AB 2062: CalWORKs: income or household composition reporting: benefit redetermination.

Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families using a combination of federal, state, and county funds. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to establish an income reporting threshold for CalWORKs recipients, including CalWORKs assistance units that do not include an eligible adult, and requires a recipient to notify the county, within 10 days, if the recipients household income exceeds the reporting threshold. Existing law requires a CalWORKs assistance unit that does not include an eligible adult to also notify the county, within 10 days, of any change in the recipients household composition. Under existing law, if the county determines that the recipient is ineligible for CalWORKs or the recipients grant amount should be reduced based on an increase in income or a change in household composition, the county is required to discontinue the recipient from CalWORKs or reduce the recipients grant, with timely and adequate notice, as specified. Existing law provides that current and future grants may be reduced because of prior overpayments.

This bill would prohibit the county from assessing an overpayment for the month following a change in income for a recipient of CalWORKs, or following a change in household composition for a CalWORKs assistance unit that does not include an eligible adult, if the recipient has reported the change and the county was unable, before the first of the month following the change in income or household composition, to provide 10 days notice of the termination or reduction in benefits. By increasing the administrative duties of counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the State Department of Social Services to issue an all-county letter or similar instruction by July 1, 2017, and adopt regulations by July 1, 2018, as necessary to implement these provisions.

Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program.

This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.