CalFresh / SNAP

COVID-19 financial support for at-risk families

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has provided information about financial support for eligible at-risk families with child welfare contact during the COVID-19 state of emergency.  Financial support is up to $600 per eligible household, or up to $1,200 for eligible households with three or more children at risk of entering foster care.

Households are eligible if they meet one of the following criteria:

  • Households with a Family Maintenance service component without a subsequent entry into Foster Care.
  • Households with an Emergency Response service component without a subsequent entry into Foster Care.
  • Households with a substantiated ER referral, without an accompanying case opening or entry into FC.
  • Households with an inconclusive ER referral, without an accompanying case opening or entry into FC, where the Structured Decision Making Risk Assessment was considered “high” or “very high.”
  • Probation cases where a child was at “imminent” or “serious” risk of removal or was a candidate for FC.
  • Households where a child was returned for a Trial Home Visit (THV)

All categories include cases identified in May, 2021, and new eligible families identified in June through December, 2021 depending on availability of funds.

County child welfare services agencies will get a list of potentially eligible clients, with instructions for ensuring client eligibility.  County probation departments will give CDSS lists of eligible families.

Prepaid cards will be issued to eligible families.  Open Family Maintenance, Trial Home Visit, Emergency Response cases, probation candidates, and Substantiated Referrals will receive a one-time $600 payment ($1,200 if the family has three or more children at risk of entering Foster Care). Families determined to be at “High” or “Very High” risk with an inconclusive referral will receive a total one-time $300 payment ($600 if the family has three or more children at risk of entering Foster Care).

Families who receive a payment under one eligibility category will not receive a second payment if their case moves to another category.

These funds do not count as income for CalWORKs or CalFresh.

(ACL 21-83, July 21, 2021.)

Reasonable accommodations the CalFresh programs

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding reasonable accommodation for disabilities in the CalFresh program.

Counties must notify all CalFresh applicants, recipients, authorized representatives, and other interested parties, of the right to request reasonable accommodations.  Counties must prominently display posters on nondiscrimination, give printed notices (including having the PUB 13 available in all waiting rooms and reception areas), on websites, and verbally at initial application and recertification.

Counties have an affirmative duty to determine wither a CalFresh applicant/recipient needs additional assistance because of a disability and, if applicable, to provide a disability related accommodation.  This means that, even if an applicant/recipient does not request an accommodation, the county must ask if a CalFresh applicant/recipient needs a reasonable accommodation when the need is obvious or known.  If such disabilities are discovered, the county must assist the individual in self-identifying the disability and/or the appropriate accommodation.  Counties can also identify a possible disability related need by reviewing application or recertification forms.

The county computer systems have a flag that counties must use when an applicant/recipient indicates the need for a disability accommodation and/or the applicant/recipient has disclosed a disability.

Counties must ask the applicant/recipient if they need assistance, but counties cannot ask the applicant/recipient if they have a particular diagnosis or condition.

Counties must offer disability-related assistance if an applicant/recipient identifies as having a disability or if the disability-related need is obvious or known.

If the county notices that an applicant/recipient is having difficulty completing CalFresh eligibility requirements, they must still offer assistance and document it in the case file even if the assistance is not disability-related.

CalFresh applicants/recipients may request a reasonable accommodation at any time in their interaction with the county.  Reasonable accommodation requests can be made in person, by telephone, or in writing by the applicant/recipient or be someone acting on their behalf.  There are no “magic” words to request a reasonable accommodation.  An applicant/recipient does not need to disclose a specific diagnosis or condition to request a reasonable accommodation.  An applicant/recipient can request a reasonable accommodation for another person with whom they are associated.  The county cannot question the need for an accommodation.  The county can ask to clarify the nature of the disability-related need and related accommodation request.

Counties cannot require a particular form to request a reasonable accommodation.  There is no limit on the number of reasonable accommodation request a person may make.   A reasonable accommodation can be considered and granted if a person cannot comply with a program requirement because of a disability.  If the applicant/recipient requests a reasonable accommodation, that accommodation must be provided in all interactions where the need arises.  The county cannot require the person to re-request the accommodation in every interaction.

