Treatment of Hospital and Skilling Nursing Facility retention pay for various programs

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Hospital and Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 Worker Retention Pay gives eligible full-time employees a one-time payment of up to $1,500, eligible part-time employees a one-time payment of up to $1,250, and eligible physicians a one-time payment of up to $1,000.

The Clinic Workforce Stabilization Retention Payment Program provides funds to eligible clinics make a one-time retention payment to eligible employees.

For CalWORKs and CalFresh, payments under each of these programs are non-recurring lump sums and are therefore not income.  These payments are considered property in the month of receipt.

These payments are not considered income for Refugee Cash Assistance, Entrant Cash Assistance, or Trafficking and Crime Victims Protection Act benefits.

For CAPI, these payments are not income and are excluded as a resource. (ACL 23-21, January 31, 2023.)

CalFresh shelter deduction and utility allowance for homeless households

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued clarification about the CalFresh shelter deduction and utility allowance for homeless households.

Households experiencing homelessness who do not receive free shelter for the entire month are eligible for the homeless shelter deduction.  Households experiencing homelessness that incur, or reasonably expect to incur, shelter costs during a month are eligible for the homeless shelter deduction without verifying shelter costs.  Households that get the homeless shelter deduction cannot get the utility allowance.

If actual verified costs homeless shelter costs are higher than the homeless shelter deduction, the actual cost may be used instead and the household can claim utility costs.

If a household experiencing homelessness is living in a vehicle, reasonably anticipated or recurring maintenance costs of the vehicle, including vehicle payments, and collision and comprehensive insurance premiums, are allowable shelter costs.  Costs of overnight parking and camping fees are also valid shelter expenses.  Expenses that occur less than monthly can be averaged over the period for which they are paid.

Costs of fuel to operate a vehicle are not allowable shelter or utility costs.  However, the cost of gasoline for a generator, propane or firewood are allowable utility expenses.  Liability and medical insurance premiums are not allowable shelter costs.  The cost of ice for keeping food fresh is not an allowable deduction because ice is a food item that can be bought with CalFresh benefits.

Households experiencing homelessness that have utility costs but not shelter costs may claim a utility allowance.

Households are eligible for the Standard Utility Allowance if they have heating and cooling costs separate from their rent or mortgage.

A household that is not eligible for the Standard Utility Allowance but has expenses for at least two separate utilities is eligible for the Limited Utility Allowance.

A household that is not eligible for either the Standard Utility Allowance or the Limited Utility Allowance but incurs a telephone expense is eligible for the Telephone Utility Allowance.

A household that is eligible for the Homeless Shelter Deduction is not eligible for the $20.01 State Utility Assistance Subsidy.  If a household would receive a higher benefit allotment with the Standard Utility Deduction than with the Homeless Shelter Deduction, the household is eligible for the State Utility Assistance Subsidy.  (ACIN I-15-23, May 10, 2023.)

BenefitsCal Release of Information

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has announced the release of the integrated release of information form for BenefitsCal.

Currently, people can request access to their county welfare department file using the ABCDM 228 form, or an alternative document that identifies the participant releasing the information and the agency institution or provider to whom information is released.

People can grant access to the county welfare department case file information in BenefitsCal using the ABCDM 229 form, which will be integrated into the BenefitsCal portal.  The ABCDM 229 form is the only way for a community based organization (CBO) to access client information on BenefitsCal.  Either the benefits applicant or the CBO can submit ABCDM 229 form by document upload to BenefitsCal.  The ABCDM 229 can also be submitted to the county in a paper format.

With a ABCDM 229 release of information, CBOs can access notice of action, verification requests, benefit award, program status, termination reasons, and upcoming SAR 7 and renewal dates.  CBOs will be able to access information in BenefitsCal for up to 1 year.  However, benefits award, program status, termination reasons and upcoming SAR 7 and renewal due dates will be limited to 60 days of case history.

To have access to BenefitsCal, a CBO must have a formal written agreement with the state or with any county, and have been approved by a county for a CBO account.  After the ABCD 229 is submitted, the county will determine whether the person who signed the form is the primary applicant in the household and whether the data elements in the system align with the information in the form.  If not, the county may contact the applicant to resolve any discrepancies.  If the county cannot resolve the issues, the form will remain pending for up to 365 days.  The county should fix data mismatches can be easily resolved (such as using the name Jim instead of James) without contacting the applicant.

