DPSS ePolicy

Revision of existing policy and/or form(s)

What changed?

1. The Eligibility Worker (EW) or Customer Service Center (CSC) staff will now follow up with questions and, if necessary, use a Verification Check List (VCL) when an applicant/participant reports changes in their address, rent, living arrangement, or household composition.
2. Verification of rent will only be requested when the rent amount is “questionable.”
3. The housing allowance will no longer be deducted from a participant’s grant for the period they are in a medical facility.

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

This Administrative Release provides Eligibility staff with guidance in determining General Relief (GR) household size, assistance unit size, and living arrangement.
A GR household and assistance unit must be defined to determine the amount of the GR grant.

1. The following individuals may be aided on the same case: 
   
   • Legal spouses;
   • Registered domestic partners;
   • Sponsored Alien Families; and
   • GR eligible families, including the parents, and 18-year-old children attending high school or trade/technical school full-time who expect to complete the school program before their 19th birthday.
     
     Note: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients are not aided in the case as those individuals listed above.
      
2. The following individuals are aided on separate cases:
   
   • Adult children;
   • Relatives who do not meet the above description of individuals aided on the same case; and
   • Non-related adults.

The GR program primarily serves single adults. GR may be available for other household members when they are not eligible for CalWORKs or other cash assistance programs.

Dormitory Living

A facility which has a business license, pays all household upkeep expenses, has ten or more beds located in a dormitory-style sleeping area, and provides household cleaning and linen service. Dormitories do not provide meals.

Earned Income Disregard

Earned Income Disregard (EID) is the sliding scale amount of an individual’s earnings that is disregarded in calculating the earnings to be deducted from the grant.

GR Household

The GR household is composed of the participant, their spouse or registered domestic partner, and any eligible GR family members living at the same address, excluding those receiving State or Federal public assistance.

Living Arrangement

The living situation whereby the applicant/participant receives their lodging and meals. A living arrangement can be a form of independent living such as renting a room, owning a home, or living on the street. A living arrangement can also be a form of dependent living such as Board & Care (B&C), Incarceration, or hospitalization.

Money Management

Cases in which housing is paid by vendor payment, directly to the landlord or provider. This is used when there is evidence that a participant is having difficulty using GR benefits to pay for housing.

Questionable Rent

For rent to be considered questionable, one of the following must apply:

1. Information provided on the application or any other report is inconsistent with statements made by the applicant/participant, inconsistent with other information on the application/report, previous information on an application/report, or inconsistent with information received by the Department; or
2. The household reports rent/utility expenses which exceed its gross income.

Room & Board (R&B)

A living arrangement in which the provider pays all household upkeep expenses and provides an applicant/participant with a bed in a separate room or dormitory-style sleeping area, meals, household cleaning, and linen service.

Sober Living Homes

Houses, hotels, and apartments in which those recovering from substance use disorder live together in a substance-free environment. While some homes have individual living arrangements for their residents, most have shared housing arrangements (i.e., more than one person to a room).

Reporting

An applicant/participant will not be required to provide any verification of address when reporting they have moved. Likewise, verification of changes in rent will not be required unless the rent amount reported is “questionable.”

Certain types of living arrangements require verification. An example of a living arrangement that requires verification is B&C. Other types of living arrangements do not require verification. An example of a living arrangement that does not require verification is homelessness. While reporting a change in living arrangement is required, an applicant/participant reporting changes in living arrangement may or may not be required to provide verification of the change, depending on the type of living arrangement being reported.

When the applicant/participant reports a change in the GR household (e.g., they are married), verification of the new household member’s Social Security Number (SSN), identity, citizenship status, and income and resources (if applicable) are required.

Housing

1. A GR household must be defined to determine the level of the grant issued. There can be households of one, two, or more members, depending on the circumstances.
2. Spouse cases and registered domestic partner cases are examples of households of two and must have their grant budgeted per the GR Basic Budget Table if all members receive GR.
   
   Refer to 44-301 Aid Payments policy for the GR Basic Budget Table.
   
   
3. Family cases are examples of households of three or more and must have their grant budgeted per the GR Basic Budget Table if all members receive GR.
4. All other cases are considered households of one and receive up to a full GR grant.
5. A GR unit is defined to decide who should receive benefits.
6. All GR households exclude those receiving State or Federal public assistance.
7. Generally, a portion of the GR grant is designated for housing; however, in a Money Management case, the housing is paid by vendor payment, directly to the landlord or provider. In such cases, the balance of the grant is issued via Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) to the participant.

Living Alone

A GR Unit is budgeted as living alone except in the following circumstances:

1. Spouse cases, when both spouses are on GR;
2. Registered domestic partner cases, when both partners are on GR;
3. Sponsored alien family cases; and/or
4. GR eligible families including the parents, and 18-year-old children attending high school or trade/technical school full-time who expect to complete the school program before their 19th birthday.

All other GR cases will be considered as living alone and will receive up to a full GR grant regardless of who the applicant lives, eats, or shares living/sleeping quarters with.

Note: Applicants/participants living in a mission or transitional housing are budgeted as a one-person household. The number of persons sharing the room is not used to determine the household size.

