BILL ANALYSIS Ó
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 947|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 947
Author: Pan (D)
Amended: 5/31/16
Vote: 21
SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE: 3-0, 3/29/16
AYES: McGuire, Hancock, Liu
NO VOTE RECORDED: Berryhill, Nguyen
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 5-2, 5/27/16
AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza
NOES: Bates, Nielsen
SUBJECT: Public assistance: personal interviews
SOURCE: Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organization
County Welfare Directors
Western Center on Law and Poverty
DIGEST: This bill authorizes county human services agencies to
conduct a personal interview of California Work Opportunity and
Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) applicants telephonically or
through electronic means. This bill requires a personal
interview to be conducted if requested by an applicant or
recipient.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) program, which permits states to implement the
SB 947
Page 2
program under a state plan. (42 USC § 601 et seq.)
2)Establishes in state law the CalWORKs program to provide cash
assistance and other social services for low-income families
through the TANF program. Under CalWORKs, each county provides
assistance through a combination of state, county and federal
TANF funds. (WIC 10530)
3)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. (WIC
11052.5)
4)Requires the personal interview to be conducted promptly
following the application for CalWORKs assistance. If an
applicant is incapable of acting in his or her own behalf, the
county department shall verify this fact by personal contact
with the applicant before aid is authorized. (WIC 11052.5)
5)Establishes under federal law the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) within the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to promote the general welfare and to
safeguard the health and wellbeing of the nation's population
by raising the levels of nutrition among low-income
households. It establishes SNAP eligibility requirements. (7
CFR 271.1; 7 CFR 273.9)
6)Establishes in California statute the CalFresh program to
administer the provision of federal SNAP benefits to families
and individuals meeting specified criteria. (WIC 18900 et
seq.)
This bill:
1)Names this bill the County Option of Efficient Interviewing of
CalWORKs Applicants Act of 2016.
2)Permits that, in lieu of an in-person personal interview,
county human services agencies may elect to conduct an
interview of CalWORKs applicants telephonically or through
SB 947
Page 3
other electronic means.
3)Requires an in-person personal interview in lieu of an
interview through telephonic or other electronic means to be
conducted if it is requested by an applicant.
Background
According to the author, the counties that have set up the
infrastructure to do telephone interviews for CalFresh
applicants should have the option to do the same for CalWORKs
applicants if it would achieve administrative efficiency. The
author also states the cost of transportation can be very
burdensome, especially for families living in rural California.
As noted by one of the bill's sponsors, the Coalition of
California Welfare Rights Organization, current law was "enacted
before the advent of modern tools that allow for interviews to
be completed and, recorded and stored electronically in the case
file. Today, these interviews can be completed telephonically,
by video or electronically in ways that are more efficient
without compromising the integrity of the program."
According to the California Department of Social Services
(CDSS), if SB 947 were signed into law, CalWORKs applicants will
still be required to sign their application forms and submit
fingerprints and photographs to the county human services
agencies.
CalWORKs
CalWORKs implements the federal TANF program in California. In
addition to temporary cash assistance to meet basic family
needs, CalWORKs provides education, employment and training
programs. CDSS is the designated state agency responsibility
for program supervision at the state level. The counties are
responsible for administering the caseloads at the local level.
The CalWORKs program is funded with a mix of federal, state, and
SB 947
Page 4
county funds.
State law provides for a cumulative 48-month lifetime limit on
cash aid for adults. During those 48 months, adults may receive
a total of 24 months of Welfare-to-Work (WTW) services and
activities. WTW activities include subsidized and unsubsidized
employment, community service, adult basic education, job
skills, training, mental health counseling, substance abuse
treatment and other activities necessary to assist recipients in
obtaining employment. Once the 24 months of WTW activities have
been exhausted, adults must meet the stricter federal work
participation requirements (20, 30, or 35 hours weekly,
depending on family composition) unless they are exempt or
receive an extension. Children of adults who exhaust the
48-month lifetime limit may continue to receive cash aid, if
otherwise eligible, up to age 18.
