CalFresh Student Eligibility

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Stephen Goldberg

CDSS issued instructions to counties about CalFresh eligibility for students. The general rule is students age 18-49 are ineligible for CalFresh. However, there are several exceptions. Eligibility workers must evaluate whether a student meets one of the exceptions. The exceptions are when the student is:

Employed average of 20 hours per week for the month
Has parental control of a child under age 6
Has parental control of a child 6-12 but do not have child care to allow attending class and working 20 hours per week
Approved for Work Study and anticipate getting a work study job. Exception applies even if no work study jobs are available as long as will take Work Study job if it is offered
Receives CalWORKs
Enrolled full time and single parent with responsibility to care for a child under age 12
Participating in an education and training program and placed in education for that program. Placements with Workforce Investment Opportunity Act, CalFresh Employment and Training, JOBS, Section 236 of Trade Act or state or local government education and training program can qualify.

ACIN I-89-15 (December 1, 2015).

Requiring use of the “Here’s Why” section of CalFresh overissuance notices

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Stephen Goldberg

CDSS has issued instructions to counties about the content of CalFresh overissuance notices. Counties must complete the free-form “Here’s Why” section of the overissuance notice. The drop-down menu explanations in the “Here’s Why” section of the overissuance notice do not provide sufficient detail about the reason for the overissuance and must be accompanied by additional information that is specific to the case. The free-form “Here’s Why” section must be completed even if the county consortia computer system allows the notice to be issued without completing the free-form section in order to meet state and federal due process requirements.

At a minimum, the free-form “Here’s Why” section must include: 1) the amount of benefits the household received, 2) the amount of benefits the household should have received, 3) the time period of the overissuance, 4) the specific reason that caused the overissuance, 5) the amount of benefits to be repaid, and 6) how the household can pay the claim. ACL 16-71 (September 12, 2016).

Benefits eligibility for persons paroled as refugees

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Stephen Goldberg

The California Department of Social Services has issued instructions about benefits eligibility for persons paroled as refugees. The immigration status paroled as a refugee is a category of parole that includes persons who enter the United States under the Central American Minors program and persons eligible for conditional entry, between February 1970 and April 1980 whose application for admission to the United States was denied because of an inadequate number of visas.

Persons paroled as refugees are eligible for Refugee Resettlement Program benefits, CalWORKs and CalFresh. Persons paroled as refugees should be eligible for SSI after one year and are eligible for CAPI until they are eligible for SSI because they are considered permanent residents under color of law. ACIN I-48-16 (June 29, 2016).

The Work Number

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Stephen Goldberg

The California Department of Social Services has issued instructions about using an employment verification service called The Work Number. After counties execute contracts and Memoranda of Understanding, they can use The Work Number for initial and ongoing CalWORKs and CalFresh eligibility, fraud investigations, and to verify employment and income for TANF participation rate data.

If a county takes adverse action based on information received from The Work Number, the county must send a notice stating the name, address, and telephone number of The Work Number, the right to get a copy of the report from The Work Number if requested within 60 days, and that the information can be disputed by contacting The Work Number.

The Work Number is in addition to the existing IVES income verification system. As with IVES matches, counties must contact the assistance unit and give an opportunity to resolve any discrepancies before taking adverse action. ACL 16-43 (May 12, 2016).

Benefits and same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Stephen Goldberg

The California Department of Social Services has issued policies about how same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships are treated for purposes of various programs. For CalWORKs, same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who have adopted the children are treated as members of the assistance unit who are subject to welfare-to-work requirements. These households are considered two parent households for purposes of welfare-to-work requirements. Same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who have not adopted the children are considered step-parents, meaning they can be considered part of the assistance unit and participate in welfare-to-work but are not required to do so.

For purposes of eligibility for child care, same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who have adopted the children are treated as members of the assistance unit, meaning the same-sex spouse or registered domestic partner can be considered an able and available parents who can provide child care. Same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who have not adopted the children are considered optional step-parents and are not considered for purposes of eligibility for child care.

For purposes of CalFresh, any group of persons who customarily purchase and prepare meals together are considered a household. Same-sex spouses are considered spouses and must be included in the CalFresh household. However, registered domestic partners are not considered spouses and are not automatically included in the household. Registered domestic partners who are part of the CalWORKs assistance unit or customarily purchase and prepare meals with the family must be included in the CalFresh household.

Refugee Cash Assistance has the same requirements as CalWORKs. Registered domestic partners have the same status as married couples for purposes of eligibility for Refugee Cash Assistance. ACL 16-13 (March 28, 2016).

CalFresh Expedited Service

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Stephen Goldberg

The California Department of Social Services issued this letter to clarify and transmit current state and federal rules about CalFresh Expedited Service (ES). Counties must screen all CalFresh applications for ES. Applicants have the right to file a CalFresh application on the day they contact the county during business hours. The application is considered complete if it contains the applicant’s name, address and signature. Counties cannot refuse or deter submission of a CalFresh application during normal business hours.

Counties must verbally inform each CalFresh applicant of ES availability. ES information must be added to at or near the beginning of each online CalFresh application. The CalFresh application asks ES screening questions but county review for ES cannot be limited to the screening questions on the application.

Applicants are eligible for ES if:

Household has both less than $150 in gross monthly income and less than $100 liquid resources
Household combined gross monthly income and resources is less than household’s monthly rent or mortgage and utilities.
Migrant or seasonal farmworker who is destitute and has less than $100 resources.
Household is destitute, meaning the household’s only income was received before the application date and has terminated, the household has income from a new source but no more than $25 will be received within 10 calendar days of the application, or a combination of those.

Counties are not required to notify applicants that ES has been denied. However, counties must offer an agency conference for ES denials. Counties must provide information about the agency conference at the same time the household is informed of ES.

ES must be granted within 3 business days of the application, which means EBT cards must be available within the 3 business day timeframe. The only verification required for ES is identity, which can be verified using MEDS or any other information known to the county including a prior application. If identity cannot be verified, the county can accept attestation of identity from a collateral contact who confirms the applicant’s identity. All other verification is postponed until processing of the application, which is up to 30 days. If ES eligibility is discovered at a subsequent interview or any later time during the application process, the 3 business day ES time clock begins when the county discovered ES entitlement.

If a household missed their ES interview, the county will send a notice to the applicant to reschedule the interview prior to 30 days after application. Counties should route the application for normal processing if the applicant misses the ES interview. If the applicant does not contact the county to reschedule the interview within 30 days, the application is denied.

Based on input from a workgroup, CDSS has recommendations for ES, including that the county assign a lobby greeter, the county attach a half-sheet to the application explaining ES, and the county post signs in welfare department lobbies about ES. ACL 16-14 (February 29, 2016).

CalFresh / SNAP