The California Department of Social Services has issued guidance and information regarding implementation of Disaster CalFresh for Madera, Mendocino, and Mono Counties.

Disaster CalFresh provides one month of temporary food assistance to households affected by natural disasters who were not already receiving CalFresh.

To be eligible for Disaster CalFresh, a household must have:

1) lived or worked in the disaster impacted county at the time of the disaster;

2) Purchased or planned to purchase food during the benefits period, which is February 21, 2023 through March 22, 2023;

3) Experienced an adverse effects because of the disaster, such as food loss, loss of income, inaccessible resources, or disaster-related expenses;

4) Meet the Disaster Gross Income Limit.  To be eligible, the household’s income received plus accessible liquid resources, minus disaster related expenses, must be less than the Disaster Gross Income Limit.

A Disaster CalFresh household includes people who lived and purchased and prepared food together on the start date of the disaster. A Disaster CalFresh household does not include people who the applicant is temporarily staying with at the time of application due to the disaster. A Disaster CalFresh household may include people who had been excluded from an ongoing CalFresh household at the time of the disaster.

Disaster CalFresh requires verification of 1) Identity; 2. Residency and loss/inaccessibility of income or liquid resources, if possible; and 3. Household composition and food loss, when questionable.

While identity verification is required, a specific type of documentary proof is not Acceptable identity verification may include, but is not limited to, a driver’s license, a work or school identification card, an identification card for health benefits, a voter registration card, a foreign passport, and “matricula consulares.”

A social security number is not required to apply for D-CalFresh.

To the extent possible, verification of residency should be satisfied via information from other sources, such as a rent or mortgage billing statement, utility billing statement, and identity documents. No specific type of documentary proof is required.

Counties should assist households in obtaining necessary verification. This includes, with the client’s permission, verifying information through alternative sources such as online banking or utility accounts, and using collateral contacts.

Certified households must be able to access benefits within 72 hours of application, which begins to run on the day of the interview.

Authorized representatives may assist with Disaster CalFresh applications following the same policy as for regular CalFresh.

The Disaster CalFresh application for Madera, Mendocino, and Mono Counties is May 15, 2023 through May 19, 2023.  Applicants can pre-register beginning on May 13, 2023.  Pre-registration will allow households to apply for D-CalFresh beginning on May 13, 2023, and to submit required D-CalFresh verifications via online portals. Counties may take up to 24 hours to initiate a telephone call to households who preregister to complete a phone interview during the application period based on the order in which their pre-registration was received.

The filing date is the day that the interview is completed and not the day that county receives the application.  Applicants must complete the CF 385 form and submit it during the application period.  Applications can be submitted by phone, online or in person. When accepting Disaster CalFresh applications by phone, verbal attestation is acceptable. Applicants who submit the application and verification online will be called for an interview within 24 hours.  If an online application does not have a phone number, the county must send the applicant a reminder notice to complete the interview no later than May 25, 2023.

Disaster CalFresh interviews should be done in-person when possible, but they can be done by phone.  (ACWDL, May 11, 2023.)

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued clarification about the CalFresh shelter deduction and utility allowance for homeless households.

Households experiencing homelessness who do not receive free shelter for the entire month are eligible for the homeless shelter deduction.  Households experiencing homelessness that incur, or reasonably expect to incur, shelter costs during a month are eligible for the homeless shelter deduction without verifying shelter costs.  Households that get the homeless shelter deduction cannot get the utility allowance.

If actual verified costs homeless shelter costs are higher than the homeless shelter deduction, the actual cost may be used instead and the household can claim utility costs.

If a household experiencing homelessness is living in a vehicle, reasonably anticipated or recurring maintenance costs of the vehicle, including vehicle payments, and collision and comprehensive insurance premiums, are allowable shelter costs.  Costs of overnight parking and camping fees are also valid shelter expenses.  Expenses that occur less than monthly can be averaged over the period for which they are paid.

Costs of fuel to operate a vehicle are not allowable shelter or utility costs.  However, the cost of gasoline for a generator, propane or firewood are allowable utility expenses.  Liability and medical insurance premiums are not allowable shelter costs.  The cost of ice for keeping food fresh is not an allowable deduction because ice is a food item that can be bought with CalFresh benefits.

Households experiencing homelessness that have utility costs but not shelter costs may claim a utility allowance.

Households are eligible for the Standard Utility Allowance if they have heating and cooling costs separate from their rent or mortgage.

A household that is not eligible for the Standard Utility Allowance but has expenses for at least two separate utilities is eligible for the Limited Utility Allowance.

A household that is not eligible for either the Standard Utility Allowance or the Limited Utility Allowance but incurs a telephone expense is eligible for the Telephone Utility Allowance.

A household that is eligible for the Homeless Shelter Deduction is not eligible for the $20.01 State Utility Assistance Subsidy.  If a household would receive a higher benefit allotment with the Standard Utility Deduction than with the Homeless Shelter Deduction, the household is eligible for the State Utility Assistance Subsidy.  (ACIN I-15-23, May 10, 2023.)