Contents Fall 2017 History and Administration of Public Benefit Programs... 1/3 Reforming Reform... 1/11 It s Not Welfare Anymore... 1/11 Strategies to Support Work and Reduce Poverty... 1/13 Ten Years After Welfare Reform, It s Time to Make Work Work for Families... 1/15 Law & Agencies CalWORKs... 1/17 CalFresh... 1/18 Medi-Cal... 1/19 SSI... 1/20 Welfare Odyssey... 1/21 Public Benefits Overview Chart... 1/23 California Health & Human Services... 1/25 Tables California Benefits Chart... 1/27 CalFresh... 1/27 SSI/SSP... 1/27 CalWORKs... 1/28 Medi-Cal Income Levels... 1/29 SSA Update... 1/31 Benefits Checklist... 1/33
MEDI-CAL, MEDICARE & IN-HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES Medicaid/Medi-Cal... 2/3 Overview... 2/3 Chart: Law & Agencies... 2/9 Transitional Medi-Cal... 2/16 Other Health Programs for Low-Income People... 2/18 California Children Services Programs... 2/18 Medi-Cal Glossary... 2/19 Major Medi-Cal Programs... 2/28 MAGI Medi-Cal... 2/28 Non-MAGI Medi-Cal... 2/28 SSI-Linked... 2/30 A&D FPL... 2/30 ABD-Medically Needy Medi-Cal... 2/31 250% working Disabled Medi-Cal Program... 2/35 Pickles... 2/37 CalWORKs Linked... 2/41 Four Month Continuing Medi-Cal... 2/41 AFDC-MN Medi-Cal... 2/42 Transitional Medi-Cal... 2/44 Medi-Cal Eligibility Protections: SB87... 2/45 California Counties State & Local Responsibility for Indigent Health Care... 2/47 County Medical Services Program... 2/54 In-Home Supportive Services... 2/59 Access to Health Care Legal Protections for Limited English Speaking Patients... 2/69 Medi-Cal. Covered California & AIM Income Levels... 2/77 Medicare... 2/79 Part A... 2/80 Part B... 2/93 Part D... 2/108 Medigap Insurance... 2/117 Part C... 2/119 Medicare Laws... 2/124 Resources... 2/136
GENERAL ASSISTANCE/RELIEF General Assistance: An Overview... 3/3 Investing in People to Save Counties Money: Best Practices for Moving People with Disabilities from General Assistance to SSI... 3/10 Reported General Assistance Cases... 3/11 General Assistance Welfare & Institutions Code Sections... 3/15 Data on GA Recipients... 3/25 County Grant Levels... 3/29 County Work Requirements... 3/31 County Deductibles for Medical Care... 3/43
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME & SOCIAL SECURITY 100 Introduction... 4/6 200 Category Eligibility... 4/13 300 Financial Eligibility... 4/16 400 Conduct Eligibility... 4/30 500 Procedural Eligibility... 4/33 600 Administrative Processes... 4/34 700 Debt Issues... 4/41 800 Emergency Programs... 4/56 900 Determining Disability... 4/57 Appendix A - SSA Forms Appendix B - Advocate Forms Appendix C - Summary of Grid Regulations Appendix D - Excerpts from Listing of Impairments
CAL FRESH (SNAP) 90 Latest Revisions to CalFresh Statutes & Regulations...5/7 100 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program... 5/21 200 Category Eligibility... 5/32 300 Financial Eligibility... 5/53 400 Conduct Eligibility... 5/79 500 Procedural Eligibility... 5/89 600 Reserved 700 Debt Issues... 5/101 800 Administrative Processes... 5/108 900 Emergency Benefits... 5/114 1000 Glossary... 5/118 CalFresh CFR 271.2 Definitions... 5/131 Appendix: Food Stamp Forms... A/1 v
CHILD CARE Child Care and Development Programs... 6/3 California Head Start State Collaboration Office... 6/5 Statistics: 2011 Child Care in the State of California... 6/7 Child Care Law Center s Child Care Subsidies in California (Excerpts)... 6/9 Introduction... 6/9 Appeals & Hearings... 6/17 Researching Child Subsidy Laws... 6/27 Questions and Answers: California s Unruh Civil Rights Act:... 6/38 Child Care Subsidies: State Median Income (SMI) Ceilings Compared with the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)... 6/45 Resources... 6/47 vi
