COVID-19

COVID-19 county welfare department office access

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) reminds counties of their legal requirements to ensure applicants and recipients have access to public social services benefits and services during an emergency or disaster.  Absent an order from federal, state or local officials to close counties to the public, counties must continue to offer in-person assistance to applicants and recipients in addition to telephone and internet assistance.

If a county closes during regular business hours, the county must: 1) provide the opportunity to file an application for and receive benefits within mandated timeframes by making applications available and providing a drop-box, mail slot or other reasonable means for filing applications; 2) provide the opportunity to file an application for and receive expedited CalFresh, immediate need CalWORKs, and homeless assistance by maintaining sufficient staff to accept and act on all such applications, and/or maintain a local telephone service with sufficient staff to accept and act upon all applications as if the requests has been made in person at the county office; 3) have a telephone announcement with working days and times, when the offices will be closed, and procedures for applying for benefits, and 4) post notices at welfare department offices of times when the office will be closed, procedures to obtain and file applications, and procedures for applying for and receiving expedited CalFresh, immediate need CalWORKs and homeless assistance within mandated time frames.

Counties must provide access to benefits and services by telephone in a timely manner.  Extended wait times, which require applicants and recipients to hold for hours or call back on multiple days are not compliant.

Best practices for counties include triaging client needs to limit lobby traffic and the number of people in the lobby, setting up stations outside of the county office to accept applications and screen for eligibility, providing accessible phones for clients when the county provides applications in boxes outside of a partially closed office, setting up drive through drop-off stations for no contact delivery of documents, issuing homeless assistance benefits to the client’s EBT card, and offering pick-up mail services for homeless clients.

Counties can also set up a laptop pilot program to loan participants mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, and establish a Digital Navigator program to help clients with digital access and learning, and developing digital skills.  (ACIN I-76-20, November 4, 2020.)

COVID-19 Pandemic EBT extension

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued information about the extension of Pandemic EBT (P-EBT).  P-EBT was a food benefit for eligible school aged children for March through June, 2020.  California was approved to issue additional P-EBT benefits for August and September, 2020 to provide nutrition benefits for children who would otherwise receive free or reduced-price school meals if not for COVID-19.

Most children who received P-EBT will receive P-EBT extension benefits.  Children who received P-EBT will receive extension benefits if they are still a California registered student, can be assumed to be attending school via virtual instruction, and are found to be eligible through the State’s data match program.  New P-EBT cards with additional benefits will be automatically mailed to families without the family needing to apply online.

Children who are newly eligible for free or reduced-price school meals for the 2020-21 school year are not eligible for P-EBT extension benefits.  This includes children who just started school for the first time as a preschooler or kindergartner.

There is no standard amount due under the P-EBT extension.  Benefit amounts are based on individual student and school level data.  The amount an individual child is eligible to receive depends on the child’s start date of virtual instruction for the 2020-21 school year. P-EBT extension will be provided based on the school meal reimbursement rate of $5.86 per day for each qualifying day of virtual instruction.  The maximum amount of P-EBT extension benefits is $246.

With the issuance of P-EBT extension benefits, counties will no longer be responsible for providing cardholder support.  The P-EBT Helpline will provide ongoing cardholder support.  During a two-week transition period, counties and the P-EBT Helpline will provide cardholder support simultaneously.  The P-EBT Helpline is (877) 328-9677.  The P-EBT Helpline can assist with PIN set-up and P-EBT card replacement.  The P-EBT Helpline cannot help with children not found in the system.  The time for eligibility appeals has expired.

California has been granted authority, pending federal approval, to provide P-EBT for the 2020-21 school year, including children attending qualifying child care.  That program will be called P-EBT 2.0.  CDSS will provide more information after California’s plan is approved.  (ACWDL, November 2, 2020.)

COVID-19 CalFresh emergency allotment for November 2020

Posted on by

California has been approved to issue an emergency allotment of CalFresh for November, 2020.  The emergency allotment will be issued on December 20 to raise each household’s monthly CalFresh allotment to the maximum allowable for the household size.  Per guidance from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), households already receiving the maximum allotment are not eligible to receive an emergency allotment.

Moving forward, emergency allotments may be approved by FNS on a month-to-month basis until the Secretary of Health and Human Services rescinds the public health emergency. (ACWDL, October 30, 2020.)

COVID-19 extended foster care

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding flexibility in Extended Foster Care, waivers of age and time limits for Transitional Housing Program-Plus and remote approval of Supervised Independent Living Placements.

Counties must temporarily continue maintenance payments for otherwise eligible non-minor dependents who do not meet any one of five participation criteria: completing secondary education or a program leading to an equivalent credential, enrolled in an institution which provides post-secondary or vocational education, participating in a program designed to promote or remove barriers to employment, employed at least 80 hours per month, or incapable of doing any of these because of a medical condition.

