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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04141998 - C65 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: -f •' PHIL BATCHELOR, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Costa �j . County DATE: April 2, q 1 99cJiir? SUBJECT: LEGISLATION: AB 2634 (ARONER) - CALWORKS ELIGIBILITY SIMPLIFICATION SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATIONS)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENQATIGN: ADOPT a position in SUPPORT of AS 2634 by Assemblywoman Dion Aroner. On February 10, 1996, the Board amended its 1998 Legislative Program to add, among other items, the following: • Continue to seek enactment of simplification proposals sponsored by the County Welfare Directors'Association In 1997,to include the following: Complete elimination of deprivation as an eligibility criteria. Providing categorical eligibility to Medi-Cal for all TANF recipients, thus eliminating duplicative eligibility processing. Expand prospective budgeting and six-month reporting of changes in circumstances statewide and increase the reporting threshold to$200, which will provide an incentive for participants to move to work,and decrease eligibility paperwork. Eliminate Bono exemptions, which will simplify eligibility and grant calculations In TANF. Exempt one vehicle per working household member from personal property limits, as an incentive to work and In recognition of the Importance of transportation to achieving welfare-to-work. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATUR€S: f&e s Z& ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS(ASSENT V } AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT:- ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS 7ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF CC; SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR See Page 2 BY ,DEPUTY On intercounty transfers,require reapplication for TANF recipients,as is done for l=oad Stamps,thus allowing participants to meet county- specific ountyspecific requirements for CaIWORKS. Require the State Department of Social Services to seek waivers from any Food Stamp requirements in an effort to provide conformity between CaIWORKs and FoodStamps. Seek categorical eligibility for TANF clients to DTPA (Training Programs from the Private Industry Council), thus eliminating duplicative eligibility processing. Provide for a flat sanction of 25% for failure to obtain immunizationslattend school,rather than removal of the adult from the assistance unit. A flat sanction would be administratively easier to implement and maintains CalWORKs work requirements for the adult. Assemblywoman Aroner has introduced AB 2634 which addresses several of these simplification issues. Attached is a letter from CSAC outlining some of the provisions of AB 2634 which they consider to be among the most important. The Social Service Director recommends that the Board of Supervisors indicate its support for this bill. This office concurs with that recommendation. Since AB 2634 is consistent with the Board's 1998 Legislative Program, it is recommended that the Board indicate its support for AB 2634. cc: County Administrator Social Service Director Steve Szalay, Executive Director California State Association of Counties 1100 K Street, Suite 101 Sacramento, CA 95814 Casey Sparks Kaneko, Executive Director Urban Counties Caucus 1100 K Street, Suite 101 Sacramento, CA 95814 Les Spahnn Heim, Noack, Kelly & Spahnn 1121 L Street, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95814 -2- To¢<Phd 8atcbelor From= Gayle Rivera 3-27-98 1141P P. 2 of 3 oliforllia State Associdon of Counties March 2, 1'. 98 1 too t 54m et TO Members,Boards of Supervisors 5t tO1 S(MrIM FROM: supervisor Muriel Joon,Co-Chair OI 95814 Su►penisor Bill Maze Co-Chair Supervisor Jim,Beall,Vice Chair 416 32t.0D CAC Health and Human Services Policy COMittee ' 416 4115501 R: AB 2634(Aroner)Welfam SimplificatiOn As the co-chairs and vice-chair of the CS4C Health and Hunan Services Policy Committcc, wt strongly wt ge you to support AB 2634, which is cc-sponsored by CSAC and the County Welfw-e Directors of California (C'DA). AB 2634 is a continuation of our work from last year where we received ittc=ental changes in welfare program administration, but were unable to achieve simplification and streamlining of the unnecessary and overly burdamme Cal'WQRKs eligibility process. As YOU will recall, we had sought to shift to a system that traced income without the cumbersome monthly ming and simplified the process for valu4 a recipient's automobile, The primary focus of AD 2634 is a movernent fi`=required monthly reparting to reporting only when there is a clmgc in household composition or in income or resource over a certain threshold. Recently, you