Finding that hunger, undernutrition, and malnutrition are present and continuing problems faced by low-income California households, and further finding that the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Chapter 51 (commencing with Section 2011), Title 7, United States Code) offers significant health-vital benefits, the purpose of this chapter is to establish a statewide program to enable recipients of aid under Part 3 (commencing with Section 11000) or Part 5 (commencing with Section 17000) of this division and other low-income households to receive benefits under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for these purposes, in order to increase client access and retention within CalFresh, on or before July 1, 2023, the department shall develop a CalFresh user-centered simplified paper application that minimizes the burdens of the overall enrollment process for households that include older adults 60 years of age or older, or the age otherwise applicable under federal law, and people with disabilities who are eligible to be enrolled in the Elderly Simplified Application Project, a demonstration project operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. To the extent that the Elderly Simplified Application Project is no longer operational, the department shall maintain the simplified paper application for older adults and people with disabilities.

before January 1, 2023, and counties currently using the CalWORKs Information Network (CalWIN) system of SAWS shall comply with this section beginning on or before January 1, 2024.

administration for implementation of the hold harmless pursuant to Sections 18900.6 and 18900.7 for the duration of the hold harmless enacted by either of those sections.

department shall provide counties with instructions necessary to complete automation related to implementation of this section and Sections 18900.6 and 18900.7 by August 1, 2019.

in subdivision (b), that as a result of subdivision (b) include a previously excluded individual who receives Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment Program benefits provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12000) of Part 3, the county welfare department shall implement this provision by adding that individual, or those individuals, to the existing CalFresh household, and determining continuing eligibility and benefits pursuant to Sections 18901, 18901.7, and Chapter 10.1 (commencing with Section 18930), at the next periodic report or recertification, as described in Sections 18910 and 18910.1. This shall include households that temporarily lose their eligibility on or before the date when the SSI recipient would be added and have their benefits restored within 30 days of that date based on good cause or providing the necessary information to restore eligibility.

household described in that subparagraph may request, at any time following June 1, 2019, or the alternate implementation date described in subdivision (b), and before the next periodic report or recertification, that a previously excluded individual who receives Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment Program benefits provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12000) of Part 3, be added to the CalFresh household. Upon this request, the county welfare department shall determine continuing eligibility and benefits pursuant to Sections 18901, 18901.7, and Chapter 10.1 (commencing with Section 18930).

(commencing with Section 12000) of Part 3 and is eligible for a certification period of 24 or 36 months, the household’s initial certification period may be no more than six months shorter than the maximum period allowable to help spread the workload of periodic reports and recertifications, and manage caseload relative to timeliness and accuracy standards.

thereafter through June 2019, or the alternate implementation date described in subdivision (b), the department shall convene discussions with the Legislature regarding implementation.

department.

provided pursuant to this section shall be delivered on a monthly basis through the electronic benefits transfer system created pursuant to Section 10072, in the same manner as CalFresh benefits, and, to the extent permitted by federal law, shall not be considered income for any means-tested program.

household is discontinued for any other reason and reapplies for benefits, the supplemental benefit provisions outlined in this section shall not apply.

funding appropriated for purposes of this section in the annual Budget Act.

to determine continuing eligibility for TNB, the benefits shall be restored, without proration, back to the original date of discontinuance of TNB, if all documentation and information required to determine continuing eligibility is provided to the county within 90 days of the date of discontinuance from TNB. If the household is discontinued for any other reason and reapplies for benefits, the transitional benefit provisions outlined in this section shall not apply.

eligibility for all beneficiaries of benefits provided under this section for two years by pausing the discontinuances described in paragraph (1) and marking all recertifications as complete. The pause shall take effect as soon as possible after the effective date of the act that added this paragraph, and shall continue for two years from the commencement of the pause, or until the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement subdivision (e), whichever date is later.

2027–28 fiscal year and every third fiscal year thereafter. The department shall provide information to the legislative budget committees regarding this review and how it may impact county administrative costs as part of the budget proposed by either January 10 or May 14 of any year prior to the fiscal year for which this provision applies.

Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may do both of the following:

administrative burden and improve the client experience.

shall remain in effect for no more than 180 days, by which time final regulations shall be adopted. The consultative process for review and feedback required by this paragraph shall also apply to all-county letters adopted pursuant to this section.

multiyear activities pursuant to this section and with any funding appropriated for this purpose in the state budget. This engagement shall include the California Statewide Automated Welfare System, CWDA, the exclusive representatives of CalFresh eligibility workers, advocates for program applicants and recipients, and legislative staff.

including contract amounts, general purposes, timelines, and when available, outcomes.

required verification or pursuing secondary evidence to verify the necessary information. Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department shall issue an all-county letter or similar instructions no later than January 1, 2021.

To the extent permitted by federal law, regulation, or guidance, or a waiver thereof, the department shall exercise the option provided in Section 273.9(c)(19) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations to exclude, for purposes of calculating a household’s income under CalFresh, any type of income that the department excludes when determining eligibility or benefits for cash assistance provided with federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds and medical assistance under Section 1931 of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396u-1).

expenses shall be considered verified upon receipt of a self-certified statement of monthly dependent care expenses, unless federal law or guidance requires additional documentation.

To the extent permitted by federal law, and subject to the limitation in subdivision (d), each county welfare department shall, if appropriate, exempt a household from complying with face-to-face interview requirements for purposes of determining eligibility at initial application and recertification, according to the following:

January 1, 2022, for purposes of interview scheduling and rescheduling at initial application and recertification, county welfare departments shall implement one or more of the following interview scheduling techniques in addition to providing written notice, to the extent they are not currently in use: time-block, telephonic contact in conjunction with, or prior to, the provision of written communication about the need to schedule an interview, and same-day interviews.

qualifies for an exemption or for other good cause.

that meet the standard set in Section 273.5(b)(11)(iv) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

shall include adult education and career technical education programs in the list of programs that are deemed to meet the standard set in Section 273.5(b)(11) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(A) Students who participate in at least one of the programs identified pursuant to subdivision (b) because they offer a program component

that is equivalent to a CalFresh E&T program component.

(B) Students who are approved and anticipate participating in state or federal workstudy.

(C) Students who meet the qualification for an exemption set forth in Section 69519.3 of the Education Code, or are receiving tribal Temporary Aid to Needy Families (tribal TANF) or CalWORKs benefits.

(D) Students who are employed 20 hours a week or more on a reasonably anticipated monthly average, with instructions for allowing self-certification of employment and number of hours worked.

(E) Students with children, as described in Section 273.5(b) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(F) Students enrolled in a CalFresh E&T program.

(G) Students who do not intend to register during the next normal school term.

(H) Students enrolled in a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funded program, Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program under Title IV of the Social Security Act, or programs under Section 236 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2296) .

(I) Students who are physically or mentally unfit, pursuant to federal law.

(J) Student who are participating in a program of career and technical education, as defined in Section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302) designed to be completed in not more than four years at an institution of higher education, as defined in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).

purposes of this subdivision, and to the extent allowed by federal law, a student shall be considered to be “anticipating participation” in workstudy if the student can reasonably expect or foresee being assigned a workstudy job, and a student shall be deemed to be “anticipating participation” in workstudy until the student receives notice from the institution of higher education that the student has been denied participation in workstudy.

programs.

university that offers degree programs regardless of whether a high school diploma is required.

of Federal Regulations.

before September 1, 2022. If the campus-based program is available at more than one campus, the application shall list each campus at which the program is available. An individual campus

administration, the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges, or the Chancellor’s office of the California State University, as applicable, may submit the certification application on behalf of the campus-based program.

of the University of California may submit the certification application on behalf of the campus-based program.

certification application on behalf of the campus-based program.

program pursuant to subdivision (b) or (c), the department shall approve the campus-based program if it meets the eligibility requirements to be a state-approved local educational program that increases employability, as established in the department’s guidance letter issued pursuant to subdivision (a).

(A) The number of state-approved campus-based local educational programs that increase employability that are approved pursuant to subdivision (d), disaggregated by

name and campus.

(B) The number of pending applications, disaggregated by name and campus.

(C) The number of applications denied, disaggregated by name and campus, and the reason for the denials.

regulations.

Legislature on the necessary steps identified pursuant to subdivision (a) and any estimates of costs associated with implementing them. The report shall include an analysis of using regional partnerships between counties and shall only include recommendations that are compliant with Section 10503 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement and administer this section through all-county letters or similar instructions.

created exclusively for purposes of this section, similar to the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (42 U.S.C. Sec. 8621 et seq.).

increased benefits if the standard utility allowance was provided.

or recipient of CalFresh benefits from receiving other public benefits, including other utility benefits, for which it may qualify.

allowance.