Applicants can revoke a release of information at any time.  CBOs cannot revoke a release of information.

A separate ABCDM 229 is required for each county that a client has a case in (for example if a client moves) and for each CBO that the client authorizes.  (ACL 23-37, May 1, 2023.)

End of COVID expansion of CalFresh student exemptions

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During COVID-19, there were two additional exemptions to the CalFresh rule that students are ineligible for CalWORKs:  students who were eligible for federal or state work study and students who had an Expected Family Contribution of zero dollars.  These new exemptions will no longer be available to new CalFresh applicants beginning on June 10, 2023 (30 days after the end of the federal Public Health Emergency).

Students who are currently exempt under one of the COVID-19 exemptions must remain exempt until their next annual recertification.  Student status is not redetermined mid-period or periodic report.  Beginning July 1, 2023, students who must do annual recertification will need to meet one of the permanent exemptions to the CalFresh student rule in order to be eligible.

As temporary students exemptions expire, counties should screen students for all allowable exemptions.  (ACIN I-18-23, April 26, 2023.)

Disaster CalFresh for San Bernardino County May 2023

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The California Department of Social Services has issued guidance and information regarding implementation of Disaster CalFresh for San Bernardino County in May, 2023. Disaster CalFresh has been approved for the following ZIP codes in San Bernardino County: 91759 (Mt Baldy), 92305 (Angelus Oaks), 92314 (Big Bear City), 92315 (Big Bear Lake), 92321 (Lake Arrowhead), 92322 (Crestline), 92325 (Crestline), 92333 (Fawnskin), 92339 (Forest Falls), 92341 (Green Valley Lake), 92352 (Lake Arrowhead), 92372 (Pinon Hills), 92378 (Lake Arrowhead), 92382 (Running Springs), 92385 (Lake Arrowhead), 92386 (Big Bear City), 92391 (Lake Arrowhead), and 92397 (Wrightwood), 92317 (Lake Arrowhead), 92399 (Yucaipa), 92359 (Mentone), 92407 (North San Bernardino), 92404 (North San Bernardino), 92392 (Victorville), 92344 (Oak Hills), and 92371 (Phelan).

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 San Bernardino County is May 1, 2023 through May 5, 2023, and May 8, 2023 through May 9, 2023.  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 April 28, 2023.

Disaster CalFresh interviews should be done in-person when possible, but they can be done by phone.  (ACWDL, April 28, 2023.)

Eligibility of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parolees for federal and state benefits

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding eligibility of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parolees for federal and state benefits.

Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan refugees and asylees are eligible for CalWORKs, CalFresh, SSI, Refugee Cash Assistance, and Refugee Support Services.  Asylum applicants are not eligible for federally funded benefits and services unless they hold another qualifying status.

Humanitarian parolees are generally not eligible for federal benefits.  Nicaraguan and Venezuelan parolees are not eligible for refugee benefits and services.  Cubans and Haitians who arrive in the United States under the supporter-based parole process are eligible for benefits to the same extent as refugees.

Temporary Protected Status holders are not eligible for most federal or state benefits or services.

For Refugee Cash Assistance, counties can accept a declaration under penalty of perjury that the individual has a qualifying immigration status if the worker is unable to confirm status after reviewing documents that suggest eligibility.  Refugee Cash Assistance applicants are not required to provide Social Security Numbers.

Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parolees are eligible for CalWORKs because humanitarian parolees have Permanent Residence Under Color of Law.  As CalWORKs recipients, they are eligible for Welfare-To-Work services, Family Stabilization, domestic abuse survivor services, Housing Support Program, Homeless Assistance, Bringing Families Home, Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, and Home Safe.  Housing Support Program and Homeless Assistance can supplement federal refugee resettlement funding.

Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parolees are eligible for Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants.

Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parolees may be eligible for CalFresh or the California Food Assistance Program if they have been paroled into the United States for at least one year.

Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parolees may be eligible for Medi-Cal.

Counties must submit cases to the SAVE system for verification.

Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parolees can present a copy of their electronic Form I-94.  Additional verification may be required in limited circumstances, such as when information from the applicant does not match federal immigration records. (ACIN I-13-22, April 20, 2023.)