Those Food Stamp people never stop! Yet another Q & A. The highlights? Restricted CalWORKs accounts’ impact on food stamps; treatment of child support arrearages; shelter costs when SSI recipient in household; impact of full-time post-60 CalWORKs months student on food stamps; BOGG student grants as exempt income; notice of missed interviews for recert.  Regs@ favorite? Can the county make a recipient go to court to recoup an IRS intercept fee, when the county erroneously sent the case to the IRS, and owes the claimant the recouped issuance. (Truth and Justice prevails in the answer.) Sadly, the Q & A also clarifies that the county need not investigated parole/probation violations if there is an outstanding warrant for these issues. [Download]

That time of year again, for counties to “opt out” of helping more low-income folk eat. The waiver of the ABAWD work requirement will occur, lasting from May 1, 2008 through April, 2009, unless a county declines to participate. Counties wishing to “decline” the waiver must send a letter from their Boards of Supervisors by March 15th. The ACIN lists the fifty-two northern and central California counties which qualify for a waiver. Followed by lots of reminders of the rules. The remaining six counties can qualify using the 15 percent ABAWD exemption, to grant food stamps for additional months to ABAWDs who have used their three out of 36-months and whose circumstances make it difficult to satisfy the work requirement. Counties are given the flexibility to set criteria used in granting the 15 percent exemption. (The ACIN lists such things as illiteracy, living in remote areas, an inability to speak, read, or write English, seasonal employment, social and emotional barriers, and temporary employment of less than 20 hours per week.)