Who is eligible?

CalWORKs gives money and assistance to eligible families. To be eligible, a family must meet rules about need, income, and resources. It’s important to note that these rules are different from Social Security rules. CalWORKs uses the term “assistance unit (AU)” instead of family. Some members of your family might not be included in the Assistance Unit. This website will use “family” for simplicity’s sake, but keep in mind that there are situations when some members of your family are not considered to be part of the assistance unit.

To be even considered for the program, you must be a U.S. citizen or meet residency requirements, be a California resident, and not be a fleeing felon. You also have to have all of your children under six years old immunized, and children below the age of 16 must be attending school regularly.

For CalWORKs, your family must have a “deprived child”. Basically, this means that the child is not receiving adequate support from his/her caretakers. CalWORKs has more specific definitions: A “child” is someone who is under 18. That age limit is 19 for children who are expected to graduate from high school before their 19^th birthday. Children are “deprived” if they have at least one parent who is dead, disabled, continuously absent, in jail, or unemployed.

Your family also has to meet resource requirements. You can have up to $2,000 in resources ($3,000 if the family includes someone 60 or over), but not everything you own counts. Your home, household goods, and certain trusts, for example, are not counted, because you can’t easily use these things to financially support your family. You are also allowed to have a car that’s worth up to $4,650 without it counting as a resource. Any amount over $4,650 counts against the $2,000 limit, unless you get less than $1,500 from the sale after paying back bank loans.

Finally, you also have to meet income requirements. Your income has to be under a limit that is based on your family size. CalWORKs does not count all of your income. For example, SSI benefits, loans, Earned Income Tax Credits, and Federal Relocation/Disaster benefits do not count. After excluding this income, CalWORKs will take your earned income and subtract $90 for each working family member. They then add that to any unearned income to find your total countable income:

If your countable income is less than the limit for your family, you are eligible for CalWORKs. The limit is called a “needs standard” or “Minimum Basic Standard of Adequate Care” (MBSAC). It varies based on your family size and where you live. Region I includes the more urban counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Ventura) where cost of living is higher, so the MBSAC is correspondingly higher. Region II includes the more rural counties (all of the ones not listed above). The following chart shows the MBSAC for both regions. Note that this is NOT your benefit amount; it’s just the income eligibility limit. If you meet this limit, your benefit will be calculated using a different formula (see below).

Through June 30, 2009. Source: CA Department of Social Services.

What benefits come with CalWORKs

The central CalWORKs benefit is monthly cash assistance grant. CalWORKs figures out your grant based on which region you live in (see above), your family size and situation, and your income. If both caretakers are disabled and receiving SSI, IHSS, SDI, or Worker’s Compensation, they receive a higher grant. This is called the “exempt” amount and also applies when the child is the only member of the family that CalWORKs is considering. Note that SSI recipients are not considered as being in the family for this calculation. This means that a family including an SSI recipient will be eligible for a lower grant. However, SSI income will not count. The following table lists the maximum grant amounts:

Through June 30, 2008. Source: CA Department of Social Services.

Your grant amount is the maximum amount you are eligible to receive minus the amount of your income that the program counts (countable income). The formula is:

Your benefit will be directly deposited into a bank account or will come through an Electronic Benefit Transfer account (EBT). An EBT account can be accessed through an ATM-like card. Keep in mind that you are generally only eligible for 60 months of cash benefits from CalWORKs. If your benefit is going to be low, it may not be worth using up one of those months.

Besides the cash assistance, CalWORKs also provides other benefits:

• Health coverage through Medi-Cal
• Participation in Welfare-to-Work activities (See below)
• A number of emergency cash benefits that give you immediate help when you are about to lose your home, are homeless, or are in another emergency
• Family planning and Child Health & Disability Prevention (CHDP)

After your 60 months of CalWORKs benefits end, you will have 12 months of transitional Medi-Cal coverage and 24 months of child care. There are certain situations where you may be eligible for more than 60 months of benefits.

Your Responsibilities: Welfare-to-Work

The goal of the CalWORKs program is for you to have a job that will support your family. CalWORKs has a Welfare-to-Work requirement so that you can achieve this goal.

