The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued the new Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) amounts for federal fiscal year 2020. The IRT is the amount that triggers reporting requirements mid-period. The new IRT levels are effective October 1, 2019.
Assistance Units are required to report when their total combined earned and unearned income exceeds the IRT amount. Assistance Units with only unearned income are not required to report when that income by itself exceeds the IRT mid-period.
When a family receives income over the IRT amount and reports it to the county, the county must determine of the reported income is reasonably anticipated to continue. If the income over the IRT will continue but not at a level that will result in ineligibility, the county must use the new reasonably anticipated income to recalculate the grant.
Counties must send an informing notice to recipients that is individualized for each assistance unit. Counties must inform recipients of their IRT at least one per semi-annual reporting period or whenever their IRT changes. The IRT level in which the recipient was last notified is used for reporting purposes until the county has informed the recipient of a change to their IRT.
These instructions also apply to Refugee Case Assistance, Entrant Cash Assistance and Trafficking and Crime Victim Assistance Programs. (ACL 19-85, August 15, 2019.)