18900.3.
(a) To ensure that eligible Californians have universally excellent access to CalFresh, the State Department of Social Services shall 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.(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 enrolled in 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 enrolled in 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 enrolled in CalFresh, with the goal of no county having less than 85 percent of eligible households enrolled.
(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 identify or develop a proxy metric for the CalFresh participation rate. The proxy metric shall be applied statewide in order to periodically calculate state- and county-level estimates for the CalFresh participation rate. The department shall identify or develop this proxy metric by September 1, 2020. This proxy metric shall be used only to evaluate progress toward participation goals and does not supplant existing methods for determining participation rates established by the department or the United States Department of Agriculture. The department may also identify or develop additional metrics to evaluate progress toward the participation goals identified in subdivision (b).
(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 mechanisms with program 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 user-centered application for seniors that minimizes the burdens of the overall enrollment process.
(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.