Resolving what must have been a heated dispute between various counties when processing inter-county transfers of IHSS cases, CDSS has verified that, notwithstanding the fact the form is not listed among required forms in the Manual of Policies and Procedures, the Health Care Certification Form (SOC 873) is indeed required to be provided in hard copy format by the transferring county during an inter-county transfer. ACL 14-86 (12/9/14)
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
Author: Julie Aguilar Rogado
Guidance for counties on the Expanded Subsidized Employment (ESE) Program
County welfare departments have submitted numerous questions to CDSS about the CalWORKs Expanded Subsidized Employment (ESE) Program, which was established to increase the number of subsidized employment placements provided by the counties for CalWORKs recipients who are required to participate in welfare to work. CDSS clarifies that counties may add ESE programs to their existing subsidized employment programs, but cannot combine ESE funds with other funds for individual placements. ACL 14-81 (11/20/14)
Counties to implement new CalWORKs Stage 1 child care benefit notices and forms
Several new forms and notices for Stage 1 child care, revised to comply with current regulations and to be more easily understood by recipients, were sent to the counties on November 13, 2014. ACL 14-85.
New video for IHSS providers and recipients on timesheet changes in 2015
CDSS has made available a new online video, available in English, Spanish, Armenian and Chinese, that demonstrates how providers are to document overtime and travel time that will be compensable beginning January 1, 2015. The video explains the compensation and reimbursement changes related to SB 855 and SB 873 and explains proper use of several new related forms, including the revised time sheet and the new travel claim form. ACIN I-65-14.
Changes to how counties will calculate CalWORKs participation hours
Beginning July 1, 2014, counties must determine whether or not a CalWORKs recipient has met his or her hourly participation obligations by using a weekly average per month rather than a weekly minimum number of hours. Workers should (1) add up the total number of participation hours in all CalWORKs activities for the month, (2) divide by 4.33 and (3) round to the nearest whole number. Counties should no longer use weekly minimums, thus allowing recipients more flexibility in a given month to reach the required participation hours total. ACL 14-80.
ACIN I-50-11: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) State Plan 2010 Certification (8/17/2011)
California’s 2010 state plan for administration of TANF was approved by the federal government for another two-year period, reaffirming that California is an “eligible state” and allowing the CalWORKs program to continue. Changes in this new plan included updating goals and objectives to reduce the teen birth rate, extension of foster care benefits for non-minor dependents up to age 21 (phased in over three years), assistance for recipients to train for work in the health care industry, increased collaboration with partner agencies to increase licensing and employment in the health care industry for recipients and short-term payments and services for participants of a San Diego County demonstration project. [Download]