Instructions on how to meet the exception to the drug felony bar on receipt of Food Stamps. Convictions for felony possession or personal use will not result in ineligibility, if the person verifies treatment or completion of, or being wait-listed by, a government-recognized drug treatment program (including “clean and sober” group living facilities) or other evidence that the illegal use of controlled substances has ceased. Includes self-certification when no other means exists. All new/existing food stamps households are to be given an opportunity to certify that they comply. No outreach, so tell your clients; otherwise it won’t come up for recipients until next re-cert. [Download]
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
calfresh | food stamps
ACL 04-56 – Voluntary Reports of Income Exceeding 130% Percent of the Federal Poverty Level for Quarterly Reporting Non-assistance Food Stamp Households (December 23, 2004)
Now don’t shoot the messenger, but the feds have told the state that, oops, “it was not their intent to allow benefits to continue mid-quarter when a NAFS household, not previously receiving CalWORKs, voluntarily reports income above the gross income level.” So, kind FNS, just in time for Christmas, granted a waiver, and CWDs are now required to discontinue a NAFS household mid-quarter when the household voluntarily income above the gross income limit. (This is not a mandatory mid-quarter report for NAFS households.) [Download]
ACIN I-73-04 – Food Stamps Q&As (October 13, 2004)
Put your sanction foot in, take your grant amount out … Answers to those pesky questions about the relation between CalWORKs and Food Stamps sanctions, budgeting, and other Q & A’s, for those who get into this kind of thing. Helpful info on homeless shelter deductions and loan/vendor pay issues. (Did you know that verification of homeless housing costs is not required, just proof of a “reasonable expectation” of a housing expense? That partial rent paid to the landlord is a non-income vendor pay, but the shelter deduction is based on the rent actually paid by the FS recipient?) [Download]
ACIN I-72-04 – Transitional Food Stamp Q&As (October 12, 2004)
What ACIN I-73-04 does for regular FS, this one does for the transitional Food Stamps (TFS) program … Interesting answers, like granting TFS for someone erroneously denied CalWORKs, then found eligible for one pro-rated month (get a full TFS grant); how to handle new household members coming in during the TFS period (no change unless household reapplies); county TFS responsibility for inter-county move cases (the county that last had the CW case), what to do with unreported income during TFS (trick question: there is no income reporting during TFS!), etc. [Download]
ACL 04-30 – Regulations to Implement Quarterly Reporting (July 26, 2004)
Effective July 1 (okay, so they weren’t issued until three weeks later), the QR regs are officially in place, with links in the ACL to the actual regs. What’s new since the ACL? A QR 7 report of a decrease of income shall be treated as a mid-quarter report (i.e. your bennies can go up), and any starting or increase in other income (like getting UI when you lose your job) doesn’t count till the next quarter; when seeing if adding a person to an AU/HH mid-quarter results in an increase in benefits, the county must use the AU/HH’s existing anticipated income, not recalculate it; when a change in exempt/non-exempt MAP status would occur under QR, and more! (Yes, Virginia, you DO need to read these.)
And while we’re at it: these regulations are open for public comment, due August 25th. [Download]
ACIN I-36-04 – Cuban/Haitian Entrant Program And Entrant Cash Assistance (June 4, 2004)
Clarifies Cuban/Haitians who are eligible for cash-aid, as those: (1) with parole status pending or granted any other special status subsequently established, regardless of the status of the individual at the time assistance or services are provided; (2) paroled into the United States and have not acquired any other status; (3) subject of removal, deportation or exclusion, but who do not have a final order; or (4) have a pending asylum application. (No. 4 is a biggie, as asylum applicants are normally not eligible for CalWORKs.) [Download]