The CalFresh Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) is a program that allows eligible households to use their CalFresh food benefits to purchase prepared meals at approved food establishments. Households that have only adults age 60 and older (and their spouses), people with disabilities (and their spouses), or homeless persons qualify. Both County Welfare Departments (CWD) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) can administer the program.
Counties have two options for administering the RMP:
- Under the county administered option, the CWD administers the RMP at the local level.
- Under the state administered option, CDSS administers the RMP at the state level. The CDSS implements the RMP in all counties not offering the program and assumes administration of the program at the request of CWD’s. CWD’s must inform the CDSS they intent to transition 120 days before the transition date.
Regardless of who has oversight over the RMP, all CWDs must:
- Certify eligible households have the RMP indicator turned on at application, recertification, periodic report, or any time there is a change in household circumstances.
- Inform applicants of their eligibility for the RMP at application.
- Inform RMP eligible households of the names and addresses of RMP restaurant vendors in their county.
- Enable the county consortia RMP to pull accurate RMP data.
For locally administered RMPs, CWDs must:
- Conduct outreach to potential restaurant vendors and ensure they are located in eligible service areas.
- Screen restaurant vendors to ensure they meet program requirements.
- Enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with restaurants outlining the program while providing technical assistance during the application process.
- Act as a liaison between restaurant vendors and the CDSS.
- Perform ongoing program monitoring.
Regardless of who has oversight over the RMP, the CDSS will:
- Maintain a list of RMP restaurant vendors.
- Act as a liaison between RMP partners and United States Department Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to maintain information sharing.
For state administered RMP’s, CDSS will:
- Conduct outreach to restaurant vendors and screen vendors to ensure they meet program requirements.
- Ensure vendors are located in service areas.
- Act as a liaison between restaurant vendors and FNS.
- Enter into a Permanent Single Agreement (PSA) outlining the program, while providing technical assistance during and after the vendors application process.
- Perform ongoing program monitoring.
(ACL 24-58, August 12, 2024.)