County caseworkers must continue to work with youth to help them to meet one of these participation criteria.

Caseworkers should continue to assist non-minor dependents by review of a previous Transitional Independent Living Plan and helping them to establish goals that meet their needs.

Counties must serve nonminors between age 18 and 21 requesting entry or reentry into extended foster care.  A nonminor’s inability to satisfy participation conditions because of COVID-19 is not a basis to deny entry or reentry into extended foster care because only nonminor’s intent to satisfy at least one participation condition is required.

A placing agency must offer the least-restrictive safe and appropriate available housing for a nonminor upon their entry or reentry into care.

Effective July 1, 2020, counties can complete Supervised Independent Living Placement inspections for non-minor dependents through methods other than in-person visit.

Any county decision to grant, deny, change or terminate payments to a non-minor dependent must be communicated by adequate written notice to the provider and/or non-minor dependent. (ACL 20-112, October 12, 2020.)

COVID-19 continued extended foster care assistance upon turning age 21

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding continued assistance payments and case management for persons who were in extended foster care upon turning age 21 between April 17, 2020 and June 30, 2021.  The California Budget extends assistance payments and case management to all persons in extended foster care upon turning age 21 on or after April 17, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

If a county discontinued assistance payments for persons who were in extended foster care upon turning age 21 between April 17, 2020 and June 30, 2021, the county must make diligent efforts to contact those persons immediately, and no later than 10 days after October 23, 2020. The county must arrange to resume and make retroactive assistance payments if the person was eligible.  These payments must be provided unless the person affirmatively opts out to have the payments discontinued.  If the person did not remain in a provider-based setting after discontinuance, the young adult is ineligible for payment equivalent to the rate for a supervised independent living placement, even if a housing location was not approved.

Persons who were in extended foster care upon turning age 21 and are not receiving extended assistance and support are not in extended foster care and are not nonminor dependents, and therefore do not have participation, housing or placement approval requirements.  Payments may not be terminated because these persons are not participating in employment or education activities, or for living in unapproved housing.

Because these persons are no longer in extended foster care or court dependents, monthly contact visits can occur remotely.  Caseworkers should try to make in-person contact with these persons at least quarterly.

A person receiving assistance after turning age 21 may continue to reside in any type of eligible foster care placement as a client, or the person can receive payment equivalent to the Supervised Independent Placement Living rate.  If a parenting young adult was receiving an infant supplement, the infant supplement must continue to be paid as long as the nondependent child continues to live with the parent.  After a young adult turns 21, a new infant supplement may be approved based on a change in circumstances.  No other types of rate supplements may be newly granted after the young adult turns age 21, but rate supplements granted and in effect when the young adult turns age 21 may continue to the same provider. If a person transitions to other independent housing, they are responsible locating their new housing.  However, caseworkers should provide assistance and support upon request.

Recipients of extended foster care assistance after turning age 21 must be given adequate notice before any county action denying, changing or terminating benefits.  (ACL 20-117, October 23, 2020 and ACL 20-117E, November 2, 2020.)

COVID-19 CalFresh waiver of interview requirements

Posted on by

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is implementing federal waivers of the initial application and recertification interview and face-to-face interview.  These waivers were previously in effect, and are not being reimplemented because of the Continuing Appropriations Act.  These waivers are effective from now until June 30, 2021.  The waivers can be applied to any application pending at the time of the release of the guidance.

Counties must waive the requirement for an interview at initial certification and recertification of eligibility for benefits if the county has verified the identity of the applicant and has completed all mandatory verifications.  Households entitled to expedited service and whose identity is verified within the three-day expedited service timeframe will have their initial interview waived prior to benefit issuance.  If an expedited service household does not provide missing mandatory verification, benefits will be discontinued per existing CDSS policy.

To verify identity counties must accept any readily available documentary evidence which reasonably establishes the applicant’s identity.  If documentary evidence is not readily available, counties may verify identity using collateral contacts.

For other verification, counties should proactively use electronic verification when it is available.

Verification of job loss is not a mandatory verification for CalFresh.  Verification of job loss should be requested only if the job loss is questionable. A client’s statement of job loss is sufficient evidence that the client cannot reasonably anticipate income from that job.

If the county determines that any of the information provided on the application is questionable or incomplete, or the applicant does not complete identity verification or other mandatory verification, then an interview is required.

For households whose interviews cannot be waived, counties may require the household to completed a telephone interview even if they request a face-to-face interview.  (All County Welfare Directors Letter, October 21, 2020.)