AFDC Foster Care Eligibility and Redetermination Rules

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The California Department of Social Services issued a reminder regarding federal and state requirements for eligibility and redetermination for foster youth and non-minor dependents.

Annual redeterminations are not required after the initial eligibility decision is made for a foster youth or a non-minor dependent. Deprivation only needs to be determined at the time of initial eligibility and foster youth and non-minor dependents who remain in a continuous foster care episode continue to be eligible regardless of income or resources. The county agency must establish AFDC Foster Care (AFDC FC) eligibility at the time the youth is removed from the home, when a voluntary placement agreement is entered, or when the youth reenters foster care.

Welfare and Institutions Code sections 11155.5 and 11401.5 now state that a youth’s income or resources must not be used to determine eligibility or the amount of an AFDC FC payment at any time during a foster care episode. This includes tribal per capita or other disbursements. Eligibility also cannot be redetermined solely because a youth turns eighteen years old. Foster youth and non-minor dependents who are in a continuous foster care episode remain eligible for AFDC FC payments regardless of income, monetary value, or resources if all other eligibility requirements are met. Eligibility determinations are not to be conducted because of temporary absences from placement such as trial home visits or other temporary placement changes.

When a non-minor dependent reenters foster care, the county must conduct a new AFDC deprivation determination, and that determination must be based only on the non-minor dependent’s income and resources and not on family income. If the non-minor dependent is not federally eligible at that time based on their own income and resources, they can still be eligible for a foster care payment without federal participation if all other criteria are met. Counties must continue to evaluate all factors that affect eligibility for a payment, including continuing dependency, age, eligible placement type, and participation conditions for non-minor dependents.  (ACIN I-50-25, October 13, 2025.)

Impact of Social Security COLA on CalWORKs and CalFresh

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Effective January 1, 2026, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase by a 2.8 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA).  For new CalWORKs and CalFresh applications, the actual amount of Social Security, including the COLA, must be used beginning for January, 2026.

For CalWORKs Assistance Units and CalFresh households in their final month of their semi-annual reporting period, counties must reasonably anticipate the increase in Social Security and SSI.

The amount of the Social Security COLA is considered to be known to the county, and must be acted upon mid-period.  This means that benefits must be adjusted to reflect the new Social Security and SSI amounts effective January 1, 2024.

If the county cannot change the CalWORKs or CalFresh amount to reflect the Social Security COLA, counties must decrease the benefit amount after it gives timely and adequate notice.  In that case, January benefits will need to be recalculated and there may be overpayment or overissuance.

These rules also apply to Refugee Cash Assistance, Entrant Cash Assistance, and Trafficking and Crime Victims Assistance Program applicants and recipients who receive Social Security or SSI.

These rules do not apply to CalFresh households with at least one member who receives SSI.  (ACIN I-56-25, November 17, 2025.)

Relaunch of CalFresh Food and Vegetable Pilot

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On November 17, 2025, the California Department of Social Services relaunched the Food and Vegetable Pilot.  The pilot project allows CalFresh recipients to earn a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $60 per month, when buying fresh fruits and vegetables with their CalFresh benefits at participating retailers and farmers markets.  CDSS lists the participating retailers and farmers markets. (ACWDL, November 20, 2025.)

End of pass-through of CalWORKs Work Participation Rate penalty

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The California Department of Social Services has informed counties that any future CalWORKs Work Participation Rate (WPR penalties will no longer be passed-through to counties effective starting in Federal Fiscal Year 2026.

The WPR measures the portion of work-eligible CalWORKs recipients who are engaged in federally defined work activities for the minimum number of required hours per week. If the WPR is not met, states are subject to a federal penalty of reducing their Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Block Grant amount. Previously, a portion of a WPR penalty was passed-though to counties.

Effective October 1, 2025, any WPR penalties imposed on California will not be passed-through to the counties.  Any WPR penalties assessed for Federal Fiscal Year 2025 can still be passed-through to the counties. (ACL 25-74, November 4, 2025.)

November 2025 CalFresh benefit issuance

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The federal government shutdown ended by legislation signed on November 12, 2025.  States must ensure the households receive their full SNAP allotment for November, 2025.  Counties must resume normal operations for application processing, expedited service, and recertifications, and must meet application processing timeframes.  The CalSAWS computer system consortium must also resume normal operations.

Overissuances for November 2025 must be processed as normal.

Counties must notify households of the issuance of November, 2025 in accordance with mass change noticing requirements.

The United States Department of Agriculture states that it will not hold states accountable for application processing or recertification timeliness for November, 2025.  (ACL 25-82, November 20, 2025.)

CalFresh time limit waiver for Colusa, Imperial and Tulare Counties

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The United States Department of Agriculture has granted a CalFresh time limit waiver for Colusa, Imperial and Tulare Counties from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026.  This waiver was approved based on each of these counties having an average unemployment rate over 10 percent from July, 2024 to July, 2025.

Colusa, Imperial and Tulare Counties must remain ready to implement the time limit when the waiver expires.  These counties must identify clients subject to the time limit; screen for exemptions; inform clients of the time limit and work rules; and track work registration, time limit, and Employment and Training data.  (ACL 25-79, November 7, 2025.)