BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2018
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Jim Beall, Jr., Chair
AB 2018 (Skinner) - As Amended: April 6, 2010
SUBJECT : Food stamps: inter-county transfer process
SUMMARY : Establishes an inter-county transfer (ICT) process for
food stamp recipients who move from one county to another, as
specified. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to establish
a process of inter-county transfer of eligibility for benefits
under the Food Stamp Program (FSP) when a recipient
permanently changes residence from one county to another
within the state; and
2)Specifies that, commencing no later than July 1, 2011, for
recipients of FSP benefits that are also recipients of
CalWORKs benefits, the ICT process utilized for CalWORKs shall
be used; and further specifies that, commencing no later than
July 1, 2011, for recipients of FSP benefits that are also
recipients of MediCal benefits, but not recipients of
CalWORKs, the ICT process utilized for MediCal shall be used.
3)Requires that, commencing no later than January 1, 2012, for
recipients of FSP benefits that are neither recipients of
CalWORKs nor MediCal benefits, an inter-county transfer
process shall be developed, as specified.
4)Specifies that it is the responsibility of the recipient
changing residence from one county to another within the state
to notify the county currently paying food stamp benefits of
the move and to apply for re-determination of eligibility
within the new county of residence.
5)Requires the recipient's old county of residence to notify the
new county of residence of the recipient's move as soon as the
recipient's location in the new county is known, and would
require the new county of residence to be responsible for
determining the recipient's continued eligibility for benefits
under FSP.
AB 2018
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EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires a recipient to reapply to the Food Stamp Program when
moving from one county to another.
2)Requires, under CalWORKs, that there be no overlapping or
interruption of aid as a result of a recipient moving from one
county to another, and further requires that the counties
involved in the transfer of aid be responsible for determining
eligibility and cash aid authorization.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : According to the author, this bill would require
county welfare offices to facilitate an ICT of a recipient's
food stamp benefits when the recipient moves from one county to
another making the current re-application process unnecessary.
Currently, if a family on CalWORKs or MediCal moves from one
county to another, their case follows them to the new county
without a requirement to re-apply for benefits. These processes
ensure that families are not left without resources during times
of transition. Meanwhile, state law requires a household to
reapply for food stamp benefits when moving from one county to
another, leaving many without benefits while they wait for
approval in the new county. This requirement not only results
in lost benefits to vulnerable families, but in lost economic
activity. Indeed, the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) estimates that for every one dollar in foods stamp
benefits, a $1.84 in economic activity is generated. Moreover,
it is costly and time-consuming process for counties to
re-process the application. The USDA indicates that it costs
approximately $46.50 for the federal government and $46.50 for
the state for a total of $93 to process a new application.
The author notes that other county-administered programs such as
CalWORKs and MediCal allow ICTs. In the CalWORKs program, an
ICT places the responsibility of eligibility and cash aid
authorization on the two counties involved in the transfer. The
recipient's responsibility is to notify the county in which they
currently reside of their intended move and file a form and any
other related changes that may affect the ICT. It is not known
how many recipients this bill would assist in transferring food
stamp benefits.
AB 2018
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Client service, administrative relief, and economic activity :
It seems that an ICT process for food stamp recipients is the
next logical step in simplifying this program for many reasons.
First, it is good for clients. They no longer have to go
through the application process to secure benefits that they
already qualify for and benefits are not interrupted exposing
their families to food insecurity. Secondly, the two other
major social services programs already have ICT processes so it
seems that the absence of one in the FSP is an obvious
administrative fix. The client service, administrative savings,
and economic ripple effect together appear to justify the need
to create an ICT for food stamp recipients.
The County Welfare Directors' Association, the sponsor of this
bill, states that "As many Californians are being forced to move
across county lines to find work, requiring them to resubmit
paperwork again and again to keep their benefits is inefficient
and increases the chances of these families losing their
benefits for which they remain otherwise eligible. Further it
is not required by federal law."
Prior legislation
AB 643 (Skinner), 2009-10, would have specified that "aid", for
purposes of the provisions relating to a recipient's change of
residence, includes benefits under the food stamp program,
thereby requiring county welfare offices to transfer a food
stamp recipient's benefits from one county to another without
requiring the recipient to reapply in the new county. This bill
was held under submission in the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
County Welfare Directors Association of California (sponsor)
Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organizations, Inc.
(Co-sponsor)
Western Center on Law and Poverty (Co-sponsor)
California Association of Food Banks
California Food Policy Advocates
City and County of San Francisco
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
Opposition
AB 2018
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None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Frances Chacon / HUM. S. / (916)
319-2089