Bill Text: CA SB285 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Public social services.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-08-30 - August 30 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. [SB285 Detail]
Download: California-2019-SB285-Amended.html
apply initiate applications for benefits under the programs identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 10823, any program established under Article 2 (commencing with Section 123275) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code,
and any other programs in substantial use as determined by the California Health and Human Services Agency, to be completed by January 1, 2023. Agency. ensure counties are providing the desired access to CalFresh and meeting the following participation performance outcomes: oversee a state and local accountability partnership with county human services agencies and other stakeholders to increase CalFresh participation and retention statewide, and to foster continuous quality improvement in CalFresh program administration.
Bill Title: Public social services.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-08-30 - August 30 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. [SB285 Detail]
Download: California-2019-SB285-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Senate
April 02, 2019 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
| Senate Bill | No. 285 |
| Introduced by Senator Wiener (Coauthor: Senator Dodd) (Coauthor: Assembly Member Wicks) |
February 13, 2019 |
An act to add Sections 10618.4, 18900.3, and 18900.4 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 285, as amended, Wiener.
Public social services.
Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, in conjunction with the State Department of Public Health and appropriate stakeholders, to develop and submit to the Legislature a community outreach and education campaign to help families learn about, and apply for, CalFresh.
This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to ensure counties are providing the desired access to CalFresh and meeting specified participation performance outcomes.
oversee a state and local accountability partnership to increase CalFresh participation and retention, to foster continuous quality improvement in the administration of the CalFresh program, and establish specified statewide goals for CalFresh participation and improvement. The bill would require the department to take specified actions to support counties in meeting the
participation performance outcomes, including, among others, utilizing specified data to support continuous improvement. The bill would require counties that are not meeting those participation performance outcomes to enter a process of continuous improvement that includes developing a plan to meet the participation performance outcomes. increasing and retaining CalFresh participants so that counties can achieve the statewide participation goals, including, among others, maintaining a dynamic and publicly available CalFresh data dashboard. The bill would require county human services agencies to work with the department to increase CalFresh participation and retention rates and identify the most effective actions to increase access to, and participation in, CalFresh. The bill would encourage counties to implement cost-effective actions that can be implemented within existing resources or at the expense of the county, but
would prohibit counties from being required to implement specific improvements that require additional funds unless the state provides the county with those additional funds. By imposing new requirements on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Existing law requires each county welfare department, to the extent permitted by federal law, to exempt a household from complying with face-to-face interview requirements for the purpose of determining eligibility at initial application and recertification.
This bill would, to the extent permitted by federal law, give an individual the option to apply and recertify for CalFresh in person, by mail, online, or by telephone, permit an individual to complete the interview requirement by telephone or face-to-face, permit an individual to complete the
entire application process for CalFresh enrollment or recertification by telephone, and require the application to process to satisfy specified criteria, including simple, user-friendly language and instructions. By imposing new duties on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would also require the department, to the extent permitted under federal law, to design and implement a universal application interface to be used to apply initiate application for benefits under CalFresh and other specified social services programs.
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 the statutory provisions noted above.
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.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) Inadequate nutrition and food insecurity threatens the health of 3.7 million low-income adults and over 2 million children in California, leading to adverse health outcomes among children, and increased risk of chronic disease, including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. diseases, yet nearly 2 million eligible Californians are not receiving CalFresh nutrition benefits.
(2)According to the United States Department of Agriculture, California has the fourth lowest participation rate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, among all states, with nearly 2 million eligible Californians not receiving federal nutrition benefits.
(3)
(2) The average CalFresh benefit in California is $136 per person per month. If the state enrolled these 2 million eligible Californians into CalFresh, it would draw up to $3.5 billion in federal food benefits to the state annually. annually, which would also significantly help farmers, grocers, and the local economy.
(4)Research shows that federal CalFresh benefits significantly help farmers, grocers, and the local economy, and can reduce future health costs associated with diet-related diseases.
(5)
(3) Due to the implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act, Medi-Cal has expanded to provide health coverage to one in three Californians, and one in two children, with a statewide coverage rate of 95 percent of those eligible participating.
(6)
(4) While working poor Californians struggle with increased costs of housing and basic needs that outpaced growth in wages, California ranks third to last in the nation at connecting working poor households to CalFresh.
(7)
(5) While California’s population is aging, with a growing number of seniors experiencing hunger and poverty, California ranks last in the nation at connecting seniors to CalFresh, failing to reach nearly four in five eligible, low-income seniors, despite recent policy changes to simplify enrollment processes and medical deductions for seniors.
(8)
(6) CalFresh has undergone several significant changes over the past several years, including all of the following:
(A) Reduced barriers to enrollment by removing asset test and finger imaging requirements.
