DSS is providing an option to county welfare directors that may provide workload relief by lowering the precision and the sample size for the County Work Participation Rate. [Download]
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
CalFresh / SNAP
ACIN I-49-14: Statewide Waiver Of The Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents Work Requirement For Federal Fiscal Year 2014 98/21/14)
FNS has granted California a statewide waiver of the ABAWD requirements. Counties wishing to opt out must inform DSS by 9/1/14. [Download]
ACL 14-56: CalFresh Modified Categorical Eligibility (8/22/14)
Comprehensive information regarding CalFresh Categorical Eligibility (“MCE”). Culminating several other “Cat El” changes, with the passage of SB 855 effective July 1, 2014, all households with gross income at or below 200 percent of the FPL, must be conferred MCE status if the file documents their receipt of the TANF service (PUB 275). All counties must immediately implement a 200 percent FPL gross income level for MCE for all Non-Assistance (NACF) households. Until automation is programmed, this must be done manually.
For any case pending as of July 1, 2014, if automation indicates ineligibility for a non-aged/disabled CalFresh applicant household because of the 130 percent FPL gross income limit, the county must pull the case and manually verify whether eligibility under MCE status exists because of gross income at or under 200 percent FPL. Additionally, counties must check any applications that were denied for exceeding gross income since July 1, 2014, as well as applications denied in June where the 30 day processing would have gone into July. Corrective action must be taken on any cases that would have been eligible under the MCE 200 percent FPL gross income test. [Download]
DHCS MEDIL I 14-36: Using Modified Adjusted Gross Income and Express Lane Enrollment Aid Codes for Applications in the Pending Backlog (7/8/14)
In an effort to reduce the backlog of pending Medi-Cal applications, DHCS has issued this guidance to the counties on using MAGI and Express Lane Enrollment (ELE) aid codes as a manual workaround.
These aid codes are to be used when at least one member of the household has an active Medi-Cal or CalFresh aid code in MEDS and SAWS, and only when:
- At least one household member has been determined eligible or contingently eligible in CalHEERS and the entire case cannot be accepted into SAWS/MEDS because others in the household are still pending.
- The county file clears and determines the case as MAGI eligible, and CalHEERS responds that the case is pending due to data and/or technology issues with CalHEERS.
Counties cannot use this process to manually grant Medi-Cal eligibility for non-MAGI cases, limited/restricted scope cases, cases where no household member is on an active Medi-Cal/CalFresh aid code in MEDS/SAWS, or when the only eligible case members are TLICP children.
The state will send NOAs to beneficiaries granted eligibility through ELE aid codes based on this process. Counties will send NOAs to those granted eligibility under MAGI aid codes. All of these beneficiaries will receive intake packets.
ACIN I-33-14: CalFresh Overissuances (6/27/14)
Some post-FNS clarification on establishment and collection of CalFresh overissuances. To determine whether an overissuance is cost-effective to collect, the thresholds is determined based on the amount as of the date the overissuance is calculated. Counties are to terminate any collections for OI’s that were above $35 when established. (SB 1391 raises the cost effectiveness threshold to above $125, but only for households no longer on CalFresh. If the OI is discovered and established, but before collection can start the family will no longer be on CalFresh, and the OI is 125 or less, no collection would occur. [Download]
ACIN I-28-14: Collection Of CalFresh Overissuances (6/10/14)
A reminder to counties that when determining the amount of a CalFresh overissuance, the amount of the overissuance is based on the initial amount of the CalFresh benefit. In cases where there is an existing overissuance recouped by benefit reduction, the amount of a recoupment for another type of overissuance is based on the initial CalFresh benefit issued for the household, not from the adjusted benefit. Example provided. [Download]