Today's Law As Amended


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AB-494 CalFresh: eligibility: shelter expense deductions.(2019-2020)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this act to support an increase in CalFresh benefits for low-income working families by simplifying the verification of their shelter expenses.

SEC. 2.

 Section 18901.15 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, immediately following Section 18901.1, to read:

18901.15.
 (a) The department shall issue guidance to counties that does both of the following:
(1) Establishes that shelter costs reported by an applicant or recipient on a signed CalFresh application or semiannual report form shall be sufficient for purposes of determining the applicant’s or recipient’s excess shelter costs deduction.
(2)  Prohibits a county human services agency from requesting additional documents to verify excess shelter costs, except when the reported shelter costs are questionable.
(b) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement and administer this section through all-county letters or similar instructions.
SEC. 3.
 This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
In order to prevent nearly 400,000 elderly or disabled recipients of federal Supplemental Security Income benefits or State Supplementary Payment Program benefits provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, who are newly eligible to receive CalFresh benefits pursuant to the Budget Act of 2018, from being delayed in their application for food aid, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.