BILL NUMBER: SB 465	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Wright

                        FEBRUARY 16, 2011

   An act to amend Section 10618.5 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, relating to public social services.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 465, as introduced, Wright. Public social services: CalFresh,
Medi-Cal, and Healthy Families.
   Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as the
CalFresh Program, formerly the Food Stamp Program, under which food
stamps allocated to the state by the federal government are
distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law
establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State
Department of Health Care Services, under which basic health care
services are provided to qualified low-income persons. Existing law
creates the Healthy Families Program, administered by the Managed
Risk Medical Insurance Board, to arrange for the provision of health,
dental, and vision benefits to eligible children pursuant to the
federal Children's Health Insurance Program.
   Existing law requires a county welfare department to send any food
stamp applicant who is determined to be eligible for CalFresh and
who does not indicate on his or her application an interest in
enrolling in the Medi-Cal program a copy of a specified notice
developed by the county to inform CalFresh recipients with
information regarding the Medi-Cal program and the Healthy Families
Program.
   This bill would require the notice provided by the county to be
made within 90 days of the determination of CalFresh eligibility. By
imposing a higher level of service on county welfare departments in
connection with administering CalFresh, this bill would create a
state-mandated local program.
   This bill also would make various nonsubstantive, technical
changes.
   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.
   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.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 10618.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
   10618.5.  (a) The county welfare department shall send any
 food stamp   CalFresh  applicant who is
determined to be eligible for  food stamps  
CalFresh  and who does not indicate on his or her application an
interest in enrolling in the Medi-Cal program a copy of the notice
developed pursuant to subdivision (b)  , within 90 days of the
  determination of eligibility .
   (b) (1) Each county welfare department shall develop a notice
informing individuals identified pursuant to subdivision (a) that
they may be entitled to receive Medi-Cal benefits and requesting
their permission to use the information in the  food stamp
  CalFresh  recipient's case file to make a
determination of eligibility for the Medi-Cal program.
   (2) The notice shall also include a request for permission to
forward the information in the  food stamp  
CalFresh  recipient's case file to the Healthy Families Program
administrator for eligibility determination if the individual is
determined to be eligible to participate in the Medi-Cal program with
a share of cost, or is determined to be ineligible for Medi-Cal.
   (3) To apply for medical assistance under the Medi-Cal program,
the  food stamp   CalFresh  recipient shall
sign, date, and return the notice requesting that an eligibility
determination be made.
   (4) Upon receipt of the notice, the county welfare department
shall make an eligibility determination by utilizing the information
in the  food stamp   CalFresh  recipient's
case file or paper application. The Medi-Cal application date shall
be the date the notice is received by the county welfare department.
   (5) If the  food stamp   CalFresh  case
file does not include sufficient information to establish Medi-Cal
program eligibility, the county welfare department shall request,
either orally or in writing, additional information from the 
food stamp   CalFresh  recipient.
   (6) The notice shall be written in culturally and linguistically
appropriate language and at an appropriate literacy level. The notice
shall include information on the Medi-Cal program and the Healthy
Families Program, a telephone number that  food stamp
  CalFresh  recipients may call for additional
information, and a prepaid means of returning the notice to the
county welfare department to begin the eligibility determination
process.
   (c) If an individual identified in subdivision (a) or (b) is
determined to be eligible to participate in the Medi-Cal program with
a share of cost, or is determined to be ineligible for Medi-Cal,
information pertinent to the  food stamp  
CalFresh recipient's eligibility for the Healthy Families
Program shall be forwarded by the county welfare department to the
Healthy Families Program statewide administrator for immediate
processing. If there is insufficient information to establish Healthy
Families Program eligibility, the administrator shall request,
either orally or in writing, additional information from the 
food stamp   CalFresh  recipient.
   (d) Counties shall include the cost of implementing this section
in their annual administrative budget requests to the State
Department of Health  Care  Services.
  SEC. 2.  If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this
act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local
agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant
to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
the Government Code.