may have received infotmation regarding the; monthly reporting requirement from the California District Anerneys Association. In their ftvatnttal,they indicate that their organization recently adopted a resolution to retain the"CA-7"which h is the montbly reporting form required by current, latae. Their concem is the Ability to prosecute cases involving fraud. Fraud prevention is obviously of extreme, importance. but wre think our proposal protects against fraud and abuse and preserves the abiizty of prosecutors to suedfilly enforce the late and bring about convictions. Under AR 2634, recipient's will be required to sign and endorse the back of their grant checks under penalty of perjury. By doing ser recipients attest they have not had any reportable change in their income or stators. Most important, AB 2+634 will allow counties to free~ up millions of dollars worth of zesoutces that can be redirected to more productive uses such as helping recipients gain and retain employment. Sacramento County"e estimates that the changes in AB X634 will allow Thera to redirect over S7 million in unproductive staff time to rnom important welfare-to-work uses. Tots Pt Il Batchelor l:roai Gayle Rivera 3-27-96 I a#8pe D, 3 of 3 ea Members,Boards of Supervisors AB 2634(Aroner)Welfhm Simplification March 2, 1998 Page 2 During the development of CSAC"s welfare reform prxoposal last year,there was a strong sentimeut among counties that the changes proposed in AJB 2634 were critical tea the success of welfare reform. It was and is alseo the strong belief ofrrumy counties that these simplification reforms can be acbieved while maintaining prtrgram integrity and fighting fraud. AB 2634 streamlines eligibility pmeesses and reduces paperwork, which will allow case managers more time to spend wor cing directly with clients. This close contact crilimices our sclf sufficiency programs, and also provides counties the opportunity to closely monitor a recipient's status and changes in a recipient's income. Moreover,the state has developed sophisticated automated capability tco'match recipients with van" gage, neve hire and public benefit databases. This will prove far to om efficient for detecting fraud than the monthly incorne report. In addition, AB 2634 includes the fall elimination of deprivation as a condition of eligibility. Deprivation,the requirement that a child be deprived of the support of at least one parent, encourages wily bnwk-cop and is counterpmdtictive to family self- sufficiency. elfsufficiency. The trill also establisher, categorical eligibility bct%,o= CaIWOM and federal lob Training Part ership Act propurns so that the full army of federal and state job tmining programs can be easily ,accused by recipients, Finally, the mem simplifies the process for valuing automobiles by exempting one vehicle per working household ixoombon Many staters have implemented simplification measures similar to those contained in Ala 2634, and have r oo ned significant efTtciericcies without negative outcuwes. Counties now face a daunting responsibility to move hundreds of families from welfare to work. Our efforts must focus on this critical,goal, requiring us to mengftieer our ptroc+esms to help us succeed with limited resources. the combination of changes in income reporting, improved wage matching automatim and close caseworker-client contact is a far more effective system of capturing income and status changes than the expensive, inefficient and bureaucratic one currently in place. It is a strategy that will maximize our opportunity to succeed with the job of welfare reform. Just as we have re-engioeerW the way we &liver welfare so ces to clients, we artist also bring income rig, up-w- date. We therefore strongly urge you to support AB 2634. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please don't hesitate to call us or .Margaret Pefia„CSAC staff',at 916-327--7523. cc: County Adminiarative Officers CALIFORNIA LEGISI ATURE--1937 98 REGULAR SESSION ASSEMBLE' BILL No. 2634 Introduced by Assembly Member Aroner r February 23, 1998 An act to. add Section 15004 to the Unemployment Insurance Code, to amend and repeal Section 11265.2 of, to add Section 11.151.1 to, to repeal Sections 11201, 11265.5, 11265.6, and 11265.7 of, and to repeal and add Section 11265.1 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2634, as introduced, .Aroner. CaIWORKs: administration: eligibility and reporting requirements. Existing law provides for the CalWORKs program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. The existing program contains various eligibility requirements for assistance,as well monthly reporting system requirements. Existing law, the federal Job Training Partnership Act, provides federal funds f in partnership with state and local governments to provide