The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued instructions implementing Executive Order N-29-20 regarding eligibility redeterminations for CalWORKs and CalFresh. CalWORKs and CalFresh redeterminations are suspended for March, April, and May, 2020, and months or partial months of CalWORKs aid are exempt from being counted toward the 48-month time clock through June, 2020.
For March CalFresh and CalWORKs semi-annual reports (SAR 7s), as many discontinuances as as possible will be stopped using an automated process. For March SAR 7s that have already been processed, counties must manually rescind any discontinuances as a result of information on the SAR 7. Processing that resulted in a benefit increase will not be changed. Counties must stop processing March SAR 7s.
Households will continue to receive benefits in the amount they were eligible for in the month the report was due. That amount will continue unless the household completes a voluntary or mandatory report resulting in a benefits change.
For March CalFresh annual recertifications and CalWORKs annual redeterminations, households will be granted a new six-month certification period with a recertification due in September, 2020. All CalFresh households granted a new six month certification period must be issued a notice informing of their new certification period and new recertification due date. Otherwise, March annual recertifications and redeterminations are handled in the same way as the March SAR 7s.
For April and May CalFresh and CalWORKs SAR 7s, automated mailing of the April and May SAR 7 documents has stopped. Households will continue to receive benefits in the amount they were eligible for in the month the report was due. Households must continue to complete all mandatory reports. The waiver of the SAR 7 reporting requirement does not change the household’s originally assigned certification period. That amount will continue unless the household completes a voluntary or mandatory report resulting in a benefits change. Counties will disregard any April or May SAR 7s that are submitted.
For April and May CalFresh recertifications and CalFresh retedetminations, households will be granted a new six-month certification period with a recertification due in October or November, respectively. Automated mailing of May recertification packets will stop. April recertification packets have already been mailed. Households will continue to receive benefits in the amount they were eligible for in the month the report was due. That amount will continue unless the household completes a voluntary or mandatory report resulting in a benefits change. Counties will disregard any April or May recertifictions or redeterminations that are submitted.
Transitional CalFresh households who have recertification due in March, April or May will need to complete recertification as originally scheduled.
The county welfare department computer systems have stopped all discontinuances set to occur in March, April, May or June for exceeding the 48-month time on aid limit. Cases that have already been discontinued for exceeding the 48-month time on aid limit in March should be reinstated through June. People who are on a time-limit extender must continue to meet the extender requirements to remain on aid.
Counties should implement mass informing practices to communicate this change such as a message on their websites, social media and interactive voice response systems. (All County Welfare Directors Letter, March 27, 2020.)