Use of telephone interviews for CalFresh
Under USDA Food and Nutrition Services Waiver #2130007 and state
and federal regulations (US 7 CFR 273.2(e)(3) and California
Manual of Policies and Procedures (Section 63-300.46)
California's county human services agencies have the option to
allow CalFresh applicants to satisfy the interview requirement
over the telephone rather than mandating a face-to-face
interview.
In 2009, CDSS informed county welfare departments via All County
Letter (ACL) #09-62 that they had the option of waiving the
face-to-face interview for CalFresh applicants and recipients at
initial application, recertification, or both. In 2014, CDSS
issued ACL #14-24 stating, "As an element of program
simplification and as part of CDSS commitment to improving
access, offering the option of a telephone interview in lieu of
a face-to-face interview will now be required at intake and
recertification." The same ACL reported that waiving the
requirement for a face-to-face interview "has not negatively
affected payment error rates, is beneficial for CalFresh
applicants and recipients, and provides administrative relief
for county staff.
Online application for Medi-Cal
SB 947
Page 5
California's version of the federal Medicaid program, Medi-Cal,
services low-income individuals, including but not limited to:
families, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster
care, pregnant women, and childless adults with incomes below
138% of federal poverty level. Applications for Medi-Cal
benefits may be filed online, in person or by mail. All
applicants are required to submit some signed documents, so
there is still paperwork component of the Medi-Cal application
process.
Related/Prior Legislation
SB 297 (McGuire, 2015) would have facilitated electronic
verification of eligibility for certain means-tested public
benefits programs; clarified when an eligibility worker should
conduct a telephone interview; required CDSS to develop
technology to store telephonic and electronic signatures and to
issue guidance for recording and storing electronic and
telephonic signatures. The bill was held in Senate
Appropriations Committee.
SB 312 (Pan, 2014) would have authorized the county human
services agency or state hospital staff to conduct a personal
interview of CalWORKs applicants telephonically or through
electronic means. The bill would have required a face-to-face
interview to be conducted if requested by an applicant or
recipient. This bill was held in the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
AB 1970 (Skinner, 2012) sought to modernize and streamline the
administration of, and remove barriers to participation in,
social services programs, including removing the face-to-face
interview requirement for CalWORKs and CalFresh as a condition
of receipt of aid. AB 1970 was held in the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
AB 6 (Fuentes, Chapter 501, Statutes of 2011) removed the
CalFresh fingerprinting requirement, modified reporting
requirements from quarterly to semi-annually, and made other
changes.
SB 947
Page 6
AB 231 (Steinberg, Chapter 743, Statutes of 2003) permitted
counties to exempt a household from complying with the
face-to-face interview required by a CalFresh applicant, in
addition to other policy changes.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:NoLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Interviews via telephonic/electronic means: Potentially
significant one-time and near-term non-reimbursable local
costs for equipment, staffing, and/or training to implement
new processes. To the extent conducting interviews by
telephone or electronic means results in administrative
efficiencies could result in significant ongoing future cost
savings.
CalWORKs benefits/administration: Potential increases or
decreases in CalWORKs benefits and administration costs
(General Fund) to the extent conducting interviews by
telephone or electronic means results in a greater or lesser
number of applications for aid granted. To the extent this
bill removes barriers and/or delays in applying for and being
granted aid, CalWORKs program costs could increase. However,
to the extent reduced utilization of in-person interviews
prevents or delays the receipt of verification and/or
clarification, applications that otherwise may have been
approved could potentially be delayed or denied.
SUPPORT: (Verified 5/31/16)
Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organizations (co-source)
County Welfare Directors Association of California (co-source)
Western Center on Law and Poverty (co-source)
California Association of Food Banks
California Food Policy Advocates
SB 947
Page 7
California State Association of Counties
Children's Defense Fund - California
Courage Campaign
National Association of Social Workers
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
OPPOSITION: (Verified5/31/16)
None received
Prepared by:Taryn Smith / HUMAN S. / (916) 651-1524
5/31/16 22:24:24
**** END ****