Most CalWORKs recipients must spend 32 hours a week (35 for couples) in job-related activities. You have to spend 20 of those hours in core activities like looking for a job, working, or community service. These are generally experiences that will give you skills you need to be employed. You can spend the rest of the hours doing things that will help you get a job. These non-core activities could include adult basic education, training, or counseling services for mental health, substance abuse, or domestic violence. See the glossary for a list of Welfare-to-Work activities. Keep in mind that each county has its own list of acceptable activities, but are required to have a “wide range” of options.

CalWORKs helps you fulfill the requirements and find employment in a number of ways. First, after becoming eligible for the program, you will attend a group orientation that describes the program in general along with Welfare-to-Work requirements and services. You will then meet with a county worker who will review your work history, skills, and discuss any services you feel you might need (see below). Most people will then participate in a four week job search program. If you haven’t found a job at the end of those four weeks, you will meet with an employment counselor for an assessment. You will create a Welfare-to-Work plan that outlines the specific activities that you will participate in. If you can’t agree on a plan, a third party will do another assessment that you will have to accept. You can request a change in your plan within 3 days after you sign it. This should be a plan that will help you find a job that will support your family after your 60 months of CalWORKs benefits end. Once you sign your plan, you are responsible for following it. If you don’t, you may be sanctioned, which means that your benefit will decrease.

CalWORKs also helps you with your Welfare-to-Work activities by providing certain services that you will need because you are working. If you meet certain requirements, CalWORKs pays for child care. One parent families must work 20 hours a week to receive child care. Two parent families must work a combined 55 hours a week, unless one is caring for a disabled child. CalWORKs will also pay for transportation costs related to your employment. Other services, like job training and counseling, can go towards meeting your weekly requirement.

CalWORKs realizes that some people, even with the help of these services, will not be able to work. They offer exemptions to the Welfare-to-Work requirement if you are:

• Under 16
• Under 19 and in school full-time
• Disabled for at least 30 days
• Over 60
• Caring for a relative’s child who is a ward of the state or is in danger of being placed in foster care, and who requires care that prevents you from working
• At home because you are caring for a sick or incapacitated household member
• Are taking care of a baby under 6 months old
• Pregnant and medically unable to participate in Welfare-to-Work activities

If you start a Welfare-to-Work program, you may be excused from your requirement if your situation makes it difficult to participate. For example, if you’ve been abused or can’t find the necessary supportive services or child care, the county may excuse you from your requirement. You also don’t have to participate if you are in a Self-Initiated Program (SIP). If you’re exempt from the Welfare-to-Work requirement but you voluntarily participate in activities, you may be eligible for some of the supportive services.

How do I apply?

To apply for CalWORKs, go to your local county welfare office. There is a simple, one page form to fill out. If you meet the basic eligibility requirement laid out in this form, the eligibility worker will schedule an appointment with you and give you more documents to fill out. The worker will also give you a list of things, like identification and birth certificates, to bring to the next meeting. The worker should accept your application even if you don’t have all of the required documents. While you’re applying for CalWORKs, you can also apply for Food Stamps and General Assistance/General Relief. You can also receive money immediately in some emergency circumstances.

The People’s Guide gives an excellent description of what to expect at these interviews, along with tips about your rights and responsibilities.

If you are accepted to the program, you will have to report on your living situation every three months. There are certain situations that you’ll have to report immediately. You will receive a letter that explains these situations, along with explaining your benefit amount and other program rules.

Sources

The following links are provided for those who want detailed information on CalWORKs. For those looking for more general information, please go to DB101’s CalWORKs Resources page.

Bay Area Legal Aid publishes an excellent Advocate’s Guide to CalWORKs, with citations to the relevant code, All County Letters, and eligibility manuals.

The CalWORKs program is governed by the Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 11000 et. seq.

The California Department of Social Services interprets these laws through All County Letters and its Manual of Policy and Procedures, Divisions 40-45, and 80-82 (click on the specific sections).

The Health Consumer Alliance has a brochure on Medi-Cal for CalWORKs Advocates.