Author: Stephen Goldberg

Disaster CalFresh October 2020

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California has been approved to issue Disaster CalFresh in Lake, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano and Yolo Counties for persons affected by the wildfires.  Note that after this letter was issue, Santa Clara County was also approved for Disaster CalFresh.

Disaster CalFresh provides food assistance to households affected by natural disasters.  To be eligible, families must live or work in the disaster area, plan to purchase food during the benefit period, experience adverse effects from the disaster and meet Disaster CalFresh income guidelines.

Disaster CalFresh has three verification requirements: identity, residency and loss or inaccessibility of income, and household composition and food loss, if questionable.  Benefits should be issued within 72 hours of application.

The application period is Wednesday October 14 to Friday October 16 and Monday October 19 to Thursday October 22.  Applications can be submitted by phone, online or in person.  Applications will not be accepted by mail.  Applicants can verbally attest to information. Verification can be submitted, using the Disaster CalFresh pre-registration tool, the SAWS client portals, secure email or fax, and in person at application sites. Pre-registration will be available from October 7 to October 13.

The start date of the disaster for Napa, Santa Clara and Sonoma Counties is August 14, 2020. (ACWDL, October 5, 2020.)

COVID-19 CalFresh emergency allotment for October 2020

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California has been approved to issue an emergency allotment of CalFresh for October, 2020.  The emergency allotment will be issued on November 15 to raise each household’s monthly CalFresh allotment to the maximum allowable for the household size.  Per guidance from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), households already receiving the maximum allotment are not eligible to receive an emergency allotment.

Moving forward, emergency allotments may be approved by FNS on a month-to-month basis until the Secretary of Health and Human Services rescinds the public health emergency. (ACWDL, September 29, 2020.)

COVID-19 EDD Reset

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The Employment Development Department (EDD) has is doing a two week reset period starting September 19. 2020 to help expedite new claimant payments, reduce fraud and tackle backlog issues.  The reset period is in response to the EDD Strike Team report. The Strike Team found that there are 591,016 backlogged initial claims, and over a million claims where claimants received payments and then payments stopped.

During the two week reset period, people attempting to apply for unemployment insurance for the first time will be directed to a temporary webpage where they can submit information so EDD can invite them back to EDD Online when it is ready.  New claims will be backdated to cover the reset period.  Claimants will be able to certify for benefits more quickly so that eligible claimants will get their first payment within 21 days. People who have existing claims will still be able to use UI Online to manage their claim.

During the reset period, EDD will implement a new identity verification tool called ID.me.  People will be required to upload identifying identification documents along with along with a self-photo that EDD will validate. In addition, the most experienced EDD staff will redirected to work through the oldest and most complicated cases. Staff will also be redirected to process mail and email, and will call claimants to request additional information.

EDD will also expand the capability of the document upload feature for mobile devices, and will allow for providing wage information and filing military and federal employee claims online.  (EDD News Release 20-49, September 19, 2020.)

COVID-19 Information about Lost Wage Assistance, change to certification form and fraud changes

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The Employment Development Department (EDD) has issued information about Lost Wage Assistance (LWA), change to certification form and fraud reporting.  LWA is the temporary $300 per week benefit pursuant to presidential executive order.  EDD is paying LWA benefits based on the order in which EDD received certification forms for Unemployment Insurance or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for the three week period July 26 to August 15.  People who have certified for those weeks that their full or partial unemployment is because of COVID-19 will receive LWA payments first.  Claimants must also have a weekly benefit award of at least $100 per week to be eligible for LWA.

Claimants who submitted their certification for all three of those weeks at the same time will receive one lump sum check of $900.  Claimants who did not submit their certification for all three of those weeks at the same time will have their payments split in two depending on when certifications for those three weeks was submitted.

Starting September 15, EDD will start accepting self-attestations for claimants who had not yet verified that their full or partial unemployment was because of COVID-19 (phase 2).  EDD will be sending email, texts or mailed notices advising claimants to complete the self-attestation online through their UI Online account or to mail a paper form.

After phase 1 and phase 2 payments are made, EDD will distribute two more weeks of LWA payments.  More information will be coming about when to expect these additional two weeks of benefits.  California has requested a 6th week of LWA benefits contingent on availability of federal funds.  EDD will issue additional information if this is approved.

EDD has issued a new certification form for people receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).  The new form requires PUA recipients to attest each week that they are unemployed as a direct result of COVID-19.

EDD will no longer automatically backdate new PUA claims because of fraud concerns.  To backdate a PUA claim, claimants can submit an online inquiry through AskEDD, select Unemployment Insurance, the claims question subcategory, and then the topic backdate the effective date of my claim due to COVID-19.  Claimants can also speak to a representative by calling 833-978-2511 or other numbers listed on the Contact EDD page.

People who are concerned that fraud is occurring on their EDD account can send any fraudulent documents to EDD investigators at P.O. Box 826880, MIC 43, Sacramento, CA 94280-0225.  (EDD News Release 20-46, September 10, 2020.)

CalFresh Water Pilot

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance for the CalFresh water pilot, which is a time-limited supplemental benefit to CalFresh households that live in a disadvantaged community, and receive drinking water from a public water system that does not meet primary drinking water standards.

Based on workgroup recommendations, the pilot will take place in two zip codes in Kern County, 93241 and 93203.  CalFresh recipients living in those zip codes at the beginning of the pilot can be eligible.  Based on workgroup recommendations, the benefit will be $50 per month per household.  The pilot will last for 12 months, and will be completed by November, 2021.  CDSS estimates 6,147 households will be eligible for the pilot.

The pilot also includes creation and automation of a flexible benefit issuance mechanism in CalSAWS that can be used in the future for purposes beyond the initial pilot.  (ACL 20-97, September 2, 2020.)

CAPI couples benefit rate calculation

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued clarification about benefit calculation rules for Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) couples when these individuals are determined eligible for CAPI in different months.

When both spouses are eligible for CAPI, the benefit payment for each spouse is one-half of the CAPI couple payment standard.

When one spouse is aged, and the other spouse is under 65 and has applied for CAPI based on disability, the aged spouse receives the CAPI individual rate until the other spouse is determined eligible.  When both spouses are found eligible, the couples payment standard is applied, and each spouse will receive one-half of the couples rate.  Retroactive payment for the newly eligible spouse will be the difference between the amount the couple would have received and what the aged member received as an individual CAPI recipient.

When one spouse is aged, and the other spouse under 65 and is presumptively disabled, the couple should be granted the CAPI couple rate.

When one spouse is aged and the other spouse is almost age 65 but not blind or disabled the spouse who is over age 65 will receive the individual CAPI rate until the other spouse becomes eligible for CAPI, at which time the couple will begin to get the couples rate.

When one spouse is aged and applying CAPI for the first time, and the other spouse is requesting reinstatement of CAPI the couple will begin receiving the benefit rate the first month that the first spouse’s application is granted and the second spouse’s benefits are reinstated.  (ACIN I-66-20, September 10, 2020.)