sgoldberg
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Child care eligibility and attendance changes
The California Department of Health Services has released guidance regarding changes to child care eligibility and attendance. Effective January 1, 2026, medical and education appointments are considered excused absences from child care. A child care contractor can claim…
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Eligibility for Migrant Child Care Programs
Effective January 1, 2026, the definition of “migrant agricultural worker family” for purposes of migrant child care programs at least one family member earns at least 40 percent of their total gross income from employment in fishing, agriculture,…
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Implementation of HOPE Trust Accounts
The State of California has created HOPE Trust Accounts for eligible children in foster care. Eligible participants are either: 1) A child who enters foster care before age 18, has been in foster care for 18 months, and…
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Expansion of waiver for CalFresh denials for missing verification
California has a federal waiver which allows counties to deny a CalFresh application before the 30th day after the application is filed when the applicant does not provide requested verification within 10 days of the request. See ACL…
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Benefits eligibility when public interest parole expires
The California Department of Social Services has released guidance regarding benefits eligibility for public interest parolees when their parole status expires or is terminated. Individuals paroled into the United States are eligible for CalWORKs. If an individual’s parole…
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Revised CalFresh work rules oral script
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has released an updated version of the CalWORKs work rules oral script. The updated version removes the CalFresh Employment and Training section, and reflects changes to the CalFresh time limit and…
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CalWORKs Stage 1 Child Care lack of attendance
Stage One Child Care administrators cannot end child care authorization because of non-utilization. Stage One Child Care cannot be abandoned. Counties and contractors can engage families when they are not using authorized child care including 1) contacting the…
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CalWORKs Home Visiting Program changes
The CalWORKs Home Visiting Program is a voluntary program that provides home visits by social workers for CalWORKs recipient families to help them achieve stability. Effective January 1, 2026, Home Visiting Program participation is limited to the duration…
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CalWORKs time limit exemption for recipients living in Indian Country with over 50% unemployment
People who live in Indian Country with at least 50% unemployment are exempt from CalWORKs and federal Temporary Aid to Needy Families time limits. The California Department of Social Services has released the list of Indian Country areas…
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Transforming CalWORKs – end of mandatory job search
The Transforming CalWORKs legislation, AB 119 (2025) makes several changes job search as a Welfare-to-Work (WTW) activity. Effective July 1, 2026, job search will no longer be a required WTW activity in initial engagement, after completion of a…