job training programs within specified service delivery areas. This bill would: delete certain existing eligibility and reporting requirements for the CaIWORKs program, including various pilot and demonstration projects. The bill would provide that existing provisions requiring the Director of Social Services to implement a demonstration program for an alternative method of recipient reporting shall become inoperative upon the declaration of the Director of Social 99 AB 2634 — 2 — Services - 2 -- Services that federal food stamp regulations that authorize ' states to implement income change reporting policies with an income change threshold of 80 or more have been adopted, and would further provide that separate provisions relating to CalWORKs eligibility shall become operative at that time. For purposes of determining CalWORKs eligibility, the bill would authorize an applicant or recipient to retain one automobile for each working household member, if the state receives an appropriate waiver from the federal government. This bill would also require the Employment Development { Department and the State Department of Social Services to establish a program of categorical eligibility for any individual receiving CalWORKs assistance,,for all federal job Training Partnership Act programs for which categorical eligibility between CalWORKs and the federal act is possible. Vate: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. The people of the State of Cahfornia do enact-as follows: 1 SECTION 1. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature in 2 enacting this act to reduce the paperwork and 3 bureaucracy associated with the determination of 4 eligibility for welfare benefits, in order to allow more 5 resources to be devoted to the delivery of 6 welfare-to-work services to recipients of public ' 7 assistance. 8 (b) The Legislature hinds and declares all of the 9 following: 10 (1) The enactment of welfare reform statutesin 1997 11 provided counties,withgreat flexibility to structure local 12 welfare-to-work programs, with the goal of ,rapidly 13 moving CalWORKs recipients from financial 14 dependence to financial self-sufficiency. 15 (2) The existence of new federal and state time limits 16 on the receipt of CalWORKs assistance necessitates a shift 17 in the historic focus of the delivery of welfare services 18 from eligibility determinations to welfare�to-work 19' services. 9 j r - 3 — AR 2634 thorize 1 (3) Enacting an income change reporting system for with an 2 recipients of public assistance will greatly simplify the iopted, 3 eligibility process, and will allow counties to redirect Ming to 4 resources from eligibility determinations to the provision ne. For 5 of welfare-to-work services. I would 5 (4) The federal government is due to enact regulatory ?rnobile 7 changes to the food stamp program that will allow states gives an 8 to implement income change reporting systems in place 9 of monthly income reporting. This regulatory change will )pment 10 allow California to enact a simplified income reporting vices to 11 system for the CalWORKs program that is hilly aligned tividual 12 with federal food stamp eligibility rules. raining 13 - SEC. 2. Section 150104 is added to the Unemployment :gibility 14 Insurance Code, to read: 15 150104. The Employment Development Department .-e: yes, 16 and the State . Department of Social Services shall 17, establish a program of categorical eligibility for any 18 individual receiving assistance under, Chapter 2 bBows: 19 (commencing with Section 11200.2) of Part 3 of Division 20 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code (CalWORKs), for iture in 21 all federal Job Training Partnership Act programs for k and 22 which categorical eligibility between CalWORKs and the ion of 23 Job Training Partnership Act is possible. v more 24 SEC, 3, Section 11151.1 is added to the Welfare and: .ry of 4 25 Institutions Code, to read: public 26 11151..1. (a) Notwithstanding Sections 13155 and. 27 11257, in determining eligibility under Chapter 2 of the 28 (commencing with Section 11200), an applicant or 29 recipient may retain personal property consisting of one in 1337 30 automobile for eachhousehold member who is working re local 31 or required to work under the CalWORKs program. rapidly 32 (b) This section shall only become operative if, the nancial 33 state receives a waiver, from the federal government 34 allowing the state to implement its provisions. limits ., 35 {c} The director shall apply for a waiter from federal s a shift 36 food stamp regulations to allow the implementation of ervices 37 the provisions of this section. ©-work 38 SEC. 4. Section 11201 of the Welfare and Institutions 39 Code is repealed. 99 99 1 r _ Y4 _ .