Existing law provides for various public social services programs administered by the State Department of Social Services, State Department of Health Care Services, and counties, including, among others, the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families and individuals, CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county, and the Medi-Cal program, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care service. Existing law imposes various reporting and verification requirements on applicants and recipients of these public social services programs relating to identity, income, and assets, among other things.

This bill would, to the extent permitted under federal law and no later than January 1, 2026, law, require state and county agencies to accept the reporting by an applicant or recipient of public social services of any lawfully required information, changes, and verification required by law that affect eligibility and benefit amounts, by any means available to the applicant or recipient, including, but not limited to, reported in person, by telephone, through facsimile, by email, or by any other electronic means. The bill would require county agencies to meet specified software security requirements on or before January 1, 2026. The bill would require a county agency to accept reporting by any means available to an applicant or recipient prior to January 1, 2026, if the county agency uses software that meets those requirements. or by secure electronic means, as specified. The bill would require a state or county agency that receives information in an unsecure manner to immediately inform the applicant or recipient of the privacy concern and provide a reasonable alternative method for resubmitting the information. The bill would require the State Department of Social Services and the State Department of Health Care Services to implement this provision these provisions through all-county letters, provider bulletins or notices, policy letters, or similar instructions from the director of each department issued no later than July 1, 2025. To the extent this bill expands eligibility for county administered programs and by imposing additional duties on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program.

This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.

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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.