The CalWORKs and resource and vehicle limits have been waived because of the Los Angeles fires. The CalWORKs aid in kind rule, which requires counting receipt of a full item of need as income, has also been waived because of the Los Angeles fires. The waiver applies to designated zip codes and will be in effect until the state emergency declaration ends. (ACWDL, February 19, 2025.)
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
CalWORKs
SAR 7 and recertification waiverer because of Los Angeles fires
The requirement to submit SAR 7s or annual recertifications for CalWORKs and CalFresh has been waived for January, February and March, 2025 because of the Los Angeles wildfires. The waiver applies to designated zip codes. Recipients will need to complete their next SAR 7 or annual recertification after March 2025 as scheduled. Recipients who had already completed their January, 2025 SAR 7 or recertification and had been found ineligible for benefits will not be redetermined. (ACWDL, February 10, 2025.)
CalWORKs Family Reunification benefits
Effective January 1, 2025, participants who were members of a CalWORKs family when CalWORKs-eligible children were removed from the home will remain eligible for CalWORKs cash aid, child care and reunification services when: 1) all CalWORKs-eligible children were removed by the county Child Welfare Services (CWS), 2) the AU received CalWORKs cash aid when removed, and 3) the child welfare services agency or court has determined that the services mentioned above are necessary for reunification.
CalWORKs family reunification cash aid is limited to six months. Other CalWORKs family reunification services can continue after six month with good cause granted by the CWS.
Upon notification that all CalWORKs eligible children have been removed from the home, children are considered temporarily absent for one month. After one month, CalWORKs Family Reunification will take effect if either there is a case plan in effect or under development by the CWS agency that includes providing cash aid, or there is a court order for a case plan that includes providing cash aid.
Pregnant Person Only cases when there is immediate removal of the child upon birth can be eligible for CalWORKs Family Reunification cash aid.
Non-needy caretaker relatives are not eligible for CalWORKs Family Reunification cash aid.
CWS removal of a child is considered an action that is verified upon receipt, which means that it changes CalFresh benefits mid-period.
If CalWORKs is terminated because of removal of the children by CWS, the household can be eligible for Transitional CalFresh. (ACL 25-05, January 7, 2025.)
Welfare-to-Work good cause and flexibilities because of Los Angeles wildfires
The California Department of Social Services has issued guidance regarding Welfare-to-Work participation and the Los Angeles wildfires. Los Angeles and Ventura Counties can implement county-wide blanket good cause to suspend welfare-to-work participation during the state of emergency. Welfare-to-work participants may continue to voluntarily participate. This blanket good cause does not stop the 60 month time on aid clock.
These counties should establish an end date for blanket good cause based on the time needed to reengage participants. Blanket good cause cannot extend longer than the state of emergency.
After blanket good cause ends, counties should continue to grant good cause and exemptions on a case-by-case basis for participants who have health or economic issues because of the wildfires.
Wildfire victims may also be eligible for nonrecurring special needs payments, an exception to the once every 12 months limit on Homeless Assistance, and welfare-to-work exemptions. Current recipients may also be eligible for the CalWORKs Housing Support Program.
Some wildfire evacuees may apply for CalWORKs outside of their home county. Evacuees may not have documentation available. If evidence does not exist, or the applicant and county make a good faith effort to obtain verification but are unsuccessful, the county must accept the applicant’s statement under penalty of perjury.
Families receiving CalWORKs through the recovery period must comply with regular verification rules as soon as possible. (ACWDL, January 28, 2025.)
CalWORKs eligibility for citizens of Compact of Free Association states
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has provided guidance regarding CalWORKs eligibility for citizens of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) states of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands.
Effective March 9, 2024, federal law changed to make citizens of the Compact of Free Association states of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands qualified immigrants who are eligible for certain federal benefits including federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families benefits. The new also exempts these families from the five-year residency requirement to be eligible for benefits.
This change in federal law means that COFA citizens are eligible for CalWORKs. COFA citizens who applied for CalWORKs on or after March 9, 2024 and were denied because of their immigration status may reapply for CalWORKs. In processing these applications, counties must check for earlier applications, and if located use the earlier application date for the beginning date of aid.
People who applied on or after March 9, 2024 can ask for an administrative hearing within 90 days of the date of the denial. If the county determines that the household was eligible for CalWORKs at the time of application, the county must issue retroactive benefits back to the date of application.
CDSS encourages counties to reconnect with COFA citizens who were denied CalWORKs after March 9, 2024.
Counties must verify the immigration status of COFA citizens using the federal SAVE system and the I-94 documentation with the admission stamp.
COFA citizens may also be eligible for Refugee Cash Assistance or Entrant Cash Assistance. (ACL 24-95, December 16, 2024.)
Update about EBT card mass replacement with chip/tap card
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) issued an update about the replacement of current EBT cards with chip/tap cards. This is an update to ACWDL June 6, 2022, summarized here.
Replacement of county administrative equipment was completed in Summer, 2024. Mass replacement of all current EBT cards with chip/tap cards is expected to begin in early 2025.
The new cards will be mailed in three phases. The first phase will be combined CalWORKs and CalFresh cases, GA, RCA, TCVAP, CAPI and LIHEAP.
SunBucks and Women, Infants and Children benefits will not be moved to the new chip/tap cards.
Counties must continue to order the current magnetic stripe cards and equipment to ensure that they remain fully stocked until chip/tap cards are deployed.
Prior to mass mailing of the chip/tap cards, counties will get a list of unhoused cardholders who have their mailing address listed as the county welfare department. The list is intended to support triage for those clients.
During either the Semi-Annual Report or Recertification/Redetermination interview, county workers should tell cardholders to promptly activate their new cards. One successful transaction with the new card will deactivate the old card.
Cardholders will have 180 days after issuance of the chip/tap card to activate it before the old card becomes unusable. (ACWDL December 19, 2024.)