Good for them. FNS decided that gift cards, which can be used as cash, but generally only at specific businesses, will not count as a resource. [Download]
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
ACL 06-45 – CalWORKs Change in Funding of the Separate State Program for Two-Parent Families (October 3, 2006)
Well, since the Deficit Reduction Act counts separate state funded programs (SSP’s) that count for MOE purposes for the work participation rate, California’s SSP for 2-parent families will now no longer be an SSP. It will be a TANF program effective October 1, 2006. (Yup, 2 days prior to the letter being issued). And though the SSP was supposed to be to allow creative programming to serve the 2-parent families, they are now in TANF to make sure they participate. These families will now be under aid code “35” (with some exceptions for those that really care). This impacts these families, who will be using their federal 60 months of TANF aid now. [Download]
ACL 06-42 – Implementation of CalWORKs WTW Pay For Performance (P4P) Program (September 28, 2006)
This baby’s been more than 9 months in the making, temporary sidetracked (sideswiped?) by TANF reauthorization. Learn what the counties get paid bonuses for doing, including partial bonuses for partially doing. Big bonus for clients: there is a “super bonus” for counties that place recipients into higher paying jobs. [Download]
ACIN I-44-06 – New Processes for the Automated Statewide Allocation of Child Support Payment Disbursements and the Redirection of Payments (September 28, 2006).
Only time will tell if this latest automation step will help or hurt, but read how child support wage assignment payments will now all go to the State Disbursement unit (SDU) instead of to the local child support agency or the custodial parent. This change is intended to correct the problem of the employer sending the payment to the local county, when the non-custodial parent (NCP) actually owed support to more than one household, especially when the children lived in different counties. This may impact the CalWORKs 60 month time limit (for better or worse) as disbursements get distributed to all the NCP’s children subject to a collection order. [Download]
Home Visits by Fraud investigators
The 9th circuit upheld home visits to public aid applicants, conducted by fraud investigators, including searches of visible areas, and closed areas based on “consent.” [Download]
ACIN I-52-06E – Food Stamp Questions And Answers (Q&As) (September 21, 2006)
This errata corrects the example on how to budget the shelter deduction when there are excluded household members. Oops. You don’t deduct the amount paid; you prorate the rent. [Download]