Transportation payments are available to eligible CalWORKs participants, allowing them to participate in their assigned Welfare-to-Work (WtW) activity, or to obtain/retain employment. This may also include childcare-related transportation costs for participants and their child(ren).
Participants are not expected to use personal funds or any part of the CalWORKs cash aid to cover transportation expenses in order to participate in an assigned activity and/or to retain employment. All GAIN/REP/Cal-Learn participants are eligible for transportation payments to participate in any assigned activities and/or to obtain/retain employment. Participants are informed that transportation payments are available for public transit, mileage, non-traditional and alternative forms of transportation services.
- WtW participants shall receive the payment(s) in a timely and appropriate manner to promote positive outcomes by facilitating engagement in employment and/or participation in WtW activities.
- In most instances, transportation payments are paid in advance so that the participants do not need to use their personal funds to pay for these services. When it is unfeasible to pay in advance, transportation payments and expenses must be reimbursed. Payments can be made in the form of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), mailed warrants, and cash (limited amount) issued in the office.
- WtW participants may receive transportation payments to transport their children to and from school, to childcare providers, or program activities (if childcare is not available) in order to participate in program activities and/or employment.
- Transportation issuances under PES should be handled according to the current PES policy.
- Transportation payments for participants and the child(ren) of participants in Specialized Supportive Services (SSS) activities shall be handled in a special manner.
- The least-costly fare for each mode of transportation shall be authorized for the duration of the program activity.
- A participant may choose to drive a private vehicle to a WtW activity. If public transportation is not available, inaccessible, or the travel time from home to the activity or employment exceeds two hours round-trip by public transportation, then the participant is eligible for a mileage payment. Otherwise, if travel time does not exceed a two-hour round-trips, the participant will receive the public transportation rate.
- Non-traditional and alternative transportation modes, such as shuttles, vanpools, carpools, Metrolink, Taxi, etc., are to be considered when public transit is not available or inaccessible (two hours or more round-trip) and the participant does not have access to a private vehicle.
- If a participant is a victim of DV, non-traditional or alternative transportation modes shall be considered to ensure the safety of the participant and their child(ren).
- A timely Change of Transportation Notice of Action (NA 822) shall be issued at least ten days before the effective date of any adjustments to transportation payments. The Notice of Action (NOA) must be provided in the participant’s preferred language (if available) for all transportation payments. If a NOA is not available in the participant’s preferred language, the English NOA must be accompanied with a GEN 1365, Notice of Language Services.
Note: CalWORKs terminated REP participants may be eligible for transportation supportive services related to employment past their CalWORKs termination. REP staff must review REP policy to determine eligibility for services.
Supportive Services Provided by Educational and Other Service Providers
Educational and other service providers may offer payment for transportation costs, such as Taxi vouchers, bus passes, parking fee waivers, etc. Transportation payments that are provided for the purchase or payment of a specific item or service and are not included as a part of a Financial Aid package are not considered Financial Aid.
To prevent duplication of supportive services payments that are not considered Financial Aid, including transportation for participants, verification must be obtained from the participant and/or the educational or other service provider, ensuring that the provider is not covering transportation payments/services. If transportation payments/services are being provided to the participant by another service provider, then the participant is not eligible for transportation payments for the same services through GAIN/REP/Cal-Learn.
Example: If a vocational school provides the participant with a bus pass for the first five months of school, then the participant is not eligible for a bus pass during those five months. However, if the participant requests bus passes for their child(ren), which the vocational school does not provide during the same time, then the participant may receive transportation payments for their child(ren) during the specified period.
Special Program Activities Allowable Costs
Specialized Supportive Services
Due to confidentiality, safety concerns, the sensitive nature of the services, the potential for violence, and the varied schedules for services, participants in need of SSS always require access to transportation payments to ensure their continued access to services. Participants in SSS activities always face the potential for a crisis that may require immediate access to shelter, counseling, or other services; therefore, additional safety concerns must be considered for participants in SSS activities, and for this purpose, transportation shall be issued in the following manner:
- For all DV, Mental Health (MH), and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) participants, the least costly method (full monthly bus pass or mileage) of transportation is applied if the travel time is less than two hours round-trip by public transportation;
- For DV participants only, whichever method of transportation is certified by a DV provider should be authorized regardless of distance. For instance, the use of a car may be safer, so the provider may request the authorization of mileage in place of a bus pass. In this situation, the "two-hour round-trip rule" for mileage must be waived; and
- Child(ren) of participants who are in SSS activities are considered Special Needs, even if they are not receiving cash aid, as long as they are part of a CalWORKs household. As such, all children of participants in SSS are eligible to receive transportation expenses, including those who are age 13 or older.
Cal-Learn Program
It is the responsibility of the Cal-Learn Program Case Manager and Adolescent Family Life Program agencies to assess the health and safety of the Cal-Learn participant and their child(ren), which includes their living environment and community.
Example: If the Cal-Learn participant must cross a gang territory on the way to school or to the childcare provider, the participant may be eligible to receive a payment for an alternative mode of transportation due to safety concerns. In this instance, the accessibility and availability factors may be waived.