(B) Increased guidance to make online and phone applications more widely available so that residents can apply for benefits without visiting an office, similar to Medi-Cal.
(C) Interdepartmental collaboration to improve horizontal integration among social service programs, including CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, and California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program).
(D) Reversal of the longstanding Supplemental Security Income (SSI) “cashout” policy, which provides a pivotal opportunity to connect up to
establish CalFresh eligibility for 500,000 seniors and disabled Californians receiving SSI benefits with critical CalFresh assistance.
benefits.
(9)
(7) Given these changes in CalFresh and the need to connect health and nutrition, particularly for newly eligible SSI recipients, the time is right to improve CalFresh entry points, better align Medi-Cal and CalFresh enrollment, and set statewide goals for CalFresh participation outcomes.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to maximize the impact of federal safety net funding to reduce poverty, fight hunger, and improve health by enrolling all eligible, low-income Californians into CalFresh, and to initiate a Universal Application
universal application interface to statewide human services programs concurrent with consolidation of the Statewide Automated Welfare System (SAWS). (SAWS) in order to provide streamlined access to benefits under the CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKS, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programs.
SEC. 2.
Section 10618.4 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:10618.4.
(a) The department, in consultation with the Health and Human Services Agency, county welfare agencies, and relevant stakeholders, shall design and, to the extent permitted under federal law, implement a universal application interface to be used to(b) The universal application interface for social services programs described in subdivision (a) shall utilize user-centered design to minimize the burdens of the overall enrollment processes for eligible individuals and households to apply, receive, and retain benefits.
(b)
(c) In order to support consumer access, shared services, and interoperability between programs, the universal application interface
shall be ready for implementation by January 1, 2023.
SEC. 3.
Section 18900.3 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:18900.3.
(a) To ensure that eligible Californians have universally excellent access to CalFresh, the State Department of Social Services shall(b) In order to provide universally excellent access to CalFresh, the department shall establish the following statewide goals for CalFresh participation and improvement:
(1) By January 1, 2021, the department shall aim to have at least 75 percent of households eligible for CalFresh under Section 18900.5 shall be enrolled in CalFresh. CalFresh, with the goal of no county having less than 65 percent of eligible households enrolled.
(2) By July 1, 2022, the department shall aim to have at least 85 percent of all households eligible for CalFresh under Section 18901 shall be enrolled in CalFresh. CalFresh, with the goal of no county having less than 75 percent of eligible households enrolled.
(3) By July 1, 2024, the department shall aim to have
at least 95 percent of all households eligible for CalFresh under Section 18901 shall be enrolled in CalFresh. CalFresh, with the goal of no county having less than 85 percent of eligible households enrolled.
(b)For the purpose of evaluating the participation performance outcomes identified in subdivision (a), the department shall determine the metrics by which households are defined as eligible for CalFresh, which may include the rate of Medi-Cal participating households deemed likely eligible for CalFresh, the Program Reach Index, the Program Access Index, or a combination of proxy measures determined by the department.
(c)(1)Counties that are not meeting the participation performance outcomes identified in subdivision (a), shall enter a process of continuous improvement that includes developing and implementing a plan to meet the requirements of subdivision (a) in the following year, and for each consecutive year that the county does not meet the requirements of subdivision (a). The plan shall include specific measures that
will be implemented to increase access and participation in CalFresh.
(2)Counties shall demonstrate in the implementation of the plan described in paragraph (1) the use of specific access improvement measures, which may include, but is not limited to, flexible interview scheduling, electronic signature by telephone, maximized use of electronic verification and reduced oververification of documentation, minimization of procedural denials, simplified and streamlined enrollment of any individual receiving Medi-Cal or CalWORKs, or any other access improvement measures identified by the department.
(d)In order to support counties in meeting the participation performance outcomes identified in subdivision (a), the department shall do all of the following:
(1)Support counties that are not in compliance with Section 18915
to ensure statewide access by providing accurately translated materials and interpretation services to ensure limited-English proficient language households have the required access in every community.
(c) For the purpose of evaluating progress towards the participation goals identified in subdivision (b), the department, in consultation with counties and other stakeholders, shall utilize the rate of Medi-Cal participating households deemed likely eligible for CalFresh that are participating in CalFresh as a proxy metric for the participation rate in order to facilitate near-term evaluation in meeting participation goals. The department shall calculate this proxy metric by September 1, 2020.
(d) (1) County human services agencies shall work with the
department to increase CalFresh participation and retention rates within the county, as necessary to meet statewide goals identified in subdivision (b), and to set county-specific goals for increased participation and retention. These continuous improvement efforts shall incorporate community stakeholder feedback and take into account community efforts, occurring outside of, and in partnership with, the county human services agency, to increase outreach, enrollment, and retention, as well as improvements identified within the agency.
