Useful tidbits, such as: households maintain categorically eligibility for Food Stamps for the entire period covered by a CalWORKs diversion payment; beginning date of aid and verification issues; discontinuing food stamps after Inter-County transfer in the world of Quarterly Reporting, treatment of Family Paid Leave income; using actual (not recalculated) CalWORKs grant when computing a Food Stamps Overissuance, and other good stuff. [Download]

Useful guidance on beginning date of aid, terminations for subsequent convictions, and clarification that minors “convicted” of drug felonies are not barred from food stamps (only adults). [Download]

Effective October 2004 (yup, as in last fall), Combat Zone pay can be excluded as income for Food Stamps (NOT CalWORKs). Other than the fact that this impacts a number of LSC eligible clients, you should read this for the fascinating way that military speak has permeated the world of welfare ACL’s. Example: “that any additional payment received by a member of the United States Armed Forces deployed to a designated combat zone shall be excluded from household income for the duration of the member’s deployment if the additional pay is the result of deployment to or while serving in a combat zone, and it was not received immediately prior to serving in the combat zone.”

Basically, the amount of military pay in excess of what was available to the Household (HH) prior to deployment to the combat zone is excluded. Any household that had an increase in income from combat deployment pay is entitled to restoration of lost benefits. CWDs are to determine this “no later than” the next recertification, or upon HH request. “If it becomes known to the county” that a household was denied food stamp benefits because excludable income, the CWD is also to compute and restore the lost benefits. Remarkable use of the passive voice. [Download]

Naughty states (California?) apparently were charging employment support services payments as an “unsubsidized employment” component of FS employment and training. This Administrative Notice reminds states that FS E&T funds are meant to help FS E&T program participants prepare for and obtain employment. FS E&T funds cannot be used to support post-employment activities, under the auspices of an “unsubsidized employment” component. A state may claim such expenses as participant reimbursement but not under a separate component. [Download]

The categories of noncitizens eligible to participate in the Food Stamp Program (FSP) under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act have been expanded to include the minor children, spouses and in some cases the parents and siblings of victims of severe trafficking, as well as the originally included victims themselves. Victims of severe trafficking are eligible to participate in the FSP under the same conditions as noncitizens classified as refugees. (Regs @ is not quite sure what “non-severe” human trafficking is.) Also attached is a fact sheet on establishing TVPA eligibility. [Download]

The latest income guidelines and program requirements for those disaster-minded. [Download]