DHCS issued a letter reminding counties to process promptly information received after a discontinuance notice is sent but before the date of discontinuance or during the 90-day cure period. Counties must restore Medi-Cal benefits even with an incomplete renewal form and follow ex parte review procedures to determine continued eligibility. Only after the review and evaluation for all programs is a new discontinuance notice appropriate. DHCS MEDIL I 15-22 (8/13/15).
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
Spanish translations of Medi-Cal notice language for failure to respond, cure period
DHCS issued a letter with the required Spanish-language Notice of Action language for failure to respond to requests for information at application or redetermination. The letter also includes language counties should use to explain the 90-day cure period. DHCS MEDIL I 15-21 (8/13/15).
This language should be used according the instructions from DHCS ACWDL 15-27.
Drought relief programs
CDSS has issued information about drought relief programs. One such program is the Drought Food Assistance Program that provides low income individuals and families with three to five days of food if they live in one of 29 designated counties and are unemployed or underemployed as a result of the drought. Households self-certify and agree that the food received is for personal home use only. The food boxes are distributed by local food banks. Another program is the Drought Water Assistance Program to assist low income households with residential water utility bills in 10 counties. CDSS also distributed a brochure about drought relief programs. ACIN I-62-15 (7/22/15).
CalHEERS glitch affects MAGI Medi-Cal individuals without SSNs
DHCS issued a letter to address a known CalHEERS system defect where individuals without a social security number go through the system and return with pending eligibility from CalHEERS. The defect occurs when an individual is processed for an eligibility determination request at intake, renewal, or change of circumstances. The impacted populations are newborn infants, undocumented individuals, and those without SSNs, both existing MAGI beneficiaries and new applicants.
The letter gives instructions on how to deal with affected cases. DHCS MEDIL I 15-23 (8/13/15).
CalWORKs instructions on home county rules
CDSS has clarified that residence in California, but not in a particular county, is required for CalWORKs eligibility. Although recipients are required to report address changes within 10 days, failure to report an address change, by itself, is not a basis for adverse action against the recipient. For example, not reporting moving from a Region 1 (higher grant) county to a Region 2 (lower grant) county would cause an overpayment because of the difference in the grant level, but not because of the failure to report. In addition, a recipient can temporarily reside in another county for up to four months without changing their home county as long as they intend to return. CDSS provided five examples to illustrate the CalWORKs home county rules. ACIN I-63-15 (7/27/15).
Questions and answers regarding Family Stabilization Program
CDSS has issued 15 questions and answers about the Family Stabilization Program (FSP). FSP provides intensive case management services to CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work (WTW) participants who are experiencing an identified situation or crises. The program is described in ACL 14-12 . Among other items, the questions and answers clarify that FSP services are available to adults who are exempt from WTW participation, and adults in the family who are not included in the assistance unit if there is at least one mandatory WTW participant in the family.
Regarding FSP plans, the questions and answers clarify that a client in sanction status can use an FSP plan to cure their sanction, and each adult in a household must have a separate FSP plan. CDSS also clarified that FSP is not mandatory. In addition, CDSS states that if a client has a crisis outside of the scope of a county’s FSP plan, the county should still assess such clients for WTW exemption and provide services for removal of barriers to WTW participation outside of the FSP program. ACIN I-64-15 (7/29/15)