Counties must document all reasonable accommodation requests and subsequent county actions.  If there is an interactive process, that process must documented in the case file.  The county must document a reasonable accommodation every time it is provided.

Counties must provide annual civil rights training to all of their employees.  Counties must train public contact staff, program managers, and supervisors on hiring and at least annually, on providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities.  (ACL 21-78, June 28, 2021.)

COVID-19 Treatment of Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund payments in various programs

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The California Department of Social Services has provided guidance regarding treatment of the one-time payment issued to CalWORKs recipients pursuant to the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) for CalWORKs, CalFresh and Medi-Cal.  The PEAF payment was a $640 payment to CalWORKs recipients that was issued on July 10, 2021.  PEAF is to assist low income families impacted by COVID-19.

PEAF does not count as income for CalWORKs and CalFresh and does not count as a resource for 12 months after receipt.  Both MAGI and non-MAGI Medi-Cal treat the PEAF payment as a disaster payment which does not count as income.

Families who received the PEAF payment were informed of the payment by phone and email message during the week of July 12, 2021.

The PEAF payment does not tick either the CalWORKs or federal TANF time-on-aid clocks.

The PEAF payment will not impact the amount of the CalWORKs unreimbursed assistance pool for purposes of child support distribution.

Lost PEAF payments can only be replaced if the assistance unit incurs skimming or scamming of their benefits.  (ACL 21-65, July 22, 2021.)

COVID-19 CalFresh waiver of interview requirements

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is extending 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 now in effective until December 31, 2021.

Per previous 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.  If an interview cannot be waived, the county may require a telephone interview even if the household requests an in-person interview.  However, counties can only deny a request for a face-to-face interview once the county has confirmed that the household has access to a telephone or the county provides access to a telephone.  Counties must also conduct a face-to-face interview as a reasonable accommodation for a disability.

Federal Quality Control reviews will resume for July, 2021.  Counties can conduct quality control interviews by telephone through December 31, 2021.  (All County Welfare Directors Letter, July 1, 2021.)

CalFresh state-wide ABAWD waiver

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The federal Food and Nutrition Service has granted California’s request for a state-wide waiver of the CalFresh Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) time limit requirements. The ABAWD waiver is effective from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.

Despite the ABAWD waiver, counties must 1) identify ABAWDs, screen for exemptions, and inform clients of ABAWD rules; 2) track and report work registrant, ABAWD and Employment and Training data; and 3) apply sanction requirements for work registrants who voluntarily quit a job of 30 hours or more per week, which provides weekly earnings equal to or greater than federal minimum wage times 30, or who, without good cause, reduce the number of hours worked to less than 30.  Counties cannot impose a sanction if a CalFresh recipient voluntarily quits a job of less than 30 hours per week.

Individuals who were previously discontinued from CalFresh for failure to meet ABAWD requirements and reapply to CalFresh may be approved for benefits if otherwise eligible. CalFresh Employment and Training and voluntary quit sanctions do not stop when the individual moves to a county with an ABAWD time limit waiver.  (ACL 21-67, June 15, 2021.)

COVID-19 CalFresh emergency allotment for July, 2021

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California has been approved to issue an emergency allotment of CalFresh for July, 2021.  All households will receive at least the maximum CalFresh allotment.  Households eligible to receive the maximum allowable allotment based on household size are now eligible to receive an emergency allotment of $95 per month. Households who are not eligible to receive the maximum allowable allotment based on household size, but whose emergency allotment would be less than $95 per month to receive the maximum allotment, will receive additional CalFresh benefits to raise their emergency allotment to the new $95 minimum.

The emergency allotment will be issued on August 8, 2021.

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.  There will be a one-month phase out of emergency allotments after the public health emergency is rescinded.  (ACWDL, June 24, 2021.)