BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 808
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 18, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    AB 808 (Skinner) - As Amended:  May 11, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              Human 
          ServicesVote:6 - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires county welfare departments to provide 
          households that are receiving transitional CalFresh benefits 
          with a recertification notice that specifies an appointment date 
          and time to assess the recipient's eligibility for regular 
          CalFresh benefits. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          The Department of Social Services is already making these 
          changes administratively.  Therefore there are no new costs 
          associated with this legislation.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . According to the author's office, approximately 40% 
            of former CalWORKs families have to reapply to the CalFresh 
            program to continue their CalFresh benefits because their five 
            months of transitional benefits have ended.  The reapplication 
            process can be lengthy and may include up to three visits to 
            the county welfare office where a finger image, photo, 
            interview, and completed application are processed.  

            AB 808 would, in lieu of a reapplication process, instead 
            require that counties automatically provide a recertification 
            notice to recipients who are in their last month of 
            transitional CalFresh benefits.

           2)Related Legislation  . AB 231 (Steinberg; Chapter 743, Statutes 
            of 2003) established the Transitional Food Stamp Program (now 
            called CalFresh). Transitional CalFresh benefits are provided 








                                                                  AB 808
                                                                  Page  2

            to families for five months upon exiting the CalWORKs program.



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081