Author: Stephen Goldberg

COVID-19 extended foster care

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding flexibility in Extended Foster Care, waivers of age and time limits for Transitional Housing Program-Plus and remote approval of Supervised Independent Living Placements.

Counties must temporarily continue maintenance payments for otherwise eligible non-minor dependents who do not meet any one of five participation criteria: completing secondary education or a program leading to an equivalent credential, enrolled in an institution which provides post-secondary or vocational education, participating in a program designed to promote or remove barriers to employment, employed at least 80 hours per month, or incapable of doing any of these because of a medical condition.

County caseworkers must continue to work with youth to help them to meet one of these participation criteria.

Caseworkers should continue to assist non-minor dependents by review of a previous Transitional Independent Living Plan and helping them to establish goals that meet their needs.

Counties must serve nonminors between age 18 and 21 requesting entry or reentry into extended foster care.  A nonminor’s inability to satisfy participation conditions because of COVID-19 is not a basis to deny entry or reentry into extended foster care because only nonminor’s intent to satisfy at least one participation condition is required.

A placing agency must offer the least-restrictive safe and appropriate available housing for a nonminor upon their entry or reentry into care.

Effective July 1, 2020, counties can complete Supervised Independent Living Placement inspections for non-minor dependents through methods other than in-person visit.

Any county decision to grant, deny, change or terminate payments to a non-minor dependent must be communicated by adequate written notice to the provider and/or non-minor dependent. (ACL 20-112, October 12, 2020.)

Counting homework time for Cell-Ed

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In ACIN I-55-20, summarized here, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) described its partnership with Cell-Ed to provide distance learning for Welfare-to-Work, CalFresh Education and Training, and Refugee Support Services.  People assigned to Welfare-to-Work, CalFresh Education and Training, and Refugee Support Services may also be assigned supervised or unsupervised homework time.  Cell-Ed coursework homework time hours are considered supervised homework time and can be documented by the case manager.

Cell-Ed recommends for every hour spent on the application, three additional hours of are credited for homework time.  This recommendation depends on a client demonstrating satisfactory progress as defined by the educational provider.  (All County Welfare Directors Letter, October 19, 2020.)

COVID-19 continued extended foster care assistance upon turning age 21

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding continued assistance payments and case management for persons who were in extended foster care upon turning age 21 between April 17, 2020 and June 30, 2021.  The California Budget extends assistance payments and case management to all persons in extended foster care upon turning age 21 on or after April 17, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

If a county discontinued assistance payments for persons who were in extended foster care upon turning age 21 between April 17, 2020 and June 30, 2021, the county must make diligent efforts to contact those persons immediately, and no later than 10 days after October 23, 2020. The county must arrange to resume and make retroactive assistance payments if the person was eligible.  These payments must be provided unless the person affirmatively opts out to have the payments discontinued.  If the person did not remain in a provider-based setting after discontinuance, the young adult is ineligible for payment equivalent to the rate for a supervised independent living placement, even if a housing location was not approved.

Persons who were in extended foster care upon turning age 21 and are not receiving extended assistance and support are not in extended foster care and are not nonminor dependents, and therefore do not have participation, housing or placement approval requirements.  Payments may not be terminated because these persons are not participating in employment or education activities, or for living in unapproved housing.

Because these persons are no longer in extended foster care or court dependents, monthly contact visits can occur remotely.  Caseworkers should try to make in-person contact with these persons at least quarterly.

A person receiving assistance after turning age 21 may continue to reside in any type of eligible foster care placement as a client, or the person can receive payment equivalent to the Supervised Independent Placement Living rate.  If a parenting young adult was receiving an infant supplement, the infant supplement must continue to be paid as long as the nondependent child continues to live with the parent.  After a young adult turns 21, a new infant supplement may be approved based on a change in circumstances.  No other types of rate supplements may be newly granted after the young adult turns age 21, but rate supplements granted and in effect when the young adult turns age 21 may continue to the same provider. If a person transitions to other independent housing, they are responsible locating their new housing.  However, caseworkers should provide assistance and support upon request.

Recipients of extended foster care assistance after turning age 21 must be given adequate notice before any county action denying, changing or terminating benefits.  (ACL 20-117, October 23, 2020 and ACL 20-117E, November 2, 2020.)

COVID-19 CalFresh waiver of interview requirements

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is implementing federal waivers of the initial application and recertification interview and face-to-face interview.  These waivers were previously in effect, and are not being reimplemented because of the Continuing Appropriations Act.  These waivers are effective from now until June 30, 2021.  The waivers can be applied to any application pending at the time of the release of the guidance.

Counties must waive the requirement for an interview at initial certification and recertification of eligibility for benefits if the county has verified the identity of the applicant and has completed all mandatory verifications.  Households entitled to expedited service and whose identity is verified within the three-day expedited service timeframe will have their initial interview waived prior to benefit issuance.  If an expedited service household does not provide missing mandatory verification, benefits will be discontinued per existing CDSS policy.

To verify identity counties must accept any readily available documentary evidence which reasonably establishes the applicant’s identity.  If documentary evidence is not readily available, counties may verify identity using collateral contacts.

For other verification, counties should proactively use electronic verification when it is available.

Verification of job loss is not a mandatory verification for CalFresh.  Verification of job loss should be requested only if the job loss is questionable. A client’s statement of job loss is sufficient evidence that the client cannot reasonably anticipate income from that job.

If the county determines that any of the information provided on the application is questionable or incomplete, or the applicant does not complete identity verification or other mandatory verification, then an interview is required.

For households whose interviews cannot be waived, counties may require the household to completed a telephone interview even if they request a face-to-face interview.  (All County Welfare Directors Letter, October 21, 2020.)

COVID-19 child care guidance

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance and temporary waivers regarding Stage One Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children because of COVID-19.

CalWORKs Stage One child care providers must be reimbursed for the maximum hours of authorized care, regardless of attendance, from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

Family fees for former CalWORKs recipients receiving Stage One Child Care continue to be waived through June 30, 2021.  Families who were disenrolled, voluntarily or involuntarily, because of inability to pay family fees from July to August, 2020 must be reenrolled without the need for any additional documentation.

Signature requirements for CalWORKs and the Bridge Program continue to be waived for the duration of the statewide emergency declaration.

Counties must reimburse for CalWORKs Stage One Child Care and the Bridge Program during the time school-age children participate in distance learning and are attending their child care program or are being cared for by a child care provider. This is because CDSS does not consider the child to be attending school while participating in distance learning for purposes of child care reimbursement.  (ACWDL, October 2, 2020.)

Disaster CalFresh October 2020 additional counties

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California has been approved to issue Disaster CalFresh in Butte, Napa, Sonoma and Santa Clara Counties for persons affected by the wildfires.

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 28 to Friday October 30 and Monday November 2 to Thursday November 5.  For Santa Clara County, the application period is Monday November 2 to Friday November 6 and Monday November 9 to Tuesday November 10.  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 21 to October 27. For Santa Clara County, pre-registration will be available from October 26 to October 30.

The start date of the disaster for Napa, Santa Clara and Sonoma Counties is August 14, 2020. The start date of the disaster for Butte County is September 7, 2020.  (ACWDL, October 16, 2020.)