Bill Text: CA AB1536 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Immigrants.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2024-01-30 - Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file. [AB1536 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB1536-Introduced.html
Introduced by Assembly Members Juan Carrillo and Santiago (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Gipson) (Coauthor: Assembly Member Villapudua) |
February 17, 2023 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The heading of Chapter 10.3 (commencing with Section 18937) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
CHAPTER
10.3. Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants
SEC. 2.
Section 18937 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:18937.
(a) The State Department of Social Services shall establish and supervise a county- or county consortia-administered program to provide cash assistance to aged, blind, and disabledSEC. 3.
Section 18938 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:18938.
(a) (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), an individual, upon application, shall be eligible for the program established pursuant to Section 18937 ifSEC. 4.
Section 18939 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:18939.
(a) Any person who is found to be eligible for federally funded SSI by the department shall be required to apply for SSI benefits. An individual may continue to receive benefits under this article if(b)(1)The State Department of Social Services shall require counties with a base caseload of recipients of aid under this chapter of 70 or more to establish an advocacy program to assist applicants and recipients of aid under this chapter in the application process for the SSI program. The department shall encourage counties with a base caseload of recipients of aid under this chapter of 69 or less to establish a similar advocacy program. Counties may, at their option, contract to provide any or all of the required advocacy services.
(2)The department shall provide assistance to counties in their efforts to implement an SSI advocacy program (SSIAP) for applicants and recipients of aid under this chapter.
(c)The State Department of Social Services shall ensure that its Disability Evaluation Division (DED) expedites the disability evaluations for applicants and recipients of aid under this chapter by utilizing its existing case records sharing procedures to ensure that information from previous DED evaluations for the Medi-Cal program are shared expeditiously with the federal component of the division that is adjudicating the SSI disability application.
(d)The State Department of Social Services shall reimburse counties for legal fees incurred by attorneys or other authorized representatives during the appeals phase of the SSI application process only when the county demonstrates that the legal representative successfully secures approval of SSI benefits. The legal fees for each case shall not exceed twice the difference between the maximum
monthly individual payment under this chapter and the maximum monthly SSP payment.
(e)The department shall report to the Legislature, by July 1, 2007, on the outcomes of county SSI advocacy programs, including the numbers of cases that transitioned to SSI and the amount of savings realized through the transfers.
(f)Subdivisions (b) to (e), inclusive, of this section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2011.