CalWORKs

Benefits eligibility for persons paroled as refugees

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services has issued instructions about benefits eligibility for persons paroled as refugees.  The immigration status paroled as a refugee is a category of parole that includes persons who enter the United States under the Central American Minors program and persons eligible for conditional entry, between February 1970 and April 1980 whose application for admission to the United States was denied because of an inadequate number of visas.

Persons paroled as refugees are eligible for Refugee Resettlement Program benefits, CalWORKs and CalFresh.  Persons paroled as refugees should be eligible for SSI after one year and are eligible for CAPI until they are eligible for SSI because they are considered permanent residents under color of law.  ACIN I-48-16 (June 29, 2016).

The Work Number

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services has issued instructions about using an employment verification service called The Work Number.  After counties execute contracts and Memoranda of Understanding, they can use The Work Number for initial and ongoing CalWORKs and CalFresh eligibility, fraud investigations, and to verify employment and income for TANF participation rate data.

If a county takes adverse action based on information received from The Work Number, the county must send a notice stating the name, address, and telephone number of The Work Number, the right to get a copy of the report from The Work Number if requested within 60 days, and that the information can be disputed by contacting The Work Number.

The Work Number is in addition to the existing IVES income verification system.  As with IVES matches, counties must contact the assistance unit and give an opportunity to resolve any discrepancies before taking adverse action.  ACL 16-43 (May 12, 2016).

WTW requirements for Pregnant Woman Only Assistance Units

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services has issued instructions about Welfare-to-Work (WTW) requirements for Pregnant Woman Only (PWO) Assistance Units. Pregnant women with no other eligible children in the home are now eligible for CalWORKs beginning in the second trimester of pregnancy.

Unless exempt from WTW, PWOs must participate for 20 hours per week to meet minimum participation requirements because they are considered a household with a child under age 6.  However, to meet federal participation requirements, PWOs must participate 30 hours per week, 20 hours of which much be in a federally approved activity.  If a PWO meets the 20 hours per week minimum but not the 30 hours per week federal requirement, the PWO’s 24 month clock ticks. ACL 16-21 (April 15, 2016).

Benefits and same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services has issued policies about how same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships are treated for purposes of various programs.  For CalWORKs, same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who have adopted the children are treated as members of the assistance unit who are subject to welfare-to-work requirements.  These households are considered two parent households for purposes of welfare-to-work requirements.  Same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who have not adopted the children are considered step-parents, meaning they can be considered part of the assistance unit and participate in welfare-to-work but are not required to do so.

For purposes of eligibility for child care, same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who have adopted the children are treated as members of the assistance unit, meaning the same-sex spouse or registered domestic partner can be considered an able and available parents who can provide child care.  Same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners who have not adopted the children are considered optional step-parents and are not considered for purposes of eligibility for child care.

For purposes of CalFresh, any group of persons who customarily purchase and prepare meals together are considered a household.   Same-sex spouses are considered spouses and must be included in the CalFresh household.  However, registered domestic partners are not considered spouses and are not automatically included in the household.  Registered domestic partners who are part of the CalWORKs assistance unit or customarily purchase and prepare meals with the family must be included in the CalFresh household.

Refugee Cash Assistance has the same requirements as CalWORKs.  Registered domestic partners have the same status as married couples for purposes of eligibility for Refugee Cash Assistance.  ACL 16-13 (March 28, 2016).

Sick leave for CalWORKs Subsidized Employment program

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services has issued instructions for sick leave in the CalWORKs Subsidized Employment program. AB 1522 requires, after July 1, 2015, that an employee who works more than 30 days within a year from the beginning of employment is entitled to accrued sick leave of no less than 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. An employee is entitled to use accrued sick leave starting the 90th day after the beginning of employment.

For purposes of accrued sick leave, the employer is entity paying wages and taxes for the Subsidized Employment participant.  Subsidized Employment participants are not exempt from sick leave unless they are covered by a collective bargaining agreement.   Counties should ensure that employers of Subsidized Employment participants are complying with sick leave requirements and the appropriate amount of sick leave has accrued since July 1, 2015.  ACL 16-17 (March 4, 2016).

CalWORKs and CalFresh file access rules

Posted on by

CDSS has issued instructions about access to county welfare department case files for CalWORKs, CalFresh, Trafficking and Crime Victim’s Assistance Program and Refugee Cash Assistance. The general rule is the client may inspect non-privileged, non-confidential documents in their case record, including the entire case narrative. Clients are not required to state why they want to inspect their case file. The only questions the county can ask are questions necessary to assist in identifying the information the client wants. The county cannot require a Public Records Act request for the client to see their case file.

Clients must be able to access their case file regardless of whether the file is maintained in paper or electronically, including documents stored separately from the county consortia automated systems. Documents can be provided by hard copy, read only access to systems with a hard copy of any requested documents, or by a pdf file. The county must provide if the client so requests.

If the client’s request includes documents that the county deems to be privileged or confidential, the county should redact the privileged or confidential information and provide the redacted documents to the client. If the documents cannot be redacted, the entire document can be withheld. Examples of potentially privileged or confidential information include whereabouts of an absent parent, child protective services information, and information about minor’s consent services. Medical records are also privileged, but as the holder of the privilege clients have access to their own medical records that are in the case file. The identity of an informant is also privileged, but must be disclosed if the informant will testify at a hearing.

If a document is redacted or withheld pursuant to a claim of privilege or confidentiality, the county must use the Response to Request to Inspect Case Record form to inform the client that documents are being withheld and why. CDSS recommends that counties establish an informal dispute resolution process to resolve these disputes. Case file access disputes can also be raised during administrative hearings.

For an administrative hearing, the county must allow a claimant to examine their case record during normal business hours. The county must provide the claimant with any and all information that can assist the claimant in preparing for the hearing. The county cannot charge for copies of CalFresh documents. For CalWORKs documents, the county can copy requested documents without charge or for a charge related to the cost of copying.

Claimants are entitled to access to fraud investigation files when the county has taken an administrative action based on the fraud investigation and the claimant has requested a hearing to challenge that action. The claimant can examine relevant, non-privileged, non-confidential documents from the fraud investigation file that the county used in making its decision to take the administrative action that is the subject of the hearing. ACL 16-02 (January 20, 2016).