ADVOCACY Goldberg v. Kelly... 7/1 State Law: Fair Hearings, Grievances and Complaints... 7/9 Advocacy Tips... 7/11 Hearing Checklist... 7/12 Benefits Checklist... 7/13 Preparation Guides... 7/14 The Role of the Courts in Securing Welfare Rights and Improvements in Welfare & Related Programs... 7/18 Multi-Faceted Advocacy: Language Access... 7/21 Benefits Bibliography... 7/28 Welfare Information Network... 7/31 Appendix A: Helpful Information About Representing Yourself at State Fair Hearings Appendix B: Excerpts: DSS Regulations Appendix C: Western Center on Law & Poverty Health and Welfare Task Force Update vii
CalWORKs (TANF)... 8/1 Detailed Contents... 8/3 100 CalWORKs Program...8/6 200 Categorical Eligibility: Categories of People Eligible for CalWORKs... 8/10 300 Financial Eligibility: Is the Assistance Unit Needy?...8/17 400 Conduct Eligibility: What People Must Do or Refrain from Doing To Be Eligible... 8/28 500 Procedural Eligibility: What People Must Do to Demonstrate Eligibility... 8/49 600 Benefit Amounts: How Many Benefits Do Recipients Receive... 8/52 700 Debt Issues... 8/54 800 Administrative Processes... 8/55 900 Emergency Benefits...8/59 1000 Resources... 8/61 1100 CalWORKs All County Letters and All County Information Notices... 8/62 Appendix A: Selected DSS Forms viii
IMMIGRANTS Immigration Law for Public Benefits Advocates... 9/3 Immigration Glossary... 9/13 Major Benefit Programs Available to Immigrants in California... 9/25 Federal Policy Guidance Regarding Inquiries into Citizenship, Immigration Status, and Social Security Numbers in State Benefit Application Forms: Summary of Requirements... 9/31 Tri-Agency Guidance (2000)... 9/31 FNS Conforming to Tri-Agency Guidance through On-Line Applications... 9/31 Tri-Agency Guidance (2000) Summary Chart... 9/33 Sponsored Immigrants & Benefits in California... 9/35 Deeming Sponsor Income & Resources... 9/39 Deeming Rules in California... 9/40 Sponsor Deeming, Indigent Noncitizen Determination, Sponsor Income Verification and Opting Out... 9/41 Public Charge Public Charge Fact Sheet... 9/43 Public Charge Resources... 9/45 Immigrants and Violence... 9/47 Immigrants and Domestic Violence... 9/47 Benefits for Victims of Trafficking, Domestic Violence and Other Serious Crimes... 9/51 Immigration Resources... 9/54 Appendix A: Client Interview Checklist Appendix B: Immigration Documents ix
CROSSOVER Tax Credits... 10/3 Overview... 10/3 Earned Income Tax Credit... 10/3 California Earned Income Credit... 10/8 Child Tax Credit... 10/9 Free Filing Help... 10/10 Three Guidelines for Legal Services Advocates... 10/11 Resources... 10/11 Child Support Enforcement... 10/13 Federal System Office of Child Support Enforcement... 10/13 Handbook on Child Support Enforcement... 10/13 State Child Support Enforcement... 10/14 California System Key Players & Laws... 10/14 Child Support Program... 10/15 Enforcement Tools... 10/16 Complaint Resolution and Hearings... 10/17 Child Support and Public Assistance... 10/18 Exemptions from Attachment... 10/18 Compromise of Child Support Arrears... 10/19 Resources... 10/19 Major Employment Laws... 10/21 Wage and Hour... 10/21 Family & Medical Leave... 10/26 Unemployment Insurance... 10/28 State Disability Insurance... 10/29 Workplace Health & Safety... 10/30 Workers Compensation... 10/31 Employment Discrimination... 10/32 Wrongful Termination... 10/34 Resources... 10/35 Promoting Work among Residents of Public Housing: The Role of Welfare Agencies in Implementing the Earned Income Disregard... 10/37 Seniors California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform... 10/45 Justice in Aging... 10/47 Veterans National Veterans Legal Services Program... 10/49 Benchmark Institute s Referral Checklist for VA Cash Benefits... 10/52 Benefit Tools BenefitsCheckUp.org... 10/53 Benefits.gov... 10/54 CCWRO... 10/55 x