Effective January 1, 2017, clients are eligible to receive CalWORKs Homeless Assistance once every 12 months with exceptions.  Previously, clients were eligible for Homeless Assistance once in their lifetime with exceptions.  This change is because of AB 1603, Section 15 (2016).

There are two types of Homeless Assistance.  Temporary Homeless Assistance is available to CalWORKs recipients or apparently eligible applicants and provides up to 16 consecutive days of shelter, which is generally a hotel.  Permanent Homeless Assistance provides security deposit, last month rent and utility deposit for commercially available rental unit where rent does not exceed 80 percent of the client’s income.  Alternatively, for clients facing eviction, Permanent Homeless Assistance can provide up to two months or rental arrearages for a client to remain in their unit.

The 12 month period begins the day the welfare department issues the first payment of temporary or permanent homeless assistance.  Exceptions are available once during the 12 month period.  ACL 16-98 (November 30, 2016).

CDSS has issued an errata to All County Letter 16-66 about implementation of the repeal of the Maximum Family Grant (MFG) rule.  ACL 16-66 stated changes in MFG status were to be treated as county initiated mid-period changes to be acted on immediately even if the change resulted in a mid-period decrease in the grant.  ACL 16-66E corrects this to state that income from children formerly excluded by the MFG rule is not considered until the beginning of family’s next reporting period unless that income puts the assistance unit over the Income Reporting Threshold.

If the family’s reporting period ends in December, 2016, then income of a child previously excluded by the MFG rule is used to determine the grant beginning in January, 2017.  If the family’s reporting period ends after January, 2017, the income cannot be used until the beginning month of the family’s next reporting period.  ACL 16-66E (November 17, 2016).

CDSS has issued instructions to counties about supportive services and verification when a recipient’s welfare-to-work (WTW) activity is education or training.  The WTW plan should include all classes or equivalents required to meet the goal of the education or training program.  This includes concurrent or prerequisite classes.  The specific classes for the education program may not be available prior to enrollment.  In that instance, the county must have procedures to update or revise the WTW Plan to reflect the classes that are actually being taken.  Classes that are not required by the client’s program or education provider are not required to be included in the WTW plan.

Clients are entitled to supportive services for all classes included in the WTW plan.  Clients can request and receive advance payment for supportive services, including books, transportation, or fees and other ancillary expenses.

Participation hours in education or training must be supported by documentation in the case file.  Documentation can include classroom time sheets, attendance records, or enrollment verification from the provider.  Clients are not required to seek additional verification if such verification would require disclosure of confidential information, including disclosure of the fact that an individual is a CalWORKs recipient.  Prohibited verification includes requiring a client to provide teacher or instructor verification of attendance.  Instead, counties can seek verification through other resources offered by the educational institution such as CalWORKs Community College Counselors.

Counties are also reminded that the requirement of daily supervision of WTW activities does not require daily in-person contact.  The supervision requirement is that the responsible party has daily responsibility for oversight of participation.  This responsibility can be achieved by telephone or electronic means.  ACIN I-57-16 (September 8, 2016).

CalWORKs has a time limit exemption for Indian Country residents where at least 50 percent of adults are not employed.  The California Department of Social Services did a survey to determine which Indian Country areas qualify for this time limit exemption.  Based on the survey, CDSS identified and listed 25 Indian Country areas where at least 50 percent of adults are not employed.

If a CalWORKs recipient lives in an Indian Country area not identified by CDSS as having at least 50 percent of adults not employed, the recipient, county or Tribal-TANF program can get a written certification from a federally-recognized tribe that the recipient lived in where at least 50 percent of adults are unemployed to qualify for the time limit exemption. ACL 16-68 (August 26, 2016).

The California Department of Social Services has informed counties that the legislature has repealed the CalWORKs Maximum Family Grant (MFG) rule.  Effective January 1, 2017, no child will denied aid because the child was born into a family receiving CalWORKs.  Any child previously excluded by the MFG rule must be added to the assistance unit effective January 1, 2017.

Counties are required to review their caseloads to determine existing cases with children excluded by the MFG rule and inform those families that their CalWORKs grant will change to include the previously excluded children.  In addition, counties must send a mass mailing starting on November 1, 2016 to all CalWORKs recipients informing them of the repeal of the MFG rule.  CDSS encourages counties to display the informing notices in their offices and to discuss the MFG repeal at application and redetermination.

Children previously excluded by the MFG rule will be subject to child support assignment.  Children excluded by the MFG rule were able to keep all child support paid on their behalf.  Child support paid on behalf of these children will be assigned to the state the effective January 1, 2017 and the family will receive the first $50 of child support collected on behalf of the family.  Parents will need to complete the CW 2.1Q Child Support Questionnaire for children previously excluded by the MFG rule if those children are not already identified on an existing CW 2.1Q.  Parents will be required to cooperate with the local child support agency unless they have good cause, including that cooperation will put the family at risk.

Other benefits paid on behalf of children excluded by the MFG rule, such as Social Security dependant’s benefits, will be counted as income for CalWORKs effective January 1, 2017.  In addition, CalFresh benefits will be redetermined based on the new CalWORKs grant.  ACL 16-66 (August 26, 2016).

The CalWORKs Maximum Aid Payment (MAP) will increase by 1.43% effective October 1, 2016.  CDSS has directed counties to notify recipients of the change to their grant no later than September 20, 2016.  CDSS also directed the computer system consortia to automate the grant increase or ensure a workaround to ensure that CalWORKs recipients receive the MAP increase on October 1.

The MAP change may change the Income Reporting Threshold (IRT) for some CalWORKs assistance units.  CDSS directed counties to inform these recipients of their new IRT.

CDSS provided a chart of the new CalWORKs grant levels.  ACL 16-64 (August 16, 2016).