SB 947, 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 county human services agency or state hospital staff. Existing law also requires the county department to verify if an applicant is incapable of acting on his or her own behalf by personal contact with the applicant before aid is authorized.
This bill would authorize the county human services agency to conduct this personal interview telephonically or through electronicbegin delete means.end deletebegin insert means, as specified.end insert The bill would require a county, if that county elects to conduct the personal interview telephonically or through other electronic means, to conduct an in-person personal interview if requested by an applicant.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the
2County Option of Efficient Interviewing of CalWORKs Applicants
3Act of 2016.
Section 11052.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code
5 is amended to read:
(a) An applicant shall not be granted public assistance
7under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) and Chapter
85.1 (commencing with Section 13000) until he or she is first
9personally interviewed by the office of the county human services
10agency or state staff for patients in state hospitals.
11(b) begin insert(1)end insertbegin insert end insertIn determining eligibility for public assistance under
12Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200), in lieu of an
13in-person personal interview as required under subdivision (a), the
14county may elect to conduct the interview required by this
section
15telephonically or through other electronic means.
16
(2) A county that elects to conduct the interview telephonically
17or through other electronic means shall include a set of procedures
18in its county plan for conducting interviews in that manner that
19ensure that clients whose interviews are conducted telephonically
20or through other electronic means are provided with the same
21information that is provided to individuals who have their
22interviews conducted in person.
23(c) If an applicant is incapable of actingbegin delete inend deletebegin insert onend insert his or her own
24behalf, the county department
shall verify this fact by personal
25contact with the applicant before aid is authorized.begin delete As used in this
26section, the term public assistance does not include health care as
27
provided by Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000).end delete
28(d) The interview conducted pursuant to this section shall occur
29within seven days after the time of application unless there are
30extenuating circumstances that justify further delay.
31(e) If a county elects to conduct the personal interview to
32determine eligibility for public assistance under Chapter 2
P3 1(commencing with Section 11200) required under subdivision (a)
2telephonically or through other electronic means, pursuant to
3subdivision (b), the county shall conduct an in-person personal
4interview in lieu of an interview through telephonic or other
5electronic means if requested by an applicant.
6
(f) For purposes of this section, “public assistance” does not
7include health care as provided pursuant to Chapter 7
8(commencing with Section 14000).
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