CalWORKS Home Visiting Program re-enrollment

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The CalWORKs Home Visiting Program (HVP) pairs participants with a nurse or other trained professional who makes regular home visits to provide guidance, coaching, access to prenatal and postnatal care, and other health and social services.  Individual are eligible for HVP if 1) they are a member of a CalWORKs assistance unit, the parent or caretaker relative in a child- only CalWORKs case, a pregnant person who has applied for CalWORKs within 60 days of reaching the second trimester of pregnancy, or an individual who is apparently eligible for CalWORKS, and 2) The individual is pregnant, or the parent or caretaker relative of a child less than 24 months old at the time of enrolling in the program.

HVP participants may be eligible to re-enroll in HVP if they were unable to complete 24 months of services during their initial enrollment, and: 1) initial enrollment was discontinued because the child was removed from the assistance unit because of death of the child, termination of parental rights, or relinquishment of parental rights, 2) at the time HVP services were discontinued, there were no other eligible children in the assistance unit, 3) the family is now eligible for HVP with a new pregnancy or new eligible child, and 4) the evidence-based model that the county is using allows for participant re-enrollment.

Re-enrolled participants are eligible for services for 24 months, or until the new child turns two years old, whichever is later.  There is no limit on the number of times a participant can re-enroll in HVP.

When the initially eligible child is no longer part of the household, HVP services can continue if the participant has another child(ren) in the home and the evidence-based model allows for continued participation.  Their participation will end when they have received 24 months of services.

A household that is granted re-enrollment or continued enrollment is eligible for the remaining balance of their $1,000 material good fund from their initial enrollment.  (ACL 23-11, February 1, 2023.)

Direct deposit of cash benefits

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The California Department of Social Services reminds counties that electronic benefits transfer cardholders can opt-in to receive benefits by direct deposit at any time.  Benefits may be issued by direct deposit for CalWORKs, RCA, CAPI, and Kin-GAP.  Counties must inform recipients and applicants of these programs of the direct deposit option at application and any redetermination.

Delivery of benefits by direct deposit is more secure, and benefits will always arrive on the first of the month.

Demand Deposit Accounts are eligible to receive cash benefits through direct deposit.  (ACIN I-23-23, May 3, 2023.)

CalWORKs Home Visiting Program laptop loaner program

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The Laptops 4 Life program provided laptops to CalWORKs Home Visiting Program participants.  Families who received the laptops could keep them.  Participants could request both a smartphone and a laptop if the county or home visiting partner has assessed that the family is in need of both devices for the household. 25 counties participated in the program.  Counties worked with their home visiting partners to determine participants’ need for the devices.

The Laptops 4 Life program is extended to September 29, 2023.  This extension allows CalWORKs home visiting program participants to get a laptop and potentially a smartphone until September 29, 2023.  (ACWDL, November 2, 2022.)

End of CAPI COVID-19 procedures

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During COVID-19 counties could perform eligibility interviews electronically, and accept verbal attestation that the client applied for SSI.  Now that the COVID-19 State of Emergency is over, those procedures are no longer in effect.

Effective immediately, neither a face-to-face or virtual interview is required for CAPI if the application is signed and the county has verified all necessary information.  Counties can still require a face-to-face, phone, or virtual interview if they decide an interview is necessary.

Counties can no longer accept verbal attestation that a client has applied for SSI.  The CAPI applicant must provide either a denial letter or other communication from the Social Security Administration that their SSI application is denied because of immigration status, or verification that the applicant has filed a SSI application and it is pending a final determination.  (ACL 23-44, May 5, 2023.)

Timely issuance of Refugee Cash Assistance benefits

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued instructions regarding timely issuance of Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) to and guidelines for nonparticipation in employment services.

RCA provides 12 months of cash assistance for refugees who are ineligible for other programs.  States must determine eligibility for RCA within 30 days of application.

When benefits are issued, recipients must begin to participate in employment services.  Benefits should not be withheld awaiting proof of registration for employment service.  Recipients must register for employment services within 30 days of receiving benefits.  Failure to register and participate in employment services within the first 30 days of receiving benefits without good cause will cause benefits to be discontinued.  Good cause includes failure to obtain work authorization when the delay is not the recipient’s fault.

Disclosure of an applicant’s Social Security number is not required for RCA.

If the recipient does not comply with employment participation requirements without good cause, they are ineligible for RCA for three months for the first occurrence, and six months for each subsequent occurrence.  (ACIN I-20-23, May 12, 2023.)

Disaster CalFresh for Madera, Mendocino, and Mono Counties May 2023

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The California Department of Social Services has issued guidance and information regarding implementation of Disaster CalFresh for Madera, Mendocino, and Mono Counties.

Disaster CalFresh provides one month of temporary food assistance to households affected by natural disasters who were not already receiving CalFresh.

To be eligible for Disaster CalFresh, a household must have:

1) lived or worked in the disaster impacted county at the time of the disaster;

2) Purchased or planned to purchase food during the benefits period, which is February 21, 2023 through March 22, 2023;

3) Experienced an adverse effects because of the disaster, such as food loss, loss of income, inaccessible resources, or disaster-related expenses;

4) Meet the Disaster Gross Income Limit.  To be eligible, the household’s income received plus accessible liquid resources, minus disaster related expenses, must be less than the Disaster Gross Income Limit.

A Disaster CalFresh household includes people who lived and purchased and prepared food together on the start date of the disaster. A Disaster CalFresh household does not include people who the applicant is temporarily staying with at the time of application due to the disaster. A Disaster CalFresh household may include people who had been excluded from an ongoing CalFresh household at the time of the disaster.

Disaster CalFresh requires verification of 1) Identity; 2. Residency and loss/inaccessibility of income or liquid resources, if possible; and 3. Household composition and food loss, when questionable.

While identity verification is required, a specific type of documentary proof is not Acceptable identity verification may include, but is not limited to, a driver’s license, a work or school identification card, an identification card for health benefits, a voter registration card, a foreign passport, and “matricula consulares.”

A social security number is not required to apply for D-CalFresh.

To the extent possible, verification of residency should be satisfied via information from other sources, such as a rent or mortgage billing statement, utility billing statement, and identity documents. No specific type of documentary proof is required.

Counties should assist households in obtaining necessary verification. This includes, with the client’s permission, verifying information through alternative sources such as online banking or utility accounts, and using collateral contacts.

Certified households must be able to access benefits within 72 hours of application, which begins to run on the day of the interview.

Authorized representatives may assist with Disaster CalFresh applications following the same policy as for regular CalFresh.

The Disaster CalFresh application for Madera, Mendocino, and Mono Counties is May 15, 2023 through May 19, 2023.  Applicants can pre-register beginning on May 13, 2023.  Pre-registration will allow households to apply for D-CalFresh beginning on May 13, 2023, and to submit required D-CalFresh verifications via online portals. Counties may take up to 24 hours to initiate a telephone call to households who preregister to complete a phone interview during the application period based on the order in which their pre-registration was received.

The filing date is the day that the interview is completed and not the day that county receives the application.  Applicants must complete the CF 385 form and submit it during the application period.  Applications can be submitted by phone, online or in person. When accepting Disaster CalFresh applications by phone, verbal attestation is acceptable. Applicants who submit the application and verification online will be called for an interview within 24 hours.  If an online application does not have a phone number, the county must send the applicant a reminder notice to complete the interview no later than May 25, 2023.

Disaster CalFresh interviews should be done in-person when possible, but they can be done by phone.  (ACWDL, May 11, 2023.)