Yearly Archives: 2019

Sexual harassment in the IHSS program

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued information about AB 3802 which requires CDSS to develop or identify educational materials to be made available to IHSS recipients and providers, and to propose a data collection method for the prevalence of sexual harassment in the IHSS program.

CDSS developed education materials, SOC 2326 and SOC 2327, which suggest methods to identify, prevent and resolve sexual harassment situations in the IHSS program.

The Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) will identify IHSS sexual harassment cases.  Reports can be extracted from DFEH’s database.  (ACIN I-70-19, November 18, 2019.)

CalWORKs Cal-OAR Cal-CQI process

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance about the Cal-OAR California Continuous Quality Improvement (Cal-CQI) process.  Cal-OAR establishes a local data-driven management system to facilitate improvement to county CalWORKs programs.  The Cal-CQI occurs in three-year cycles using data gathered from Cal-OAR.  During each three-year cycle, counties must conduct a self-assessment, develop a system improvement plan, implement and evaluate strategies for improvement and report progress.

Each county must conduct a self-assessment to 1) comprehensively evaluate services, program implementation, and outcomes; 2) identify strengths and challenges of current program practices and 3) describe how local operational decisions and systemic factors affect outcomes.  Counties are required to work with local stakeholders in the Cal-OAR process.  Counties must also have a peer review component.  Based on this information, counties develop a plan for improvement in which they select a measure or set of measures for focused improvement and develop strategies to improve performance on the chosen measures.

When the self improvement plan is approved by the Board of Supervisors and CDSS, the county will work to implement its improvement strategies.  Counties must do a progress report on implementation progress of the self improvement plan.

CDSS will provide training on the Cal-OAR process in a variety of formats.  (ACL 19-108, November 27, 2019.)

Free birth certificates for youths in foster care

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Effective July 1, 2019, eligible youth in foster care are entitled to a copy of their birth certificate at no cost.  The local registrar or county recorder in the county where the youth was born is required to provide a birth certificate at no cost upon presentation of verification that the youth is in foster care.  Verification that the youth is in foster care must be from the county child welfare agency or probation department that has jurisdiction over the child or youth.  The California Department of Social Services cannot verify foster care status for this purpose.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has developed an affidavit for certification of foster care status.  The county child welfare agency or probation department is required to provide verification of foster care status.  CDPH also has Frequently Asked Questions about no cost birth certificates for youth in foster care.  (ACL 19-103, December 2, 2019.)

New CAPI payment standard

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued the new payment standard for Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI).  Effective January 1, 2020, CAPI grants will increase by 1.6% because the federal Supplemental Security Income Cost of Living Adjustment.

The amounts for presumed maximum value for in-kind support and maintenance, allowance for ineligible children in deeming situations, sponsor’s allocation in alien deeming situations and the allowance for parents in parent-to-child deeming situations will also increase by 1.6% effective January 1, 2020.  (ACIN I-71-19, December 2, 2019.)

Social Security and SSI COLA

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Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive a 1.6% cost of living adjustment (COLA) effective January 1, 2020.  The California Department of Social Services has issued instructions regarding how the COLA will impact CalWORKs and CalFresh Grants.

For new CalWORKs and CalFresh applicants, the anticipated amount of the Social Security or SSI benefits, including the COLA, will be used to determine eligibility and grant amount starting for January, 2020.

For CalWORKs and CalFresh households in their final month of their semi-annual reporting period, counties will reasonably anticipate the increase in Social Security and SSI income for January, 2020 and thereafter.

For all other CalWORKs and CalFresh households, counties must adjust benefits beginning in January, 2020 to include the COLA amount because COLA adjustments cause mandatory mid-period changes in grant amounts.  Counties must give timely and adequate notice of grant amount changes caused by the COLA.  (ACIN I-67-19, November 25, 2019.)

New identity verification regulations

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued regulations regarding identity verification for CalWORKs and CalFresh applicants.  These regulations repeal the finger-imaging requirement and replace them with a photo identification requirement.

Parents or caretaker relatives, each aided or applicant adult, and aided or applicant pregnant women must now provide photo identification.  Non-minor dependants, non-needy caretaker relatives applying for a relative foster child and applicants whose photo identification is part of a previous case file are exempt.  CalWORKs applicants will have 15 days from the date of application to provide photo identification.  The 15 days timeframe can be extended for good cause.  If after a good faith effort the applicant cannot provide photo id without paying a fee, the county must pay that fee.

Benefits can be issued prior to submitting the photo identification if the applicant is eligible for CalWORKs immediate need, the applicant does not have photo identification and signs a statement under penalty of perjury regarding identity, or if the applicant is applying remotely through telephone or other electronic means.  The applicant must provide photo identification within 15 working days or present evidence of good faith efforts to obtain photo identification for benefits to continue.  (ACIN I-66-19, November 15, 2019.)