AB 1457: Public social services: merit or civil service employee.

Existing law requires that any decisions governing eligibility for the Medi-Cal program, the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, or the CalFresh program that, in the state, are made by a county pursuant to provisions relating to public social services be made exclusively by a merit or civil service employee of the county.

Existing law generally requires the federal and state laws and regulations governing the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or CalFresh in the state) to also govern the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Existing law requires the delivery of nutrition benefits under CFAP to be identical to the delivery of CalFresh benefits, to the extent permissible under federal law.

Existing law generally requires the federal and state laws and regulations governing the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Program for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (SSI/SSP) program to also govern the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI).

Existing law sets forth various provisions relating to the implementation of the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program as a covered Medi-Cal benefit.

Existing law requires that the investigation of allegations of elder and dependent adult abuse under provisions relating to Adult Protective Services (APS), and the case management of elder and dependent adult abuse cases, be performed by county merit systems civil service employees.

This bill would add CFAP, CAPI, IHSS, and APS to the above-described list of programs for which any decisions governing eligibility that are made by a county would be made exclusively by a merit or civil service employee of the county.