DHCS issued this letter to update the family member base allowance from $1,939 to $1,967. This allowance is used to determine how much a long-term care beneficiary may allocate to family members living with a community spouse.
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
ACWDL 14-29: Interim Non-Payment of Premium (NPP) Processes for the Optional Targeted Low-Income Children Program (August 8, 2014)
DHCS issued guidelines for counties to proceed on discontinuing Optional Targeted Low-Income Children Program cases on the basis of non-payment of premiums (NPP). The counties have experienced a backlog of NPPs that should have been terminated. DHCS has determined that premium payment status is an eligibility condition, so there are no redetermination requirements unless there’s a reported change in circumstances.
For those on aid codes H3 and H5, NPPs will be sent a timely NOA and terminated accordingly. Beneficiaries must pay past-due premiums before termination to preserve eligibility. If a beneficiary pays past-due premiums after discontinuance but within 30 days, coverage can be reinstated without a break in coverage. After 30 days, the beneficiary will need to reapply. Those on aid code 5D will proceed similarly.
The letter includes sample discontinuance language for NOAs.
DHCS MEDIL I 14-45: Clarification of Medi-Cal Eligibility for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) (August 6, 2014)
DHCS has issued this letter to explain that those individuals granted deferred action status through DACA are eligible for full-scope state-funded Medi-Cal as PRUCOLs. Individuals must meet all other Medi-Cal eligibility requirements. DACA status will be verified through the federal data hub, SAVE, or by the applicant. Counties will need to grant full scope through an eligibility workaround.
ACIN I-46-14: Title XX Social Services Block Grant Pre-Expenditure Report (8/15/14)
This report summarizes Title XX expenditures, program responsibilities, and the population served. The programs covered are Child Welfare Services, Foster Care, Community Care Licensing, Deaf Access, CalWORKs Child Care, CDE Child Care Programs, and the DDS Regional Center Program. [Download]
ACIN I-42-14: The Approved Relative Caregiver Funding Option Program (8/1/14)
Introductory information regarding the Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) Funding Option Program enacted by SB 855. Relatives who care for a non-federally eligible child in foster care is not eligible to receive foster care payments. Instead, the relatives can get CalWORKs payments. The CalWORKs benefits are not a per-child payment, however, but are based on the size of the family as a whole, and are less than the AFDC-FC rate. To address this issue, the Legislature has enacted the ARC Funding Option Program, which gives counties the option to provide funding equal to the basic foster care rate to an approved relative caregiver of a non-federally eligible child. [Download]
ACL 14-47: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS REGARDING SIPs IN THE CalWORKs WELFARE-TO-WORK PROGRAM
The latest info on SIPs, of note, including “structured education plans” that include a transfer to a 4 year college. [Download]