CalWORKs Child Care Program Extended to 24 Months

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The California Department of Social Services has released new guidance for the extension of CalWORKs Child Care eligibility from 12 months to 24 months.

Families enrolled in CalWORKs Child Care program after January 1, 2025 will receive child care services for a minimum of 24 months unless they meet the following exceptions:

  • The family is certified as income eligible voluntarily reports an income that exceeds the threshold for ongoing eligibility
  • The family no longer meets the residency requirements.
  • The family has abandoned care and the contractor issues a Notice of Action to disenroll the family.

Currently enrolled families will complete their 12 month eligibility cycle and will be recertified for an additional 24 months at the time of their next recertification, or until they become ineligible. Families who received a 12 month certification between January 1, 2025 and July 1, 2025 must be granted an additional 12 months of eligibility, provided they continue to meet eligibility requirements.

Families participating in the CalWORKs Family Reunification (FR) will receive FR services for up to six months or for a time period based on the Child Welfare Services (CWS) reunification plan or court order. Participants may be authorized for an additional six months of child care if their CalWORKs FR plan is extended. Once the child is reunified with the family of origin and the family is recertified with CalWORKs, child care services may be authorized for up to 24 months.

Stage One Child Care authorization may be discontinued for the following reasons:

  • The participant is transferred from Stage One to Stage Two.
  • The participant exceeds income eligibility of 85% of the state’s median income based on family size.
  • If an exempt participant initially volunteers to participate and does not sign a Welfare to Work plan to participate in welfare to work activities but later decides not to volunteer to participate.

Immediate and continuous eligibility for child care is the concurrent approval of CalWORKs cash aid and authorization for full-time CalWORKs Stage One Child Care services child care is authorized as full-time unless the recipient specifically requests part-time care.

Full-time CalWORKs Stage One Child Care services child care is authorized as full time unless the recipient requests part-time care. Part-time child care is fewer than 25 hours per week, and full-time care is 25 or more hours per week. Stage One Child Care begins when child care authorization is provided or the first day child care is used, whichever date is later.

CalWORKs Child Care participants will be transitioned from Stage One to Stage Two, or from Stage Two to Stage Three after an assessment of each participant’s continued eligibility. Stage One Child Care recipients do not have to recertify their child care more than once every 24-months unless: they have increased child care needs, they have a new child who needs care, they have changed child care providers, or the eligible child becomes ineligible. Participants in Stage One will receive services until child care is provided in Stages Two or Three, or unless the family is otherwise ineligible. Child care will be authorized in 24-month intervals.

Children from infancy to 13 years of age are eligible for child care and development programs. Children who are 12 years old when certified can only receive services for a maximum of 12-months after certification, even after they turn 13 years old. Children beyond 13 years of age are generally ineligible for subsidized child care services with exceptions for individuals with great needs or severe disabilities.

These changes to the CalWORKs Child Care program will be implemented by July 1, 2025. Families who were awarded 12 months of child care between January 1, 2025 and July 1, 2025 will be eligible for an additional 12 months of child care.  Until automation is completed, counties must authorize the second 12 months of child care manually. (CCB 25-15, June 9, 2025.)

Kin-GAP and NRLG eligibility

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) issued guidance regarding eligibility for Kin-GAP and Nonrelated Legal Guardian (NRLG) payment programs.

Kin-GAP is funding to relative guardians on behalf of children placed in their care after dependency or wardship is terminated.  General Kin-GAP requires that 1) the child is removed from their home by a voluntary placement agreement or judicial order; 2) the child has resided in the approved home of the prospective relative guardian while under a voluntary placement agreement or under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court for at least six consecutive months; 3) the prospective relative guardian and the county enter into a written agreement; 4) a kinship guardianship is established under Welfare and Institutions Code sections 380, 366.26 or 728(d) before the child turns 18, and 5) dependency jurisdiction is terminated.

Federal Kin-GAP also requires: 1) the child must have been determined eligible for Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care; 2) the child has been living in the approved home of the relative guardian for at least six month; and 3) the negotiated agreement must be signed before the guardianship order is issued.

Siblings placed with the same relative guardian in a kinship guardian arrangement may also be eligible for federal Kin-GAP.

State Kin-GAP also requires that the child was not eligible for Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care while placed with the prospective relative guardian, and the child has been residing for at least six consecutive months in the approved home of the prospective relative guardian.

A child who is placed in a home that is approved by an Indian child’s tribe or tribal organization designated by the tribe is eligible for Kin-GAP.

Kin-GAP payments can continue after the youth is between 18 and 21 years of age (extended Kin-GAP) if payments begin on or after the youth’s 16th birthday, and the youth is: 1) is completing secondary education or a programs leading to an equivalent credential; 2) enrolled in a postsecondary or vocational education institution; 3) participating in a program designed to remove barriers to employment; 4) employed for at least 80 hours per month; or 5) the youth is incapable of doing any of these activities because of a medical condition.

If the child is not eligible for extended Kin-GAP and the child does not have a disability warranting continuation of payments, the child may be eligible for benefits until age 19 or until high school graduation, whichever is sooner.

