DPSS ePolicy

Eligibility determination for a Board and Care (B&C) case is the same as the eligibility determination for any other General Relief (GR) living arrangement.

While the GR participant resides in the B&C facility, the facility acts as the participant’s Authorized Representative (AR).

For B&C living arrangements, the participant is not eligible to the usual $221 GR maximum benefit. Instead, the B&C facility is paid at the B&C rate of $266 as a vendor payment, and the GR participant is issued only $20 for personal and incidental needs via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT).

B&C facilities are paid the B&C rate for the number of individuals in the number of licensed beds only. If the number of individuals exceeds the number of licensed beds, the individual may be eligible to the Room and Board (R&B) rate ($208 plus $20 for personal and incidental needs).

The period of B&C eligibility is based on the date the applicant/participant entered the B&C facility through the last night the applicant/participant slept at the B&C facility.

If a B&C facility is overpaid, the collection is the responsibility of the Vendor Payment Unit (VPU).

Unlicensed facilities are not eligible to be B&C facilities.

B&C is a living arrangement at a licensed non-medical adult residential Alcohol and/or Drug (AOD) program facility. B&C facilities provide room, board, personal non-medical care and supervision related to the applicant’s/participant’s individual needs at the specific B&C rate.

B&C

A State of California licensed facility that operates and maintains a non-medical adult residential AOD program to help people who cannot care for themselves. Meals, living quarters and supervision are offered while the individual is engaged in AOD treatment services.

Drug Medi-Cal (DMC)

The Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) run by the Department of Public Health is known in LA County as the System Transformation to Advance Recovery and Treatment or START-ODS, and provides a continuum of care for substance use disorder treatment services.

Note: All persons have the right to apply for GR. This includes applicants who may reside in a B&C facility at the time of application, regardless of whether the facility receives DMC funding.

B&C Living Arrangements

1. The individual must meet all GR eligibility requirements.
2. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing Section must license the B&C facility. If the facility is an alcohol/drug treatment facility, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Licensing and Certification Division (LCD) must license the facility.

Note: License can be verified by contacting the DHCS LCD at (916) 322-2911.

Required Forms

1. PA 320-3, Certification of General Relief Board and Care Client’s Signature;
2. PA 320-2, Vendor Service Order and Invoice Sign-In Register;
3. CSF 117, Authorized Representative/Designated Alternate Cardholder; and
4. TEMP 2201, EBT- Request for Authorized Representative/Designated Alternate Cardholder.

Mandatory Substance Use Disorder Recovery Program (MSUDRP)

Individuals who are currently participating in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment and reside in a B&C are referred to an MSUDRP assessment to ensure their treatment is appropriate.

Employability Status

Applicants/participants in B&C living arrangements may be Employable, Unemployable or Needs Special Assistance (NSA). The employability determination is still required for B&C living arrangements.

Skills and Training to Achieve Readiness for Tomorrow (START)

Employable individuals living in a B&C facility are referred to START and must comply with START requirements.

1. START orientation completion is no longer a condition of GR eligibility for employable applicants/participants.
2. Orientation can be completed by viewing the video on the START webpage at dpss.lacounty.gov/en/jobs/start.html or by listening to a pre-recorded session on the START Orientation Phone Line: (866) 488-8482, Option 2.

Note: Participating in substance abuse treatment 20 hours per week meets the START requirement. When an applicant/participant is in a B&C facility that is on the approved California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS) listing, the license is verified.

Time Limits

Residing in a B&C facility does not change an individual’s eligibility under time limits. If determined employable, aid is subject to time limits whether or not the individual resides in a B&C facility.

B&C Liaison

Each GR district office has a B&C Liaison and alternate at the Deputy District Director (DDD) level. The liaison/alternate is the only district contact for B&C facilities. If the liaison/alternate is not available, administrators of B&C facilities speak to the District Director or delegate at the DDD level.

Initial Interview

An interview is scheduled within five working days after being notified that an individual entered a B&C facility. If the individual is not already receiving GR, the application for GR is usually taken in the district office. The application may also be submitted electronically via BenefitsCal with B&C Liaison notification. In certain circumstances a home call may be necessary to obtain the GR application.

Home Call

DDDs authorize a home call only when the:

1. Individual is physically or mentally unable to attend an interview in the district office to complete the GR application;
2. Facility administrator feels the individual is not ready to leave the facility for that day; or
3. District administration believes a home call is otherwise necessary.

PA 320-3

The PA 320-3, Certification of GR Board and Care Client’s Signature (a CalSAWS generated form) is required for all individuals in B&C. The form is obtained at intake, if the individual is living in a B&C facility, or when the individual first enters a B&C facility. The PA 320-3 is used by the VPU to verify that the same person signs the PA 320-2.

PA 320-2

The PA 320-2, Vendor Service Order and Invoice Sign-In Register (an out of drawer form) is signed daily by the GR participant at the B&C facility, only for the days that the individual actually sleeps at the facility. The PA 320-2 cannot be pre-signed. Management Information and Evaluation (MIE) monitors the process by reviewing B&C facilities.

B&C facilities are not paid for the days that the PA 320-2 is not signed, except for new B&C vendors who do not have the forms when the individual enters the facility. New B&C vendors are exempt from this policy for seven calendar days beginning the day after the VPU mails the B&C vendor a supply of the PA 320-2 form.

CSF 117

The CSF 117, Authorized Representative/Designated Alternate Cardholder (a CalSAWS generated form) is used to designate an AR.

TEMP 2201

The TEMP 2201, EBT- Request for AR/Designated Alternate Cardholder (a CalSAWS generated form) is required to allow an AR access to obtain cash benefits. The GR applicant/participant and the AR must sign the form.