CDSS has issued instructions about CalWORKs eligibility for Southern California fire victims and evacuees. New applicants who are fire evacuees may not have access to verification because of the fires. If the applicant and the county make a good faith effort to obtain verification and are unable to do so, the county must accept the evacuee’s statements signed under penalty of perjury in lieu of verification.
Evacuees who are homeless are eligible for homeless assistance even if they have used homeless assistance in the last 12 months because displacement due to disaster is an exception to that time limit.
Evacuee families should be evaluated for immediate need. Although liquid resources count when determining eligibility for immediate need, resources that cannot be converted to cash because of the disaster do not count as liquid resources when determining eligibility for immediate need.
Counties must consider whether income that was being received will be reasonably anticipated to continue because of the fires. If income is not reasonably anticipated because of the fires, it does not count when determining CalWORKs eligibility. Disaster assistance from federal, state or local governments, or disaster assistance organizations, does not count as income for CalWORKs.
Real and personal property that cannot be accessed, occupied or sold because of the fires does not count for purposes of CalWORKs eligibility. If verification of property cannot be obtained because of the fires, the county must accept a statement under penalty of perjury.
Although family members may be separated because of the fire, family members are considered temporarily absent if they intend to reunite within one full calendar month. Evacuees can maintain a home in a different county if they intend to return to their prior home county within four months.
Families who are participating in Welfare-to-Work should be evaluated for good cause for non- participation or a Welfare-to-Work exemption. Families should also be evaluated for barrier removal services such as mental health services or housing stabilization program.
Displaced families must comply with semi-annual and annual reporting requirements. However, good cause rules apply for reports filed late because of the disaster. If the report is filed in the first month after it is due, the county must evaluate good cause for late filing. If the report is filed after the first month after it is due, the county must evaluate good cause on request from the assistance unit. (All County Welfare Directors Letter, December 15, 2017.)