A nonminor former dependent or ward of the juvenile court who was eligible for and received at least one extended Kin-GAP payment or Social Security payment after age 18, and the guardian has stopped providing support, had died, or is no longer receiving benefits may try to re-enter extended foster care.

The agency that had jurisdiction of the child is responsible for paying Kin-GAP regardless of where the child or youth resides, including when the child or youth leaves California.

If the guardian moves to California from another state, the other states remains responsible for payment.

Kin-GAP payments can be suspended when: 1) the guardian does not complete the KG 2 form; 2) the guardian is no longer providing support and care to the child or youth; 3) the youth is no longer completing one of the extended Kin-GAP requirements, or 4) the child or youth is incarcerated and wardship is established.

Some counties have specialized care programs for exceptional health or behavioral needs.

A guardian can receive reimbursement for nonrecurring expenses associated with obtaining legal guardianship not the exceed $2,000.

If a current guardian dies or incapacitated and a successor guardian was named in the agreement, the child will continue to be eligible for federal Kin-GAP.  For state Kin-GAP, an alternative guardian who is also a kinship guardian is eligible for Kin-GAP.

When a child exits foster care to permanency through guardianship with a nonrelated legal guardian, nonrelated legal guardian payments may be available to support permanency for the child.  Children plated with nonrelated legal guardians through the juvenile court are eligible for state AFDC-FC.

A nonrelated legal guardian who has a guardianship order from another state may be eligible for AFDC-FC by either obtaining a California guardianship or registering an out of state guardian ship order in a California court.  (ACL 25-39, June 2, 2025.)

2025 SUN Bucks program

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The California Department of Social Services has provided information about the 2025 SUN Bucks program.  SUN Bucks provides nutrition benefits to families with school age children during the summer.

The 2025 SUN Bucks eligibility period is July 1 to September 2, 2025.  CDSS will begin mailing EBT Cards in June.  Cards will be mailed to the address on file in CALPADS or CalSAWS.  The benefit is $120 per child.  Each child in home will get a separate EBT card.

Children are eligible for SUN Bucks if:

  1. They are ages 6-18 and categorically eligible. Categorically eligible is if they are eeceiving assistance under CalFresh, CalWORKs, and/or Medi-Cal (certified at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level [FPL]), or are In foster care, homeless, migrant, in Head Start, and a runaway.
  2. They are enrolled in a National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast Program (NSLP/SBP)-participating school and are categorically eligible, certified to receive Free or Reduced-Price Meals (FRPM), otherwise determined eligible to receive FRPM; or determined eligible through a Universal Benefits Application (UBA); or.
  3. They are enrolled in a special provision school, and categorically eligible, otherwise meet the requirements to receive FRPM; or determined eligible through an UBA.

Children are eligible for streamlined application, and are automatically eligible if they are ages 6-18 who and categorically eligible, or ages 0-22 attending an NSLP/SBP-participating school and certified for FRPM

Children who are not automatically eligible must complete a school meals application with their school or a Universal Benefits Application on the California Department of Education website by September 2.

SUN Bucks benefits are expunged 122 days after funds are loaded onto the EBT card and cannot be restored.

Families can get assistance about SUN Bucks by calling the Helpline at (877) 328-9677.  This includes not receiving a card by the end of August, replacement of a lost or stolen card, and disputes about eligibility.

Families may be eligible for replacement SUN Bucks in case of family misfortune such as a power outage lasting four hours or more, or a disaster.  Families must report the loss to the Helpline within 10 days.

SUN Bucks does not affect eligibility for CalFresh or other nutrition programs.  (ACWDL, May 14, 2025.)

New ABAWD forms

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued two new forms for CalFresh ABAWD requirements.  The new CF 887 is an optional form to verify an individual’s physical or mental unfitness to work when it is not obvious or is considered questionable. This form may be used to determining exemptions from the ABAWD time limit, work registration, or the student eligibility rule.

The new CF 888 is an optional form to verify volunteer work hours for non-exempt ABAWDs. ABAWDs may engage in community service or volunteer work to satisfy the ABAWD work requirement.  ABAWDs must verify their participation hours, and this form will verify that participation.  (ACL 25-34, May 14, 2025.)

ABAWD waiver now ends on January 31, 2026

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has informed counties that the United States Department of Agriculture rescinded California’s two-year waiver of the CalFresh Able Bodied Adults Without Dependants (ABAWD) requirements.  In its place, the United States Department of Agriculture issued a new one year waiver of the ABAWD requirements that expires on January 31, 2026.

The ABAWD rule is that CalFresh recipients between the ages of 18 and 54 with no children and who is not disabled, are limited to three months of CalFresh benefits every three years unless they are working at least 20 hours per week or 8 hours per month.

Regardless of the status of the waiver, counties must: identify ABAWDs, screen for exemptions, inform participants of the ABAWD and work rules, and track and report work registrant, ABAWD, and Employment and Training data.  (ACL 25-41, June 13, 2025.)