This letter includes the revised regulations regarding CalWORKs for children who will not graduate by their 19th birthday because of a disability. The regulations provide that the children remain eligible for benefits until they graduate, turn 19, or stop attending school full-time, whichever occurs first. This covers those current/past recipients of SSI, Regional Center services, an IEP through the school, or anyone who provides independent verification of the disability. [Download]
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
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Emergency Regulations for Fry case
The emergency regulations are posted for the Fry case, setting out coverage for children not graduating before their 19th birthday because of a disability. Children on SSI, who receive Regional Center or Special Ed (with an Individual Education Plan) services, or whose condition is otherwise independently verified qualify.
ACIN I-88-04 – Treatment of Reception and Placement Cash Provided to Refugees in the Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and CalWORKs Programs (December 29, 2004)
No change in policy, just a friendly reminder to counties that funds paid to refugees for “reception” (no, not the party kind) and placement is not counted as income to the Refugee Cash Assistance and CalWORKs programs. These funds are counted as property for CalWORKs but not RCA. If a family is ineligible for CalWORKs because of this rule, counties are required to assist them through RCA. [Download]
Errata to ACL 04-41 – SB 1104 CalWORKs New WTW Requirements (December 9, 2004)
Clarifies the implementation timelines and universal engagement requirements (when the 90 days to have a complaint-with-the-new rules WTW plan signed). The third clarification is about converting non-core hours to core hours. NOTE: There is disagreement about the conversion example, and CDSS is reviewing this matter for developing the regulations to implement SB 1104. [Download]
ACL 04-54 – Regional Market Rate (RMR) Regulations (November 29, 2004)
Striving for regularity through regulations, not Metemusil. These final regulations bring uniformity to the Regional Market Rates for CalWORKs and other subsidized child care programs. (Portions of the emergency regulations were suspended with the budget trailer bill.) Of note: Payment to license-exempt providers cannot exceed the RMR ceilings; Parents may utilize multiple providers if a single provider cannot accommodate the certified need for care, broader coverage of private recreation programs exempt from licensure. [Download]
DHS ACL 04-29 – CalWORKs Family Reunification Program (October 7, 2004)
Informs counties of the CalWORKs Family Reunification (FR) Program. FR cases are CalWORKs cases in which the children have been removed from the home and placed in out-of-home care by the county child welfare services agency. Under CalWORKs rules, the children are considered temporarily absent from the Assistance Unit while their parents are receiving reunification services. However, under federal Medicaid rules the children are not considered temporarily absent because they have been removed from the home. Therefore the reunification parents are not eligible for Section 1931(b) and Medically Needy Medi-Cal programs. The letter reiterates that the Medi-Cal eligibility worker must reevaluate the case to determine whether the parents qualify under another Medi-Cal program. [Download]