All CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work participants are eligible to receive supportive services that are necessary for their Welfare-to-Work activity. This includes child care, transportation, and ancillary expenses. Supportive services must be advanced to participants when needed and requested by the participant. This is to prevent participants from needed to use personal funds to pay for these services. If supportive services are not available, or have not been advance paid, the participant has good cause for not participating. However, the time on aid clock continues to tick when participants are in good cause. For that reason, counties are strongly encouraged to provide supportive services and engage participants in Welfare-to-Work activities as soon as possible.
The California Department of Social Services recommends as a best practice that counties issue transportation and ancillary services at least 10 days prior to the start of the Welfare-to-Work activity, or within 10 days if the county receives the request less than 10 days prior to the start of the activity. Counties should also use this timeline for notice that a supportive service request is denied, or that additional documentation is needed.
Timelines for other supportive services, including child care, diapers, and the advance standard payment for students, remain unchanged. (ACIN I-36-24, August 23, 2024.)