Shared Housing

A GR Unit is considered shared housing in the following situations:

1. Legal spouses;
2. Registered domestic partners;
3. Sponsored alien families; and
4. GR eligible families including the parents, and 18-year-old children attending high school or trade/technical school full-time who expect to complete the school program before their 19th birthday.

Note: SSI recipients are not aided in the case as those individuals listed above.

All other GR cases will be considered as living alone and may be eligible to receive up to a full GR grant, regardless of who the applicant lives, eats, or shares living/sleeping quarters with.

Note: The GR cash aid amount is not reduced by the number of household members aided under the same case.

B&C

B&C payments (currently $266) are made as vendor payments to the facility. A payment of $20 (personal and incidental needs of $11 and clothing $9) is issued to the participant via EBT.

Refer to 45-100 Board and Care policy for details.

Dormitory Living

For a facility to be classified as a dormitory living, it must:

1. Have a business license;
2. Pay all household upkeep expenses;
3. Have ten or more beds located in a dormitory-style sleeping area; and
4. Provide household cleaning and linen service.

The dormitory facility is not required to provide food. The participant is responsible for meeting food needs with the food allowance from the GR grant. The participant may also be eligible for CalFresh.

In most cases, the current dormitory rate payment of $208, ($143 for the facility and $65 for food) plus $20 (personal and incidental needs and clothing) is made to the participant.

If the case is in Money Management, the dormitory rate ($143) is paid to the facility by vendor payment. The food ($65) and personal and incidental needs ($20) payment is issued via EBT to the participant.

R&B

In an R&B arrangement, the provider pays all household upkeep expenses and provides an applicant/participant with a bed in a separate room or dormitory-style sleeping area, meals, household cleaning, and linen service.

1. The R&B payment consists of the current maximum $208 plus $20 (personal and incidental needs of $11 and clothing allowance of $9).
2. In most cases, R&B is issued to the participant; however, if the case is in Money Management, the current R&B payment of $208 is made via vendor payment to the facility. The $20 (personal and incidental needs and clothing) is issued to the participant.

Medical Facility

1. A participant who enters a medical facility (such as a hospital, nursing home, or intermediate care facility) becomes ineligible for GR effective the end of the month of the admission date, except as noted below.
2. If the participant’s physician expects the period of hospitalization to end before the end of the month following admission and the participant intends to return to the same address, the participant is eligible for GR.
3. If a participant’s benefits are discontinued for entering a medical facility, due process requires a Notice of Action and that a hearing be set.

Note: The housing allowance will no longer be deducted from a participant’s grant for the period he is in a medical facility.

Public Non-Medical Institution

1. Applicants/participants in public non-medical institutions, such as jail or prison, are not eligible for GR.
2. When a participant enters a public non-medical institution, benefits are discontinued effective the end of the month the participant enters the institution.
3. Applications are not accepted for applicants in public non-medical institutions.
4. An exception to this rule is made for soon-to-be-released inmates in Twin Towers, Men’s Central Jail, and Century Regional Detention Facility. Applications are taken for these individuals. These applications are not dispositioned for approval or denial until the applicant is released from jail.

Housing Costs Exceed the Grant

1. When the verified housing cost (rent/mortgage) or housing cost and utility payment combined, equal or exceed the GR grant, the PA 908, Housing Costs Are More than the General Relief Grant, is generated by the California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS) to determine how the applicant/participant is meeting the housing costs.
2. If the applicant/participant is working for the landlord to pay the excess rent, the Earned Income Disregard is applied to the income. Therefore, the housing costs may be up to $200 more than the GR grant before a grant reduction is applied.

Money Management

A GR participant must have been deemed by the Deputy District Director (DDD) or higher to have problems with money management based on one of the following:

1. Has received an eviction (Notice to Quit) for non-payment of rent for a second time within a six-month period; or
2. Has received a court-enforced eviction for non-payment of rent for a second time within a six-month period.

Rent

An applicant/participant is only required to provide verification of the amount of rent paid if the reported amount is “questionable” (as defined above). Otherwise, the applicant’s/ participant’s verbal or written statement is satisfactory verification.

Working for Landlord to Pay Excess Rent

A handwritten note from the landlord or owner is acceptable verification.

Dormitory Living

A completed copy of the PA 101-3, Dormitory Facility Verification is required. Applicants/participants who are budgeted for the Dormitory Rate are sent a PA 474, Important Notice about Room & Board/Dormitory Payments, within one workday of approval.

R&B

R&B is verified with the PA 101-2, Room & Board Verification.

Medical Facility

The CalSAWS Journal page is updated to include each contact with the doctor and the participant explaining the expected discharge date and the participant’s intention to return to the same address before action may be taken.

Household Composition

Each of the following must be verified when adding a spouse or child into a case:

1. SSN;
2. Identity;
3. Citizenship status;
4. Income (if applicable); and
5. Resources (if applicable).

Additionally, adults being added to the case must sign an SSP 14, Authorization for Reimbursement of Interim Assistance Initial Claim or Post-Eligibility Case.