?

In a totally different vein, we have been discussing potentially cashing out his 401k since he is not likely to qualify for unemployment. I know that's taxable "income." Would that early withdrawal "payment" disqualify us after getting enrolled?

Thanks in advance for any advice or anecdotes!

submitted by /u/strivetoresist
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