California’s 2010 state plan for administration of TANF was approved by the federal government for another two-year period, reaffirming that California is an “eligible state” and allowing the CalWORKs program to continue.  Changes in this new plan included updating goals and objectives to reduce the teen birth rate, extension of foster care benefits for non-minor dependents up to age 21 (phased in over three years), assistance for recipients to train for work in the health care industry, increased collaboration with partner agencies to increase licensing and employment in the health care industry for recipients and short-term payments and services for participants of a San Diego County demonstration project.  [Download]

You asked.  They answered.  In this letter CDSS provides answers to seven questions posed by welfare advocates regarding the CalWORKs program.  Topics include the immunization exemption, processing of CalWORKs time limit extenders after removal from the assistance unit, compulsory school attendance and the obligation of workers to schedule annual redeterminations and recertifications. [Download]

For counties challenged by the sampling process for calculating the work participation rate, this notice provides instructions on a less onerous method of sampling that still maintains the current all Families and Two-Parent sampling methodology. [Download]

When forms are printed in a typeface that nearly requires a magnifying glass to read, one has to expect a few typos and other errors might occur.  Accordingly, the state issued this errata notice fixing the typos and correcting the QR 285B (removal of references to elderly and disabled households except for documentation of separate household status), DFA 285B (removal of reference to quarterly reporting and elderly and disabled households except for documentation of separate household status) and DFA 285D (removal of references to quarterly reporting) forms.  The new forms also correct the treatment of court ordered child support payments, making them income exclusions with the 20 percent earned income deduction taken prior to the child support exclusion. [Download]