♦ - • Y!T y 4y PIR ! T s AT I w _ • • T Av � - W 4 gm • Ae - - • Kv- - - ae f - s � � wr w! � - •T - • Y e - 5 — AB 2634 N 1 conduct a full eligibility redetermination on an annual 2 basis. 3 (b) A recipient shall report to the county any change 4 in his or her,household's monthly income or resources in Aismee 5 excess of eighty dollars ($80), and any change in the ,yed of 6 composition of his or her household within 10 days after 4 of hie 7 that change. Upon the report of any change in excess of ked ne+ f 8 eighty dollars ($80) or any change in the household. 36 ead 9 composition, the county shall recalculate an assistance tPleyed 10 units grant level. 8eeNeft 11 (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in A 12 recalculating the amount of a recipient's grant pursuant to � 13 to this section,changes I'm the grant amount shall be made of thet . 14 on a prospective basis. 15 (d) The warrant. provided to a recipient of aid under Whe is 16 this chapter shall provide for an endorsement ,under 17 penalty of perjury by a recipient indicating that all Astmee 18 required changes in income, resources, and household 4 works 19 composition have been reported. The wan-ant shall be le gress 20 accompanied by notification of recipient reporting 21 responsibilities. itutions 22 (e) This section shall only become operative upon the 23 date that Section 11265.2 is repealed pursuant to 24 subdivision (d) of that section. iftif 25 SEC.7. Section 11265.2 of the Welfare and Institutions 26 Gude is amended to read. 't six& 27 11265..2. (a) The director shall implement a tofor we 28 demonstration program in up to six counties to test an 29alternative method of recipient reporting,as described in ttAes et 30 this section. The counties initially selected fore F 31 participation under this section shall' include small, 32 medium, and large counties, but shall .not include a !�ftees 33 county with a population in excess of 6,000,000. ��• 34 (b) The demonstration program may operate for up to 4 35 three years. After the first year of operation, the director 36 shall evaluate the demonstration program and may Lre and 37 continue, expand, or terminate the project. In addition, .38 if, at any time after the first year of,.demonstration 39 program operation, the director determines that the :uncial 39 shall 40 method'is cost-effective and administratively efficient, '� 99 99 AB 2634 — 6 — el. s- 1 the director may, notwithstanding Sections 11265 and 2 11265.1, implement the alternative method of recipient 3 reporting pursuant to this section on a permanent, 4 statewide basis. 5 (c) The alternative method of reporting to be used 6 pursuant to this section shall provide for the following: 7 (1) The county .shall redetermine the financial 8 eligibility of each recipient every six months, and may, at 9 the option of the county, conduct a full eligibility 10 redetermination on an annual basis. 1 11 (2) A recipient shall report to the county any change 1 12 in his or her household's monthly income or resources in 1; 13 excess of seventy-five dollars ($75), and any change in the 1 k 14 composition of his or her household within 10 days after 1 15 that change. Upon the report of any change in excess of 1 16 -seventy-five dollars ($75) or any change in the household 1 17 composition, the county shall recalculate an assistance 1` 18 unit's grant level. is 19 {3} Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in 1t 20 recalculating the amount of a recipients's grant pursuant 2+ 21 to this section,changes in the grant amount shall be made 2: 22 on a prospective basis. .2: 23 (4) The warrant provided to a recipient of aid cinder ` 24 this chapter shall provide for an endorsement under 2s 25 penalty of perjury by a recipient indicating that all Y 1j 21 26 required changes in income, resources, and household 2( 27 composition have been reported. The warrant shall be 2` 28 accompanied by notification of recipient reporting D 29 responsibilities, 2t 30 (d) This section shall become inoperative on'the date 3( 31 that the director executes a declaration, that shall be 31 32 retained by the director, stating that federal regulations 35 33 relating to food stampshave been adapted that authorize 3� 34 states to implement income change reporting policies 31 35 with an income change threshold of eighty dollars ($80) 3i 36 or more, and as of that date is repealed. 3i 37 SEC.8. Section 11265.5 of the Welfare and Institutions T, 38 Code is repealed. & 39 11065.5. -0+ +1+ The departm may,se1�jeet to the 3c, 40 kents of federeA re"644e sand Se+ien 1N04. , <., 4( 99 P ! ! ! T T R w R - •M ! a I Yy ! w ♦ w Y - T 4Y w Y ♦ R w ■w T � - r a v ` w e s w it �i ss'! ` w _ mow• v � � w T YM ! ! w • Illp" " An• 4 R ! w e R P y ♦y. p rt• ! ! wp R ♦g i �■ p" M y - i Yp M Y R w . '! • w' a Y w Y Y M • w - i A' w . 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