The requirement to submit SAR 7s or annual recertifications for CalWORKs and CalFresh has been waived for January, February and March, 2025 because of the Los Angeles wildfires. The waiver applies to designated zip codes. Recipients will need to complete their next SAR 7 or annual recertification after March 2025 as scheduled. Recipients who had already completed their January, 2025 SAR 7 or recertification and had been found ineligible for benefits will not be redetermined. (ACWDL, February 10, 2025.)
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
Author: Stephen Goldberg
Extension of CalFresh ABAWD time limit waiver
The United States Department of Agriculture has approved a two year extension of California’s waiver of the CalFresh Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) time limit waiver. The ABAWD rule limits people who are age 18 to 54, not disabled and who do not have children to receiving 3 months of CalFresh every 36 months, unless they are working, or participating in Employment and Training, at least 20 hours per week. The extension is until January 31, 2027.
Counties must continue to identify ABAWDs, screen for exemptions, and inform clients of ABAWD rules. (ACL 25-14, February 14, 2025.)
CalWORKs Family Reunification benefits
Effective January 1, 2025, participants who were members of a CalWORKs family when CalWORKs-eligible children were removed from the home will remain eligible for CalWORKs cash aid, child care and reunification services when: 1) all CalWORKs-eligible children were removed by the county Child Welfare Services (CWS), 2) the AU received CalWORKs cash aid when removed, and 3) the child welfare services agency or court has determined that the services mentioned above are necessary for reunification.
CalWORKs family reunification cash aid is limited to six months. Other CalWORKs family reunification services can continue after six month with good cause granted by the CWS.
Upon notification that all CalWORKs eligible children have been removed from the home, children are considered temporarily absent for one month. After one month, CalWORKs Family Reunification will take effect if either there is a case plan in effect or under development by the CWS agency that includes providing cash aid, or there is a court order for a case plan that includes providing cash aid.
Pregnant Person Only cases when there is immediate removal of the child upon birth can be eligible for CalWORKs Family Reunification cash aid.
Non-needy caretaker relatives are not eligible for CalWORKs Family Reunification cash aid.
CWS removal of a child is considered an action that is verified upon receipt, which means that it changes CalFresh benefits mid-period.
If CalWORKs is terminated because of removal of the children by CWS, the household can be eligible for Transitional CalFresh. (ACL 25-05, January 7, 2025.)
Increase in State Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave Benefits
Effective January 1, 2025, State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits increased to 90% of wages for many workers.
Workers with annual wages of $1,200 to $2889.96, or $300 to $722.49 in their highest earning 3 month period are now eligible for $50 per week in SDI or PFL.
Workers with annual wages of $2,980 to $62,025.60, or $722.50 to $15,506.40 in their highest earning 3 month period are now eligible for 90% of their weekly wages in SDI or PFL.
SDI provides benefits to people who cannot do their customary work because of a disability.
PFL provides benefits to people who need to take time off work to care for a seriously ill family member, bond with a new child, or support a family member in the US armed forces who is deploying to a foreign country. (Employment Development Department News Release 25-01, January 2, 2025.)
Welfare-to-Work good cause and flexibilities because of Los Angeles wildfires
The California Department of Social Services has issued guidance regarding Welfare-to-Work participation and the Los Angeles wildfires. Los Angeles and Ventura Counties can implement county-wide blanket good cause to suspend welfare-to-work participation during the state of emergency. Welfare-to-work participants may continue to voluntarily participate. This blanket good cause does not stop the 60 month time on aid clock.
These counties should establish an end date for blanket good cause based on the time needed to reengage participants. Blanket good cause cannot extend longer than the state of emergency.
After blanket good cause ends, counties should continue to grant good cause and exemptions on a case-by-case basis for participants who have health or economic issues because of the wildfires.
Wildfire victims may also be eligible for nonrecurring special needs payments, an exception to the once every 12 months limit on Homeless Assistance, and welfare-to-work exemptions. Current recipients may also be eligible for the CalWORKs Housing Support Program.
Some wildfire evacuees may apply for CalWORKs outside of their home county. Evacuees may not have documentation available. If evidence does not exist, or the applicant and county make a good faith effort to obtain verification but are unsuccessful, the county must accept the applicant’s statement under penalty of perjury.
Families receiving CalWORKs through the recovery period must comply with regular verification rules as soon as possible. (ACWDL, January 28, 2025.)
CalFresh automatic benefit replacement
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has granted California’s request for a waiver to allow automatic CalFresh replacement because of wildfires and utility shutoffs. FNS granted replacement of 40 percent of CalFresh benefits for households who were issued January benefits before January 6, 2025 in parts of Butte, Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Tuolumne, and Ventura Counties. California requested 70 percent replacement.
Counties must process individual request for replacement benefits received before or after waiver implementation. Households that receive replacement based on an individual application do not receive the mass replacement. Households can individually request more than the mass replacement amount. (Letter from Food and Nutrition Service, January 28, 2025.)