(2) (A) The department and counties shall work with community partners and stakeholders to identify the most effective actions that can be implemented to increase access and participation in CalFresh, consistent with state and federal law. These actions may include, but are not limited to, flexible interview scheduling, electronic signature by telephone, maximized use of electronic
verification and verification standards that adhere to federally allowable minimum requirements of documentation, minimization of procedural denials, simplified and streamlined enrollment of any individual receiving Medi-Cal or CalWORKs, and other actions identified as effective.
(B) Counties are encouraged to implement cost-effective actions that can be implemented within existing resources, or at the expense of the county or through public-private partnerships, but shall not be required to implement specific improvements identified pursuant to subparagraph (A) that require additional funds unless the state provides those additional funds, which may be appropriated in the annual Budget Act.
(e) In order to support counties and their community partners in increasing and retaining CalFresh participants so that counties can achieve the statewide goals identified in subdivision (b),
the department shall do all of the following:
(1) Provide counties with timely, accurately translated materials that are reviewed for understandability with native language speakers to ensure limited-English-proficient language households have the required access in every community.
(2) Conduct ongoing user-experience testing of CalFresh application, recertification, and reporting interfaces mechanisms with program participants and applicants
participants, applicants, application assisters, and counties in order to reduce barriers to participation.
(3) Participate in all elements of the Elderly Simplified Application Project, a demonstration project, operated by the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service and develop a simplified, user-centered application for seniors. seniors that minimizes the burdens of the overall enrollment process.
(4)Utilize necessary data, including all of the following, to support continuous improvement:
(A)Statewide
and countywide metrics that are required to be reported quarterly.
(B)Metrics that allow an analysis by county, census tract, primary language, race, ethnicity, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability status, to the extent that data is collected and is statistically reliable.
(C)Results of ongoing user-experience testing with CalFresh program participants.
(5)Direct the process of continuous improvement described in subdivision (c).
(4) Maintain a dynamic, publicly available CalFresh data dashboard that presents data showing change, activity, or progress over time, and that allows for data extraction for further analysis. If appropriate, the department may utilize existing technology for this purpose. In order to support continuous improvement, and to inform the Legislature and the public about CalFresh enrollment, benefit retention, customer service, and performance, the data management tool shall include statewide and county-specific data. The data shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Data regarding multiprogram enrollment, including, but not limited to, dual eligibility and dual participation among CalFresh and Medi-Cal recipients.
(B) Data regarding CalFresh applications received through multiple channels, including, but not limited to, applications received
in-person, online, and by telephone.
(C) Data regarding CalFresh application and recertification outcomes, including, but not limited to, disposition, processing times, and procedural denials.
(D) Data regarding CalFresh reapplication, which may include, but is not limited to, rate of return within 30, 60, and 90 days.
(E) Data regarding results of ongoing user-experience testing with CalFresh program participants and applicants, as available.
(F) Metrics that allow an analysis by county, census tract, primary language, race, ethnicity, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability status, to the extent that the data is collected and is statistically reliable, and that the stratification of data does not breach confidentiality.
(G) Additional data identified by the department, counties, or stakeholders as necessary to advance the goals established pursuant to subdivision (b).
(5) Provide oversight and technical assistance to counties with regard to the process of continuous improvement described in this section.
SEC. 4.
Section 18900.4 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:18900.4.
(a) To the extent permitted under federal law, an individual shall have the option to apply and recertify for CalFresh in person, by mail, online, or by telephone, regardless of their address or lack of a permanent address.(b) To the extent permitted under federal law, an individual may complete the interview required for determining eligibility, including the required client signature, at initial application and recertification by telephone or face to face, regardless of their address or lack of a permanent address. Unless an individual’s preference is a face-to-face interview, phone interviews shall be prioritized.
(c) To the extent permitted under federal law, an individual shall have the option to complete the entire application process for CalFresh enrollment or recertification by telephone, regardless of their address or lack of a permanent address.
(c)
(d) To the extent permitted under federal law, the application process shall satisfy all both of the following criteria:
(1) Include simple, user-friendly language and instructions. instructions that incorporate user testing with CalFresh applicants, participants, and application assisters.
(2)Require only information necessary to support eligibility and enrollment for the CalFresh program.
(3)
(2) Require the
eligibility, enrollment, and retention system to offer an applicant or recipient assistance with their application application, required reporting, or recertification for the CalFresh program in person, over the telephone, and online, and in a manner that is accessible to individuals with disabilities and those who have limited English proficiency.
