Proving change can be slow: this letter contains regulations promulgated in response to a 2002 Child and Family Services Review, which resulted in an HHS-required Program Improvement Plan (PIP) effective July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2005. The PIP addressed findings that California did not have sufficient statewide requirements for the initial and ongoing training of new child welfare workers and supervisors, and the lack of necessary child welfare requirements for probation officers and supervisors who are working with Title IV-E placement wards. The new regs go into effect July 1, 2008, and list what training topics must be completed by which staff and at what frequency. [Download]
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
ACIN I-32-08: Extension Of Food Stamp Income Exclusion For Deployment To a Combat Zone (5/19/08)
The 2008 federal appropriations bill extended the exclusion of Combat pay as income for Food Stamps. Of note is that this letter clarifies that a household’s access to a service person’s bank account, under certain circumstances, ALSO is excludable as a resource. The bank account does not count as a resource if the household can document “to the satisfaction of the County” that it’s access is solely for the purpose of paying the service person’s bills, etc., and the household cannot use the funds for its own purposes. The letter lists as possible verification a written statement from the service person, a statement from the involved financial institution, or “other means attesting to the fact.” (The funds are excluded under the provision for jointly held resources that are inaccessible to the Food Stamps household.) [Download]
ACIN I-34-08: Intercounty Transfer Coordinator List For CalWORKs, Medi-Cal And Foster Care (5/16/08)
The “go to” list for who to contact about ICT problems. [Download]
ACIN I-30-08: Revised Agency-Relative Guardianship Disclosure Form (4/30/08)
All this ACIN does is transmit a new form, but oh what a form it is! Goes over the right to not become a guardian, and the impact of becoming a relative guardian on the foster care case and benefits. Also informs about Kin-GAP. [Download ACIN; Download Form]
ACWDL 08-18: Implementation of the new Healthy Families to Medi-Cal presumptive eligibility program (5E) (4/29/2008)
As of July 2008 aid code 5E will replace 8E as the code for the Healthy Families to Medi-Cal presumptive eligibility program. 5E will not be an automated aid code by July 2008; it will be a manual process at first. A beneficiary’s Medi-Cal eligibility under 5E will continue until a Medi-Cal determination has been made. While on 5E a beneficiary is exempt from the DRA citizenship and documentation verification requirements. A NOA is sent once a Medi-Cal determination has been made, but ten days notice is not required. [Download]
ACWDL 08-17: Home equity conversion plans and reverse mortgages (4/25/2008)
Non-exempt loans requiring repayment are considered property in the month of receipt, but reverse mortgage payments that require the purchase of an annuity are considered unearned income. A line of credit is not available income, but if someone pulls down from the line of credit, holds on to the funds for the month, and does not report they have an overpayment on their hands. For more of these exciting intricacies check out the letter. [Download]