CalWORKs Maximun Aid Payment increase

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Effective October 1, 2022, Senate Bill (SB) 187 grants an eleven percent increase to the CalWORKs Maximum Aid Payment (MAP).  This MAP increase remains effective unless there are insufficient funds, which will be determined before October 1 each year.

SB 187 grants an additional ten percent increase to the CalWORKs MAP that is effective until September 30, 2024.

Recipients must be informed of the MAP increase by October 1st. The country welfare department computer systems must have the MAP increase programmed into their system by October 1st, and if not, they must manually issue the benefits increase.

Under SB 380, children who receive child support in an amount more than the CalWORKs grant can opt-out of the CalWORKs case.  For some of these cases, the increase in the MAP will increase the CalWORKs payment to more than the child support paid.  In those cases, the family can ask to add the child to the CalWORKs case mid-period.  If the family does not ask for that mid-period change, the child will be added to the case at their following semi-annual report or annual recertification.

These grant increase are mandatory mid-period county actions.  For CalFresh, the CalWORKs increase is considered Verified Upon Receipt, meaning that it will immediately change the CalFresh allotment.  (ACL 22-60, July 20, 2022.)

End of requiring CalWORKs overpayments to be classified as administrative error

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All CalWORKs overpayments established on or after August 1, 2021 for the period April, 2020 to either the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency or June 30, 2022, whichever is earlier, must be classified as administrative error.  Because the COVID-19 state of emergency remained in effect, the requirement to establish all CalWORKs overpayments as administrative error ended on June 30, 2022.  (ACWDL, June 27, 2022.)

Referring CALWORKS overpayments that occurred during COVID-19 for IPV investigation

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CalWORKs overpayments established on or after August 1, 2021 for the period April, 2020 to or June 30, 2022, must be classified as administrative error.  However, counties are still required to refer any overpayment for investigation when they suspect fraud.  An overpayment that is initially classified as an AE under this policy must be reclassified if the county substantiates an Intentional Program Violation (IPV). An IPV can only be substantiated through a criminal court conviction, a signed Disqualification Consent Agreement, an Administrative Disqualification Hearing (ADH), or a signed ADH waiver.

Counties should consider how restrictions of in-person appointments, employment instability, income fluctuation, and delays in processing unemployment benefits have affected the ability for recipients to timely report changes when determining whether it is appropriate to refer a case for investigation as an intentional program violation.  (ACL 21-151, January 22, 2022.)

COVID-19 extension of CalFresh waivers

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California has been granted waivers of the initial application and recertification interview (if certain criteria are met); and of the recording requirement for telephonic signatures (if certain criteria are met) because of COVID-19.  These waivers have been extended until September 30, 2022.

In addition, California has been granted a waiver of face-to-face quality control interviews for the period of July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023.  This waiver allows quality control interviews to be done by telephone.  (ACWDL, June 21, 2022.)

CalFresh ABAWD time limit waiver extension

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The United States Department of Agriculture has extended California’s statewide waiver of the Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) rule until June 30, 2023.  The ABAWD rule limits people who are not disabled and who do not have children to receiving 3 months of CalFresh every 36 months.  California had a statewide waiver of the ABAWD rule. That waiver has not been extended to June 30, 2023.

Regardless of the waiver, counties must continue to identify ABAWDs, screen for exemptions and inform clients of the ABAWD rules.  Counties must also track and report data about work registration, ABAWDs, and Employment and Training.

People previously discontinued from CalFresh for not meeting the ABAWD requirements can reapply and be approved for CalFresh if they are otherwise eligible and they are in a county with an ABAWD waiver (which is the entire state until at least June 30, 2023).  Voluntary quit sanctions do not stop because the recipient moves to another county.  (ACL 22-40, May 20, 2022.)

COVID-19 CalFresh emergency allotment for July, 2022

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California has been approved to issue an emergency allotment of CalFresh for July, 2022.  All households will receive at least the maximum CalFresh allotment.  Households eligible to receive the maximum allowable allotment based on household size are now eligible to receive an emergency allotment of $95 per month. Households who are not eligible to receive the maximum allowable allotment based on household size, but whose emergency allotment would be less than $95 per month to receive the maximum allotment, will receive additional CalFresh benefits to raise their emergency allotment to the $95 minimum.

The emergency allotment will be issued on August 14, 2022 for CalSAWS counties and August 21, 2022 for CalWIN counties.

Moving forward, emergency allotments may be approved by FNS on a month-to-month basis until the Secretary of Health and Human Services rescinds the public health emergency.  There will be a one-month phase out of emergency allotments after the public health emergency is rescinded.  (ACWDL, July 8, 2022.)