DPSS ePolicy

Revision of existing policy and/or forms

What changed?

Instructions for processing General Relief (GR) applications for Pregnant Person Only (PPO) cases have been revised as follows:

1. Effective July 1, 2022, a PPO participant aged 19 or older with no other eligible children in the home will no longer be eligible for GR at any stage of their pregnancy.
2. Effective July 1, 2022, pregnant adults aged 19 or older with no other eligible children in the home, which are known as PPO cases, are eligible for CalWORKs (CW) from the beginning of the first trimester of their pregnancy instead of the second trimester.
   
3. Effective July 1, 2022, CW time limited PPOs are no longer eligible to GR as they may be potentially eligible to the CW Pregnancy Special Needs (PSN) payment.
   
4. The ABP 119, Important Notice to Pregnant Women, is now obsolete.
   
5. Staff is to refer pregnant participants to the District Navigator/Self-Service Assistant to submit a CW application via the online BenefitsCal application system, to preserve the application date, if the participant wishes to submit a CW application the same day.
   
6. Customer Service Center (CSC) staff is to inform pregnant participants that they may apply for CW at the beginning of their pregnancy by applying at the nearest CW office, over the telephone or online via BenefitsCal.
   
7. References to the Leader Replacement System have been replaced with California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS).
   
8. References to Your Benefits Now have been replaced with BenefitsCal, which is the new statewide self-service portal.
   

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

Effective July 1, 2022, PPO participant aged 19 or older with no other eligible children in the home will not be eligible for GR during the first trimester of their pregnancy.

Note: A pregnant person with other eligible children in the home, who is CW time-limited or sanctioned, is not eligible for GR at any stage of their pregnancy.

Effective July 1, 2022, PPO participants aged 19 or older with no other eligible children in the home are eligible for CW at any stage of their pregnancy and are no longer required to wait until their second trimester.

Refer to 82-836 Pregnant Person and 44-211.6 Pregnancy Special Need.

Assembly Bill (AB) 135

Prior to the passage of AB 135 (Chapter 85, Statutes of 2021), a PPO receiving GR was aided until the end of their first trimester (benefits discontinued at the end of month three) and they became potentially eligible for CW at the beginning of the second trimester (beginning of month four).

With the implementation of AB 135:

1. Eligibility for PPO participants for CW begins at the beginning of the first trimester (any stage of pregnancy) effective July 1, 2022, once the medical verification of pregnancy has been received; and
2. PPO participants can satisfy the medical verification requirement by initially providing a sworn statement or verbal attestation for PPO participants effective July 1, 2022. Once a sworn statement or verbal attestation is received, the participant’s CW case can be approved if the PPO meets all of the other CW eligibility requirements. Medical verification of the pregnancy must be provided within 30 working days from the date of the initial submission of the sworn statement or verbal attestation to continue to be eligible for CW benefits, including the PSN payment.

PPO

Pregnant person only; a pregnant person without an eligible child in the household.

District Navigator

An Eligibility Worker (EW) designated to assist participants in the district office lobbies by determining the purpose of the participant’s visit and directing them to the appropriate staff for services based on their needs.

BenefitsCal

A new website for participants to apply for, view, and renew benefits for health coverage, food, and cash assistance. The BenefitsCal portal also allows participants to upload supporting verifications/documents online.

A PPO at any stage of their pregnancy is not eligible for GR and referred to apply for CW.

Pregnant minors, aged 18 years or younger, are ineligible for GR because they are potentially eligible for CW.

When a pregnant person and the other parent of the unborn child are married and living together, they are not eligible for GR during any time of the pregnancy. When the pregnancy is reported, their GR will be discontinued, and they will be referred to apply for CW. The pregnant person will be potentially eligible for CW immediately, but the other parent of the unborn child will not be eligible for CW until the child is born.

When a pregnant person, at any stage of their pregnancy, and the other parent of the unborn child are unmarried and living together, the pregnant person will not be eligible for GR and will be referred to CW. The other parent may be aided on a separate GR case until the child is born.

Note: Participants who applied for GR but were denied for the reason ”Potentially Eligible For CW” will be referred to CW Program via a warm hand-off. Staff will determine the eligibility for the CW Program by preserving the GR application date.

Verification of Pregnancy

Applicant’s/participant’s verbal or written statement and/or doctor’s statement.