Expands CalFresh restaurant meals and job programs

(1)Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, formerly the Food Stamp Program, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing state law authorizes a county to deliver CalFresh benefits through the use of an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system. Existing federal law authorizes eligible counties to participate in the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), which allows eligible recipients to purchase meals at qualified restaurants.

This bill, the Reducing Hunger Among Vulnerable Californians Act of 2017, would require the State Department of Social Services to issue an annual all-county letter providing guidance that lists which counties or regions are eligible to participate in the Restaurant Meals Program and the instructions for how a county may choose to participate in RMP or appeal a noneligible determination by the department. The bill would also require the department to design the EBT system to, automatically and upon issuance of an EBT card, allow all CalFresh recipients who are eligible for RMP to utilize their benefits in all restaurants that have been approved to participate in RMP.

(2)Existing federal law limits a participant who is an able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) to 3 months of CalFresh benefits in a 3-year period unless that participant has met specified work participation requirements. Existing law directs the State Department of Social Services to annually seek a federal waiver of this limitation, and provides that an eligible county is included in this waiver unless the county declines to participate in the waiver request.

Existing law authorizes counties to participate in the CalFresh Employment and Training program (CalFresh E&T), established by federal law, and requires participating counties to demonstrate in its CalFresh E&T plan how it is effectively using CalFresh E&T funds for each of the specified components that the county offers, including work experience or training and job search.

This bill would include subsidized employment as a CalFresh E&T component that a county may offer, and would, to the extent permitted by federal law, require the State Department of Social Services to seek a federal waiver that would allow 50% federal reimbursement for eligible CalFresh E&T activities to be used to provide a wage subsidy for ABAWD participants in counties that do not participate in the waiver of the ABAWD time limit.

(3)Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant program, state, and county funds. Existing law generally requires a recipient of CalWORKs benefits to participate in welfare-to-work activities as a condition of eligibility for aid. Existing law requires that necessary supportive services be available to participants in welfare-to-work activities, including child care. Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature that the annual Budget Act appropriate state and federal funds in a single allocation to counties for the support of administrative activities undertaken by the counties to provide benefit payments to recipients of aid under the CalWORKs program and to provide required work activities and support services.

This bill would authorize a county to provide employment services to a noncustodial parent from its single allocation funds.

(4)Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to develop an allocation methodology to distribute additional funding for expanded subsidized employment programs for CalWORKs recipients, or recipients who have exceeded the 48-month time limit, and authorizes the allocated funds to be utilized to cover all expenditures related to the operational costs of the program.

This bill would authorize a county to use existing funds provided under these provisions to provide employment services for noncustodial parents of children receiving benefits under the CalWORKs program.

(5)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.

(6)This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 18926.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 563 to be operative only if this bill and AB 563 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.