The California Department of Social Services has issued updated Treasury Offset Program (TOP) and Franchise Tax Board pre-offset warning letters. These letters give notice of submission of a CalFresh overissuance debt to TOP and to the Franchise Tax Board. TOP offsets federal debts, including CalFresh overissuances, from federal payments, including federal income tax refunds. A pre-offset warning letter is a required step in the tax intercept process.
The updated letter states that clients can request a county administrative review of the debt submitted to the TOP. If the client disagrees with the result of the county administrative review, the client can request a federal review within 30 days of the outcome of the county review. The letter remove reference the right to a state administrative hearing.
The letter states that additional guidance on debtor’s rights will be issued in a separate All County Letter.
The letter states that the new TOP and Franchise Tax Board pre-offset warning notices will be accompanied by a multi-language insert. (ACL 18-66, July 16, 2018.)