CalWORKs

Processing of Recipient IEVS matches

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) issued guidance regarding processing of matches from the Recipient Income and Eligibility Verification System (R-IEVS) system.  R-IEVS contains income information from several databases that is matched with information provided by current CalWORKs and CalFresh recipients.

In general, counties must process IEVS matches within 45 days, and establish overpayments and overissuances no later than the quarter after the quarter when the income discrepancy is discovered.  However, R-IEVS matches on closed cases are not subject to the 45 day processing time or the quarter after quarter requirement.

Counties must try to process IEVS matches on closed cases within 12 months of the run date of the date of receipt of the match.  However, counties can process the match after 12 months if the counties believes it is cost effective or if the county suspects fraud.  If the county determines that pursuing the match is not cost-effective, there must be a note in CalSAWS to that effect.

On or before March 31, 2026, CDSS and CalSAWS will do a one-time disposal of all IEVS abstracts that are more than 12 months old.

Counties must implement and update written policies that reflect these new guidelines. (ACL 26-05, January 26, 2026.)

Deactivation of Magnetic Stripe EBT cards

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California issues CalWORKs and CalFresh benefits on Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.  As of April 29, 2025, all EBT cardholders with an active EBT card were issues a replacement chip/tap EBT card.  The magnetic stripe cards for those cardholders were deactivated effective October 25, 2025.

There are approximately 34,000 magnetic stripe EBT cards still in circulation.  These cards were not considered active when the chip/tap cards were issued, or were subsequently reactivated because of reapplication for food or cash benefits.  Effective April 19, 2026, these remaining magnetic stripe cards will be deactivated.  People who have these magnetic stripe cards can get a replacement chip/tap card by EBT Customer Service Helpline at (877) 328-9677, online at BenefitsCal or the ebtEDGE mobile application and cardholder portal, or by contacting their local county welfare department office.

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will give counites a list of cardholders with magnetic stripe cards that will be deactivated.  CDSS strongly recommends that counties conduct outreach to these cardholders.

Some counties may have chip/tap cards that were not picked up by cardholders.  Those chip/tap cards must be securely destroyed by April 19, 2026.  (ACWDL, March 19, 2026.)

CalWORKs and CalFresh income exemption for awards to attend college

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) issued guidance regarding the new income exemption for awards to attend college.  Effective March 1, 2026, any grant, award, scholarship, loan or fellowship awarded for the purpose of attending an institution of higher education is excluded from consideration as income for CalWORKs and CalFresh.  These awards are exempt as a resource for 12 months.  These funds are excluded whether they are distributed to the institution of higher education, or the benefits recipient.

This exemption does not apply to cash payments made directly by friends or relatives for the purpose of attending an institution of higher education.

For CalWORKs, verification must establish that the financial assistance is for the purpose of attending an institution of higher education.  Verification is not required for CalFresh unless the income exclusion is questionable.

For recipients, counties must reevaluate eligibility and benefit calculations at their next SAR or annual recertification.  Current recipients can make a voluntary mid-period request to recalculate their benefits with the new income exclusion.

Until automation is complete, counties must manually implement the new income exclusion.

The new income exclusion also applies to Refugee Cash Assistance, Entrant Cash Assistance, and Trafficking and Crime Victims Protection Act benefits.  (ACL 26-16, March 19, 2026.)

New CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work forms

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has designated seven Welfare-to-Work (WTW) forms for statewide use.  Six of those forms are informing notices.

The new WTW 112 form is for clients to get medical verification that a household member who is not a mandatory WTW participant requires care in the home. The form must be completed by a doctor or other medical professional who can verify the need for care in the home. When that need is established, a mandatory WTW participant may be exempt from WTW to care for that household member.  If the person who needs in home care is also a mandatory WTW participant, the CW 61 form must be used to verify their WTW exemption.  (ACL 26-08, January 23, 2026.)

Documentation of reasonable accommodation in CalSAWS.

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding documentation of reasonable accommodation in the California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS).

This guidance applies to individuals with a “disability” as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Some CDSS programs have their own definition of disability for purposes of determining eligibility, and may have their own requirements for documenting and qualifying disability. This ACL does not change program definitions or requirements, and meeting the requirements of this ACL does not fulfill any program-specific requirements and vice versa.

The County must document all disclosures of disability, requests for and offers of reasonable accommodations, and subsequent actions taken by the County, in the applicant’s/recipient’s case file. This also includes auxiliary aids and service. This documentation must include:

  • The fact that an applicant/recipient has a disability and/or has requested an The applicant/recipient is not required to provide a specific diagnosis;
  • The accommodation(s) requested by the applicant/recipient, if applicable, and
  • The accommodation(s) provided to the applicant/recipient.

