DPSS ePolicy

Revision of existing policy and/or form(s)

What changed? 

This release provides clarification to Eligibility and Clerical staff on how Immediate Need (IN) requests must be handled as a result of the district office closure due to the health concerns associated to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Note: Changes are shown highlighted in grey throughout the document.

IN provides an advance on a family’s CalWORKs grant to be issued within 24 hours from the date of the request and allows families facing an eviction to receive the CalWORKs grant in an expedited manner within three working days.  The applicant must be informed of the information and verification needed to determine eligibility before they choose between the IN payment or the expedited grant. 

Emergent needs include lack of housing/food, pending eviction, utility shut-off, transportation/clothing needs, and other needs of importance to the family’s immediate health and safety at the time of application.  The IN payment is the CalWORKs grant amount prorated based on the date of application or $200 (whichever is less). 

A determination of eligibility for the IN payment must be made no later than the next working day following receipt of the request.  When an IN payment has been issued, the case must be approved within 15 working days from the date of receipt of the IN request.  

Note: Only applicants can request an IN payment anytime during the Intake process, prior to case approval.  A family is eligible for a second IN payment when:

• A second request is made in the month after the application is received; 
• The applicant remains apparently eligible; The CalWORKs case has not yet been approved; 
• The family emergency continues or a new emergency has arisen; and 
• The IN payment issued in the previous month was approved for an amount less than $200.  In no event should the combined amount of the IN payments exceed $200.

N/A

Liquid Resource

Liquid resources are items of value (cash on hand, uncashed checks, money orders, savings/checking accounts) that can be converted to cash in time to meet the family’s emergent need. Liquid resources do not include cash surrender value of insurance policies,trust funds, household items/furnishings, automobiles or real property. 

Apparent Eligibility

Apparent eligibility is when the information on the SAWS 2 PLUS, Application for CalFresh, Cash Aid and/or Medi-Cal/Health Care Programs, and other information available indicate that the applicant would be eligible for aid if the information was verified. This includes a verbal attestation/declaration made by the applicant during the interview.

The application, verbal statement or affidavit/sworn statement is not acceptable in the following instances: 

• A woman with no eligible children who does not provide medical verification of pregnancy is not apparently eligible; or
• Noncitizen applicants who do not provide verification of their eligible alien status are not apparently eligible.

Technical Conditions of Eligibility

Eligibility for IN exists when the applicant meets all of the following technical conditions of eligibility:

• Verification of Social Security enumeration, Social Security Number (SSN), application or the card, unless good cause exists;
• Application for unconditionally available income (e.g., Disability Insurance Benefits [DIB], Unemployment Insurance Benefits [UIB], etc., unless good cause exists); and
• Completion of child support forms, when applicable.

Note: Referrals to apply for UIB/DIB should only be made when appropriate i.e., worked in the last month before the application request, etc.

For telephone applications taken due to office closures, the applicant can make a verbal attestation/declaration over the phone with regard to the technical conditions of eligibility and IN can be issued.  Staff will follow up and obtain a written/sworn statement from the applicant prior to case approval when verification is not available.

Resources Limits for IN

An applicant may be eligible to the IN payment as long as the liquid resources are less than $100 when the emergency situation:

• Involves transportation, liquid resources must be less than the cost of the emergency; or
• Is pending eviction, the liquid resources together with income must be less than the rent owed.

Overpayment

If an IN payment is issued and CalWORKs is subsequently denied, the IN payment is not an overpayment as long as the participant was apparently eligible when the IN payment was issued.

However, when an AU receives any amount of aid payment to which it was not eligible, the amount must be processed as an overpayment.  This includes, but is not limited to, an IN payment.

Emergency Situations

Emergency situations include:

• Utility shut-off (terminated or pending);
  • Receipt of an overdue payment notice is not an emergency for IN purposes. 
• Lack of transportation;
  • Issued when the applicant is unable to meet essential transportation needs, such as those relating to food, medical care, or a job interview, etc.
• Lack of essential clothing (including diapers);
  • Includes clothing for inclement weather. 
• Pending eviction;
• Lack of housing – an IN payment can be issued if the family is not eligible to Homeless Assistance (HA) or has other non-housing emergent needs;
  • Receipt of written notice of an overdue house/rent payment or inability to pay rent, does not qualify as an emergency for IN purposes. 
• Lack of food – an IN payment can be issued for food when:
  • The household has already exhausted its CalFresh allotment; 
  • The prorated CalFresh allotment is insufficient to meet the food need; or 
  • The family is prevented from using CalFresh benefits by its current living arrangements.
    

Note: If the application for IN is based on the need for food and the need was met through the issuance of CalFresh within one working day of the request for IN, there is no need to process the CalWORKs portion as IN.

• Other needs of importance to the family’s immediate health and safety such as diapers, soap, sanitary supplies, etc.

IN Eligibility

Eligibility for IN must be determined within 24 hours and the amount of the IN payment must not exceed $200.  To qualify for IN, an applicant must meet the following conditions:

• The family is apparently eligible for CalWORKs;
• The family has an emergent need which cannot be met by the issuance of CalFresh, HA, or by a referral to a community resource;
• Have less than $100 in liquid resources unless the emergent need is for transportation or pending eviction; and

Note: Applicants who do not have transportation must not be referred to a public, private, or community resource when travel will create another emergency situation.

• Have complied with the technical conditions of CalWORKs eligibility such as:
  • Application for unconditionally available income. The applicant must provide verification of application for DIB, UIB, Veterans Administration (VA) benefits, etc., when applicable, unless good cause exists.
  • Social Security Enumeration.  The applicant must provide verification of SSN or application for all household members requesting aid, unless good cause exists.  Exemption:  State human trafficking victims or victims of serious crimes eligible under Trafficking and Crime Victims Assistance Program are exempt from this requirement.
  • Child Support Service Department cooperation, applicant must complete child support forms, when applicable.

A verbal attestation/declaration over the phone documented in the case Journal regarding the technical conditions of eligibility is acceptable when the application interview is conducted over the telephone and IN can be issued.  Staff will follow up to obtain a sworn statement/affidavit from the applicant prior to case approval when verification is not available.

Note: When some members of the AU have not met all the conditions of eligibility for an IN payment, the amount of the IN payment can only be issued to those members who have complied.  In addition, there must be at least one eligible child in the case or a pregnant woman only case or an eligible caretaker of a child receiving Foster Care, Kin-GAP or Approved Relative Caregiver payments.

SSN

Verbal attestation/declaration over the phone, sworn statement/affidavit, SSN verified via MEDS or Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS), Social Security card or application for SSN, unless exempt.

Unconditionally Available Income

Verification of application for DIB, UIB, VA benefits, etc:

• Verbal attestation/declaration over the phone;
• Sworn statement/affidavit; 
• Award letter; and/or 
• CW 2201 (Unemployment Insurance Benefit Referral Form).

Child Support Forms

• Verbal attestation/declaration over the phone;
• CW 2.1 - Notice and Agreement; and
• CW 2.1Q - Support Questionnaire.