On November 17, 2025, the California Department of Social Services relaunched the Food and Vegetable Pilot. The pilot project allows CalFresh recipients to earn a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $60 per month, when buying fresh fruits and vegetables with their CalFresh benefits at participating retailers and farmers markets. CDSS lists the participating retailers and farmers markets. (ACWDL, November 20, 2025.)
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
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November 2025 CalFresh benefit issuance
The federal government shutdown ended by legislation signed on November 12, 2025. States must ensure the households receive their full SNAP allotment for November, 2025. Counties must resume normal operations for application processing, expedited service, and recertifications, and must meet application processing timeframes. The CalSAWS computer system consortium must also resume normal operations.
Overissuances for November 2025 must be processed as normal.
Counties must notify households of the issuance of November, 2025 in accordance with mass change noticing requirements.
The United States Department of Agriculture states that it will not hold states accountable for application processing or recertification timeliness for November, 2025. (ACL 25-82, November 20, 2025.)
Funding for HDAP, Bringing Families Home and Home Safe programs
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) announced that a total of $209.4 million in new one-time funding has been allocated for the 2025-26 fiscal year for housing and homelessness programs. These funds come from the Budget Act of 2025 and will be distributed to counties and eligible Tribal grantees to continue and expand three programs: Bringing Families Home (BFH), the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP), and the Home Safe Program. The funding period for these programs will run from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. Unlike past years, there are no matching requirements for counties or Tribal governments.
The Bringing Families Home program will receive $81 million to provide housing-related support to families in the child welfare system who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Housing and Disability Advocacy Program is allocated $44.6 million in additional one-time funding, which will supplement the ongoing $25 million that the state already provides annually. This program focuses on outreach, housing assistance, and disability benefit advocacy for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness who may qualify for disability benefits. The Home Safe program will receive $83.8 million to support older and dependent adults, including those involved with Adult Protective Services or Tribes, who are facing homelessness or housing instability due to abuse, neglect, or related risks.
Current grantees are strongly encouraged to continue running their existing programs without interruption to ensure families and individuals maintain housing stability and avoid returning to homelessness. Grantees may begin claiming eligible expenses for these programs starting July 1, 2025, and can continue to do so until final allocation amounts are released. The new one-time funding is in addition to any unspent funds from the 2021 and 2022 Budget Acts, which are still available for use. To avoid overspending before allocations are finalized, grantees are advised to limit their spending to the average quarterly amount they claimed in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
For Tribal grantees, CDSS will provide more details in separate communications and will engage directly with Tribal governments and organizations before finalizing allocations. For counties, the state has extended the deadline to spend and claim funding from earlier budget cycles, allowing grantees to use 2021 through 2024 program funds for two additional quarters, up to the December 2025. (ACWDL, July 30, 2025.)
2025 SUN Bucks program
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
Extension of CalFresh ABAWD time limit waiver
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.)
Extension of CalFresh ABAWD waiver
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.)