Counties can learn about an applicant’s/recipient’s need for a disability-related accommodation in many ways, including but not limited to verbal request, case record information, and e-application responses. For example, a “yes” in response to the question “Are you a person with a disability” informs the county of a disability. Counties must offer reasonable accommodation when an individual’s disability is known or their need for reasonable accommodation is obvious.

The individual is not required to provide or verify a specific diagnosis to qualify as disabled under the ADA. An individual’s disability is considered documented in the case journal when the County has confirmed there is no need for accommodation, including documenting that reasonable accommodation was offered and declined.

When an individual needs a reasonable accommodation, Counties must document this information in the Special Circumstances Details page in CalSAWS if there is a request for an accommodation, and in the Case Journal if an accommodation is offered and provided. This includes documenting discussion about effective alternatives like “interactive process” if the requested accommodation is not immediately agreed upon.

All Counties can allow staff access to the CalSAWS Special Circumstances Detail page.

Counties must manually migrate all existing, active reasonable accommodation information from its current location to the Special Circumstances Detail page as soon as possible but in no case later than 18 months from the release of this guidance (by July 1, 2027). These updates must also be documented in the case journal.

A County may only deny a reasonable accommodation request when the requested accommodation would either:

  • fundamentally alter the nature of the program, service, or activity; or
  • impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the program, taking into account all resources available to the program, service, or activity.

If a reasonable accommodation request is denied, the County must inform the individual of that denial in writing. The County’s denial letter must notify that that the reasonable accommodation request is denied, the reasons for the denial, and any other accommodation(s) offered and/or provided.

Employees who perform Program Integrity functions, including Special Investigation Unit (SIU) investigators and individuals contracted to conduct investigative work, must check the CalSAWS case record for the Special Circumstances icon prior to any contact with the subject of a fraud referral.

If an individual named in a fraud referral discloses a previously unidentified disability-related need for accommodation to an SIU investigator or other staff member performing Program Integrity-related work, must offer reasonable accommodation to the individual and document this information in the Special Investigations section “Note Detail” page.

A decision to deny a reasonable accommodation request based on the limited permissible grounds must be made by the County Director or their designee. SIU investigators and other staff members performing Program Integrity functions should elevate such issues accordingly if they arise.

Contractors who receive federal or state assistance through a County must comply with the requirements of the ADA, MPP Division 21, and other civil rights laws and regulations, and are required to provide written assurance of nondiscrimination as part of their contract with the County. They are responsible for ensuring that the documentation requirements in this letter are met, including by developing workarounds with contracted service providers who do not have direct edit access to CalSAWS.

The CWD must establish procedures to ensure:

  • That the CWD notifies the contracted service provider in writing if an applicant/recipient has a need for a reasonable accommodation that must be provided by or in coordination with the contractor.
  • That the agreed-upon accommodation is provided in all applicable settings and program contexts, and that such provision is documented at each instance either in the CalSAWS case journal as instructed above or in a different record maintained by the contractor that the CWD deems appropriate to maintain civil rights compliance
  • That contractors who are unable to edit or notate the CalSAWS case record directly notify the CWD in writing if an applicant/recipient discloses a new disability-related need for a reasonable accommodation to them so CWD staff can add the information to the CalSAWS Special Circumstances Detail page, and
  • That clear communication channels, authority structures, and documentation responsibilities exist between the CWD and its contractors to address these and all applicable requirements covered in this letter.

There is no limit to the number of accommodations an individual may request, and requests may change over time. The County is required to train public contact staff, program managers, and supervisors upon hire and, at a minimum, annually thereafter, on providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities

County staff should copy all disability-related information from other CalSAWS locations like the “Medical Condition” page to the Special Circumstances Detail page. There is no automatic requirement to copy such information from one location to the other. but, if an applicant/recipient has disability information documented in another CalSAWS location, and that person also needs a reasonable accommodation because of the same disability, then the County must document the relevant information in the Special Circumstances Detail page.

It is recommended that Counties use other CalSAWS locations such as county-created Flag Detail pages to document applicants’/recipients’ non-ADA-related information with the exception of a non-disability related literacy issue.  (ACL 25-87, December 22, 2025.)

CalWORKs pregnancy verification form

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The California Department of Social Services has issued a new form for third party pregnancy verification. People pursuing financial benefits from CalWORKS must prove they are pregnant. This can be done temporarily by the pregnant applicant providing a sworn statement or verbal attestation and upon payment providing a signed Statement of Facts. Medical verification is still needed within 30 working days from the sworn statement. This new form allows a third party to provide pregnancy verification. Pregnant recipients with other eligible children in the home still need to verify their pregnancy with these methods. If a pregnant applicant has made an effort in good faith but is unable to provide verification, the County must assist the applicant. The County should use the new form to get the required third party verification. This form is not required if the individual is trying to get verification on their own.  (ACL 25-86, December 8, 2025.)