Author: Stephen Goldberg

CalFresh mid-period actions questions and answers

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued questions and answers about mid-period reporting for CalFresh.

If the county cannot determine the impact of a mid-period report on the household’s benefits, the county must contact the household.  If that is unsuccessful, the county must document the information in the case record and send the household a No-Change Notice of Action.

When a household reports a change in shelter expense mid-period and does not provide the amount of the new shelter cost, the county must send the household a CW 2200 Request for Verification form.  The client’s statement of the new shelter cost is sufficient verification.  The County allow ten days to provide the verification.  If the household does not provide the information, the county must document the information in the case record and send a No-Change notice of action.  If the shelter expense information is questionable and verification is not provided, benefits must be recalculated without the shelter cost.

When a household reports an address change mid-period, the county must act on any change in shelter cost related to the address change. If the household does not provide the new shelter cost, the county can attempt to contact the household.  If that is not successful, the county must send a CW 2200 Request for Verification form to the household.  If the household does not provide the information within 10 days, the county calculates the benefits without the shelter cost.  Note that California has a waiver until June 30, 2026 that if the household does not provide new shelter cost information, the county will update the address but not change the shelter cost information until the next recertification or periodic report.

If a household makes a mid-period report and provides necessary information and/or verification, the county must determine if the information is a mandatory mid-period report or is verified upon receipt. If it is neither a mandatory mid-period report nor is verified upon receipt and the change would decrease benefits, the county does not act on it.  If the report will increase benefits, the county must act on it for the next monthly benefit allotment.

When a new household member is reported mid-period, the county does not consider the new household member’s income for purposes of the Income Reporting Threshold.  The county must update the household’s Income Reporting Threshold to reflect the new number of household members.

Counties do not verify changes in income from the same income source that are $50 or less.  However, counties must act upon changes in income from the same income source that are less than $50 if the additional income puts the family over the Income Reporting Threshold.

Households with income between 131 and 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level do not have an income reporting threshold requirement.  Mid-period reports of income for those households are not actionable.

When multiple household composition changes are reported at the same time, the county can only act on the household composition changes that increase benefits.  (ACIN I-58-25, October 14, 2025.)

CAPI Cost of Living Increase

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Effective January 1, 2026, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants benefits will increase by 2.8 percent.  This increase is because of the Social Security and SSI 2.8 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) and the amount of CAPI benefits is linked to the SSI benefit amount.

The COLA increase will also increase the presumed value of in-kind support and maintenance, the allowance for ineligible children in deeming situations, the sponsor’s allocation in sponsor deeming situations, and the allowance for parents in parent-to-child deeming situations.  (ACIN I-59-25, December 16, 2025.)

AFDC Foster Care Eligibility and Redetermination Rules

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The California Department of Social Services issued a reminder regarding federal and state requirements for eligibility and redetermination for foster youth and non-minor dependents.

Annual redeterminations are not required after the initial eligibility decision is made for a foster youth or a non-minor dependent. Deprivation only needs to be determined at the time of initial eligibility and foster youth and non-minor dependents who remain in a continuous foster care episode continue to be eligible regardless of income or resources. The county agency must establish AFDC Foster Care (AFDC FC) eligibility at the time the youth is removed from the home, when a voluntary placement agreement is entered, or when the youth reenters foster care.

Welfare and Institutions Code sections 11155.5 and 11401.5 now state that a youth’s income or resources must not be used to determine eligibility or the amount of an AFDC FC payment at any time during a foster care episode. This includes tribal per capita or other disbursements. Eligibility also cannot be redetermined solely because a youth turns eighteen years old. Foster youth and non-minor dependents who are in a continuous foster care episode remain eligible for AFDC FC payments regardless of income, monetary value, or resources if all other eligibility requirements are met. Eligibility determinations are not to be conducted because of temporary absences from placement such as trial home visits or other temporary placement changes.

When a non-minor dependent reenters foster care, the county must conduct a new AFDC deprivation determination, and that determination must be based only on the non-minor dependent’s income and resources and not on family income. If the non-minor dependent is not federally eligible at that time based on their own income and resources, they can still be eligible for a foster care payment without federal participation if all other criteria are met. Counties must continue to evaluate all factors that affect eligibility for a payment, including continuing dependency, age, eligible placement type, and participation conditions for non-minor dependents.  (ACIN I-50-25, October 13, 2025.)

Impact of Social Security COLA on CalWORKs and CalFresh

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Effective January 1, 2026, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase by a 2.8 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA).  For new CalWORKs and CalFresh applications, the actual amount of Social Security, including the COLA, must be used beginning for January, 2026.

For CalWORKs Assistance Units and CalFresh households in their final month of their semi-annual reporting period, counties must reasonably anticipate the increase in Social Security and SSI.

The amount of the Social Security COLA is considered to be known to the county, and must be acted upon mid-period.  This means that benefits must be adjusted to reflect the new Social Security and SSI amounts effective January 1, 2024.

If the county cannot change the CalWORKs or CalFresh amount to reflect the Social Security COLA, counties must decrease the benefit amount after it gives timely and adequate notice.  In that case, January benefits will need to be recalculated and there may be overpayment or overissuance.

These rules also apply to Refugee Cash Assistance, Entrant Cash Assistance, and Trafficking and Crime Victims Assistance Program applicants and recipients who receive Social Security or SSI.

These rules do not apply to CalFresh households with at least one member who receives SSI.  (ACIN I-56-25, November 17, 2025.)

Relaunch of CalFresh Food and Vegetable Pilot

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On November 17, 2025, the California Department of Social Services relaunched the Food and Vegetable Pilot.  The pilot project allows CalFresh recipients to earn a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $60 per month, when buying fresh fruits and vegetables with their CalFresh benefits at participating retailers and farmers markets.  CDSS lists the participating retailers and farmers markets. (ACWDL, November 20, 2025.)

End of pass-through of CalWORKs Work Participation Rate penalty

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The California Department of Social Services has informed counties that any future CalWORKs Work Participation Rate (WPR penalties will no longer be passed-through to counties effective starting in Federal Fiscal Year 2026.

The WPR measures the portion of work-eligible CalWORKs recipients who are engaged in federally defined work activities for the minimum number of required hours per week. If the WPR is not met, states are subject to a federal penalty of reducing their Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Block Grant amount. Previously, a portion of a WPR penalty was passed-though to counties.

Effective October 1, 2025, any WPR penalties imposed on California will not be passed-through to the counties.  Any WPR penalties assessed for Federal Fiscal Year 2025 can still be passed-through to the counties. (ACL 25-74, November 4, 2025.)