Change to CalFresh treatment of Guaranteed Income

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Effective immediately, Guarantee Income (GI) payments that have any amount of non-government funding and are exempt from being considered as income for CalWORKs are also not counted as income for CalFresh. This means that CalFresh GI exemptions are no longer limited to funds from individually approved CalWORKs demonstration projects.

Some programs have already been screened and approved by the California Department of Social Services to meet the requirements to be exempt for CalFresh purposes.  Counties can rely on those approvals.  To exempt future GI payments for CalFresh, counties will need to determine whether GI payments contain any non-governmental funds.

For resource determinations, this change will not impact households that have Modified Categorical Eligibility status because they do not have a resource limit for CalFresh.  Households that do not have Modified Categorical Eligibility must meet a resource test, and they will be at risk of losing CalFresh if GI payments that they save put them over the resource limit at initial application, semi-annual reporting, or annual recertification.  Households that do not have Modified Categorial Eligibility are households that contain sanctioned individuals, or elderly or disabled households with income over 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.  (ACL 23-60, July 5, 2023.)

Providing CalWORKs supportive services via contractors

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WTW participants are eligible to receive supportive services, including child care, transportation, and ancillary expenses.  If supportive services are not provided, the participant has good cause not to participate.

The California Department of Social Services has informed counties that they can allow Welfare-to-Work (WTW) contractors to provide supportive services directly to participants.  These contractors include job search agencies, education agencies, and other entities that provide WTW services. Counties may enter into written agreements or memorandum of understanding to directly provide supportive services to WTW participants.

Counties should continue to process overpayments of supportive services including overpayments of supportive services issued by contractors, without change.  (ACIN I-42-23, August 8, 2023.)

Requirement to use CW 80 Self-Certification Form for Motor Vehicles

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The California Department of Social Services has issued a reminder that counties must use the CW 80 Self-Certification Form for Motor Vehicles for CalWORKs applicants and recipients.  The CW 80 form must be used at application and redetermination instead of the SAWS 2 Plus Appendix E while the SAWS 2 Plus is being updated. The CW 80 must also be used for mid-period reports and at the semi-annual reporting if the recipient is reporting a vehicle.  CDSS is releasing this reminder because file reviews showed that counties were using the SAWS 2 Plus instead of the CW 80.

When the revised SAWS 2 Plus is available, the CW 80 will only be used for mid-period of a vehicle that was not previously reported. (ACIN I-42-23, August 8, 2023.)

CalFresh Employment and Training Screening and Referral Requirement

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Counties are responsible for screening and referral of CalFresh applicants and recipients to the CalFresh Employment and Training program as part of the certification process.  California Department of Social Services criteria for referral includes all CalFresh applicants and recipients who are interested in services.  Counties have flexibility to develop their own criteria for referral to CalFresh employment and training.

Counties can only administer employment and training programs to people who want to participate.  Counties cannot disqualify voluntary participants for failure to follow program rules, Applicants and recipients cannot be sanctioned or negatively affected because of non-participation.

If an individual was not screened or referred to CalFresh employment and training during certification, the individual or the employment and training program can ask the county to complete a screening and referral.  (ACL 23-34, March 28, 2023.)

CalFresh Transitional Nutrition Benefit recertifications are starting November 2023

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The Transitional Nutrition Benefit (TNB) program provides food benefits for households that became ineligible for CalFresh because of the addition of a household member who was previously excluded from the CalFresh household because they received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.

Beginning in November, 2021, recertifications for TNB were paused for two years. TNB recertifications will begin in November, 2023.  Counties must send the Notice of Recertification for the Transitional Nutrition Benefit Program (TNB 4) to TNB households in the month prior to the household’s original TNB renewal month, starting in October 2023 for the November renewals.  Recertifications will be for 12 months.  TNB households are not required to report mid-period or complete a periodic report to maintain eligibility.

If a TNB household is discontinued for failure to complete the renewal, benefits must be restored back to the date of termination if the recertification and all required documents are submitted within 90 days of the discontinuance.

CWDs must publicize the resumption of TNB renewals starting in November 2023 using mass change information practices.  (ACIN I-35-23, July 3, 2023.)

Revised WTW 5 form to reflect changed Welfare to Work pregnancy exemption

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Effective January 1, 2022, all pregnant CalWORKs recipients are exempt from Welfare to Work participation.  Pregnancy verification is no longer required prior to granting the Welfare to Work exemption. The exemption may continue for the duration of the pregnancy if medical verification of the pregnancy is provided.  Counties no longer determine whether an individual qualifies for the Welfare to Work pregnancy exemption because it is no longer tied to ability to work because of pregnancy.

The California Department of Social Services WTW 5 Welfare to Work notice has now been updated to reflect the new pregnancy exemption from Welfare to Work.  (ACL 23-61, July 18, 2023.)