Reminding counties of an option that may provide workload relief by lowering the precision and the sample size for the County Work Participation Rate.  Only the small counties must meet a 100% precision rate.  [Download]

This is a review of the policy on the treatment of financial aid when determining CalWORKs eligibility and amount of aid.  The ACIN includes a new NOA to be used for recipients reporting a change in income due to student financial aid. The ACIN has a handy-dandy list of the typical financial aid that is excluded.  Any portion or otherwise countable aid used to cover the attendance for 1/2 time or more  students is excluded.  Attendance costs are defined as tuition, fees, rental or purchase of required equipment, materials or supplies, books, transportation, dependent care and miscellaneous personal educational expenses. Transportation costs to and from school are an allowable school cost, based on the mode most economically available and feasible in the particular circumstances. If this means use of a car, all actual transportation costs will be used, prorated for the amount of driving that is attributable to going to school, and includes car payments, car insurance, car registration, parking fees and gasoline, subject to verification of costs.

Counties are to send the CW 2200 form to ask for needed verification, and if verification is not provided, the ACIN describes how to count the non-excluded financial aid funds. [Download]

The correct IRT for a 9 person AU.  (Tiny typo, that left off $4,000.) [Download]

A second Q & A letter on subsidized employment (SE) issues.  Covers matters such is “premature ending” of employment; replacing former CalWORKs recipients who incomed off the program (due to subsidized work) being replaced in SE; recalculating the grant for re-placed participants; combining Work Experience or Community Service with SE and minimum wage concerns, etc. [Download]