BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 743 (Eggman) - CalWORKs: eligibility: work activities
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|Version: August 17, 2015 |Policy Vote: HUMAN S. 3 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Jolie Onodera |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 743 would make the following changes to the
California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids
(CalWORKs) program:
Exempts from consideration as income or property for purposes
of determining CalWORKs eligibility, any education, training,
vocation, or rehabilitation benefits, and related allowances,
provided through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to
active duty personnel, veterans, or dependents or spouses of
those who died in the line of duty or have a service-connected
disability.
Adds study time to classroom, laboratory, and internship
activities that are required to be counted toward
participation requirements for self-initiated programs (SIPs).
Specifies that a degree, certificate, or vocational program
offered by a private college shall not be approved unless the
program is either approved or exempted by the appropriate
state regulatory agency and the program is in compliance with
AB 743 (Eggman) Page 1 of
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all other laws.
Fiscal
Impact:
Potentially significant ongoing costs in the hundreds of
thousands of dollars (General Fund) annually for CalWORKs
caseload increases and associated grant payments and services
due to the expanded exemption of veterans' benefits from
consideration as income for CalWORKs eligibility purposes.
Potential ongoing increase in CalWORKs grant payments (General
Fund) to the extent adding study time as an allowable activity
to meet work requirements results in fewer sanctions for
noncompliance being imposed.
Background: Existing law establishes the CalWORKs program, under which
each county provides cash assistance and other social services
using federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
block grant funds, state, and county funds. The Department of
Social Services (DSS) provides oversight of the CalWORKs program
at the state-level.
Under existing law, if an applicant or recipient of CalWORKs
benefits receives one or more educational loans or grants, for
purposes of determining availability of income, that person's
educational expenses are not applied to any educational loans or
grants that, under federal or state law, are totally exempt from
consideration as income for purposes of determining CalWORKs
eligibility.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides for an education benefit program
for individuals who served on active duty after September 10,
2001. Benefits include tuition and fee payment paid to the
educational institution, a monthly housing allowance, as well as
a stipend for books and supplies. Although existing law
currently exempts the educational benefits received through the
Post-9/11 GI Bill from the calculation of income for purposes of
determining CalWORKs eligibility, existing statute is silent
with respect to how housing allowances are considered, and
whether educational benefits received by survivors or
transferred to family members are similarly exempt from income
eligibility consideration.
AB 743 (Eggman) Page 2 of
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A self-initiated program (SIP) is an education/training program
in which the participant was enrolled prior to the
orientation/appraisal appointment. Existing state regulations
provide that a SIP is approved based on meeting all of the
following criteria:
The individual is enrolled as of the date he or she is
appraised, or the date he or she would have been appraised
if he or she had not failed, without good cause, to appear
for the appraisal appointment;
The individual is making satisfactory progress in that
program;
The program will lead to self-supporting employment;
and,
The individual's welfare-to-work plan reflects this
determination.
Under existing state regulations, unless a SIP participant
receives academic credit for study time, study time may not be
included in a SIP participant's welfare-to-work plan. If
participation in a SIP, as determined by the number of hours
required for classroom, laboratory, or internship activities
does not meet the per week hourly participation requirements,
the county must require concurrent participation in specified
welfare-to-work activities to reach the hourly participation
requirement. This bill would revise existing law by providing
that study time for classroom, laboratory and internship
activities are required to be counted toward work participation
requirements for SIP participants.
Proposed Law:
This bill would enact the CalWORKs Self-Sufficiency through
Education and GI Bill Exemption Act of 2015, as follows:
Exempts from consideration as income or property when
determining eligibility for the CalWORKs program any
education, training, vocation or rehabilitation benefits, as
defined, provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
for active duty personnel, veterans, or dependents or spouses
of those who died in the line of duty or have a
service-connected disability.
AB 743 (Eggman) Page 3 of
?
Adds study time to classroom, laboratory, and internship
activities that are required to be counted toward
participation requirements for the SIP program.
Specifies that a degree, certificate, or vocational program
offered by a private college shall not be approved unless the
program is either approved or exempted by the appropriate
state regulatory agency and the program is in compliance with
all other laws.
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