Updating instructions offered in early 2014  in ACL 14-09, CDSS has provided further guidance regarding extensions of the relatively new welfare to work 24-month time clock for CalWORKs recipients in three all county letters. Recipients who still have time remaining on the 48-month lifetime clock and who meet one of several criteria may request extensions of the 24-month period of extra flexibility in welfare to work activities with the WTW 44 form. Justifications for extension of the 24-month clock include when a recipient is likely to obtain employment within six months, when a unique labor market barrier exists, such as a recent natural disaster impacting the labor market, or when one member of a two-parent assistance unit still has time on his or her 24-month clock, but the other parent’s clock has expired. ACL 15-01.  CDSS will monitor the counties’ implementation of the extensions at 6-month intervals – the same period of time for which extensions are granted. ACL 15-02.  After the 24-month clock or subsequent extensions expire, recipients must meet federal hourly participation requirements.  The county must set an appointment with the recipients using a standard letter (WTW 46) prior to expiration to review the time clock status, possible extensions of time, potential exemptions from participation, and necessary changes to the WTW plan going forward. ACL 15-03.

Bringing CalFresh and CalWORKs rules into alignment, CalWORKs families can have $250 more in assets effective October 2014. The new maximum asset amount is $2,250 for most assistance units and $3,250 for assistance units that include a person who is disabled or 60 years of age or older. CDSS instructed counties in December 2014 to re-evaluate eligibility for assistance units who were denied or had cash aid discontinued due to excess resources and to restore benefits that would have been authorized under the new limits. Similarly, counties should have re-evaluated overpayments related to excess resources to determine if they were correct and return amounts collected or stop collection where the overpayment determination was in error. ACL 14-107.

CalWORKs eligibility rules require applicants and recipients to seek and accept potentially available income, such as other public benefits. Due to a lack of understanding regarding the Social Security and SSI disability determination and appeals processes, some counties have required CalWORKs applicants and recipients to submit (or attempt to submit) new applications to Social Security when another application was already pending or on appeal. Citing a July 2011 Social Security ruling (SSR 11-1p) that bars subsequent applications for benefits when a prior application is under review, CDSS now prohibits counties from requiring CalWORKs applicants and recipients from filing new claims for Social Security and SSI when an appeal is pending. ACL 14-109.

Effective January 1, 2015, CDSS issued new regional market rate ceilings, or caps on the amount child care providers can be reimbursed for subsidized childcare under CalWORKs Stage One child care.  The changes increased the reimbursement rate for some assistance units and none received a reduction under the revised ceilings.  Counties were required to issue notices of action for any changes (NA833) that included a right to hearing to challenge the subsidy or grant computation.  ACL 14-94.

Coincidentally, given the recent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough in California, CDSS recently issued a revised form for CalWORKs recipient families who seek a good cause exception to the child immunization requirements.  As of March 1, 2015, counties must use the revised Immunization Good Cause Request Form (CW 2209) which allows families to explain why one or all eligible children in the assistance unit are not immunized or cannot show proof of immunization.  The form must be provided at the time of application, redetermination and whenever the county requests proof of immunization.  Families are still permitted to make a verbal good cause request.  ACL 14-98.

Upon request, or upon notice that a person requires accommodation due to a disability, counties must assist CalWORKs applicants and recipients to obtain required benefit eligibility evidence if the applicant’s or recipient’s good faith efforts to obtain the evidence have failed.  CDSS has directed counties to revise 17 notices of action that deny, discontinue or decrease benefits due to failure to provide required verification to specify that the client did not ask the county for help getting the required proof of evidence of eligibility.  CDSS also directs the counties to rescind any negative actions on CalWORKs cases wherein the applicant or recipient asked the county for help, but did not receive help. ACL 14-88 (11/20/14)