The California Department of Social Services has provided information about the 2025 SUN Bucks program.  SUN Bucks provides nutrition benefits to families with school age children during the summer.

The 2025 SUN Bucks eligibility period is July 1 to September 2, 2025.  CDSS will begin mailing EBT Cards in June.  Cards will be mailed to the address on file in CALPADS or CalSAWS.  The benefit is $120 per child.  Each child in home will get a separate EBT card.

Children are eligible for SUN Bucks if:

1. They are ages 6-18 and categorically eligible. Categorically eligible is if they are eeceiving assistance under CalFresh, CalWORKs, and/or Medi-Cal (certified at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level [FPL]), or are In foster care, homeless, migrant, in Head Start, and a runaway.
2. They are enrolled in a National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast Program (NSLP/SBP)-participating school and are categorically eligible, certified to receive Free or Reduced-Price Meals (FRPM), otherwise determined eligible to receive FRPM; or determined eligible through a Universal Benefits Application (UBA); or.
3. They are enrolled in a special provision school, and categorically eligible, otherwise meet the requirements to receive FRPM; or determined eligible through an UBA.

Children are eligible for streamlined application, and are automatically eligible if they are ages 6-18 who and categorically eligible, or ages 0-22 attending an NSLP/SBP-participating school and certified for FRPM

Children who are not automatically eligible must complete a school meals application with their school or a Universal Benefits Application on the California Department of Education website by September 2.

SUN Bucks benefits are expunged 122 days after funds are loaded onto the EBT card and cannot be restored.

Families can get assistance about SUN Bucks by calling the Helpline at (877) 328-9677.  This includes not receiving a card by the end of August, replacement of a lost or stolen card, and disputes about eligibility.

Families may be eligible for replacement SUN Bucks in case of family misfortune such as a power outage lasting four hours or more, or a disaster.  Families must report the loss to the Helpline within 10 days.

SUN Bucks does not affect eligibility for CalFresh or other nutrition programs.  (ACWDL, May 14, 2025.)

The United States Department of Agriculture has approved a two year extension of California’s waiver of the CalFresh Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) time limit waiver. The ABAWD rule limits people who are age 18 to 54, not disabled and who do not have children to receiving 3 months of CalFresh every 36 months, unless they are working, or participating in Employment and Training, at least 20 hours per week.  The extension is until January 31, 2027.

Counties must continue to identify ABAWDs, screen for exemptions, and inform clients of ABAWD rules.  (ACL 25-14, February 14, 2025.)

The United States Department of Agriculture has granted a one year extension of the statewide waiver of the Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) rules. The ABAWD  rule means anyone between the ages of 18 and 54 with no children and who is not disabled, might only be able to get three months of CalFresh benefits every three years. The extension is effective from November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025.

The waiver requires counties to identify ABAWDs, screen for exemptions, inform clients of ABAWD rules, and track and report work registrant, ABAWD, and Employment and Training data.  (ACL 24-76, October 11, 2024.)

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued a Child Care Bulletin (CCB) regarding definitional changes to part-time and full-time care consistent with Senate Bill (SB) 140 and clarifies inconsistencies with other regulations and codes.

Part-time care is defined as care certified for less than 25 hours per week, and full-time care as 25 or more hours per week, effective no later than March 1, 2024. This conflicts with the existing California Code of Regulations (CCR) definitions that define part-time as less than 30 hours and full-time as 30 or more hours per week. The CDSS must adopt new regulations by July 1, 2026, but this CCB guides the implementation of the latest definitions until then.

CCR section 18075 defines multiple time-based definitions but the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) section 10213.5(al)(1)-(2) only defines part-time and full-time weekly. Contractors need to adjust their systems to reflect the updated definitions for hourly, part-time, monthly, and full-time me as outlined in the CCB while the definition of daily remains unchanged.

Hourly care is used when a child’s need for care is fewer than 25 hours per week and fewer than five hours on any day, or when unscheduled needs are fewer than five hours per occurrence.

Daily is used when there is a certified need for child care of six or more hours per day or there is an unscheduled but documented need of six hours or more per occurrence.

Part-time monthly is used when there is a need for child care for fewer than 25 hours per week and that need occurs every week of the month or the need for care averages fewer than 25 hours per week when calculated by dividing the total hours of need in the month by 4.33.

Full-time monthly is used when there is a need for child care greater than 25 hours per week and that need occurs every week of the month or the need for care averaged more than 25 hours per week when calculated by dividing the total hours of need by 4.33.

Previously contractors receiving the standard reimbursement rate could adjust enrollment by time-based factors. They now must align with the new definitions of part-time and full-time care. Contractors must report all children according to these definitions.

The new definitions do not impact family fee determinations at this time. Contractors must adhere to the family fee schedule in CCB 23-22 while continuing to follow the 130-hour threshold for assessments.

Providers do not have to update their rate sheets but contractors must accept updates to rate sheets at any time within 60 days of implementing changes. Without updated rate sheets contractors should compare the provider’s full-time rate to the market rate ceiling and pay the lesser of the two amounts.

The new thresholds for part time and full time care end the need for the Individualized County Child Care Subsidy (Pilot) Program flexibility on service hours.

These changes do not apply to CalWORKs Stage One Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge program.  (CCB 24-04, March 8, 2024.)

The Social Security Administration release guidance about medical evidence for disability claims based on symptom of Long COVID.  The  guidance discussesthe kinds of medical evidence Social Security says is needed to evaluate disability claims based on long-term health effects of COVID-19.  (Dear Colleague Letter, July 18, 2023.)