Amended in Senate April 23, 2015

Senate BillNo. 312


Introduced by Senator Pan

February 23, 2015


An act to amend Section 11052.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 312, as amended, Pan. Public assistance: personal interviews.

Existing law provides for protection, care, and assistance for people of the state by providing appropriate aid and services to the needy and distressed. Programs established for this purpose include the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program (CalWORKs), which provides cash assistance and other social services to needy families, using federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program, state, and county funds. Existing law prohibits an applicant from being granted public assistance under CalWORKs until he or she is personally interviewed by the countybegin delete welfare departmentend deletebegin insert human services agencyend insert or state hospital staff.

This bill would authorize the countybegin delete welfare departmentend deletebegin insert human services agency or state hospital staffend insert to conduct this personal interview telephonically or through electronicbegin delete means if the county welfare department determines that a personal interview by telephone or electronic means would be more efficient.end deletebegin insert means. The bill would require a face-to-face interview to be conducted if requested by an applicant or recipient. By imposing a higher level of service on county human services agencies administering the CalWORKs program, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.end insert The bill would authorize the State Department of Social Services to implement the bill by means of all-county letters or similar instructions. The bill would also delete an obsolete cross-reference.

begin insert

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

end insert
begin insert

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the 2County Option of Efficient Interviewing of CalWORKs Applicants
3Act of 2015
.

4

SEC. 2.  

Section 11052.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code
5 is amended to read:

6

11052.5.  

(a) An applicant shall not be granted public assistance
7under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) until he or she
8is first personally interviewed by the office of the county begin delete welfare
9departmentend delete
begin insert human services agencyend insert or state staff for patients in
10state hospitals. The personal interview shall be conducted promptly
11following the application forbegin delete assistance. The county welfare
12departmentend delete
begin insert assistance andend insert maybegin delete conduct the personal interviewend deletebegin insert be
13conductedend insert
by telephone or through electronicbegin delete means if the county
14welfare department determines that a personal interview by
15telephone or electronic means will be more efficient.end delete
begin insert means.end insert If an
16applicant is incapable of acting in his or her own behalf, the county
17begin delete welfare departmentend deletebegin insert human services agencyend insert shall verify this fact
18by personal contact with the applicant before aid is authorized. As
19used in this section, the term public assistance does not include
20health care as provided by Chapter 7 (commencing with Section
2114000).

22(b) The interview conducted pursuant to this section shall occur
23within seven days after the time of application unless there are
24extenuating circumstances that justify further delay.

begin insert

P3    1(c) A face-to-face interview shall be conducted if requested by
2an applicant or recipient.

end insert
3

SEC. 3.  

Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the
4Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with
5Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government
6Code), the State Department of Social Services may implement
7this act through an all-county letter or similar instruction from the
8director. The all-county letter or similar instruction shall be issued
9no later than April 1, 2016.

10begin insert

begin insertSEC. 4.end insert  

end insert
begin insert

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
11this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
12local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
13pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
144 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

end insert


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