Bill Text: CA SB490 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled

California Senate Bill 490 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: CalFresh: benefit overissuance.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-07 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 550, Statutes of 2019. [SB490 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB490-Enrolled.html

Enrolled September 13, 2019

Passed IN Senate September 11, 2019

Passed IN Assembly September 10, 2019

Amended IN Assembly September 03, 2019

Amended IN Assembly July 05, 2019

Amended IN Senate April 25, 2019

Amended IN Senate March 27, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 490

Introduced by Senator Hurtado
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Mathis)

February 21, 2019

An act to amend Section 18927 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalFresh.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 490, Hurtado. CalFresh: benefit overissuance.

Existing law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), administered in California as CalFresh, under which each county distributes nutrition assistance benefits provided by the federal government to eligible households. Existing law requires each county human services agency to carry out the local administrative responsibilities of this program, subject to the supervision of the State Department of Social Services and to rules and regulations adopted by the department. Existing law requires current and future CalFresh benefits to be reduced, as specified, to recover a benefit overissuance caused by administrative error. If a household is no longer receiving CalFresh benefits, existing law prohibits the establishment or collection of a CalFresh overissuance caused by administrative error if the overissuance is less than $125 or the minimum statewide cost-effective threshold established by the state, whichever is greater, and existing law requires collection if the overissuance is caused by inadvertent household error and the overissuance is $35 or more.

This bill would increase those threshold overissuance claim amounts to $400 for a household that is no longer receiving CalFresh benefits. The bill would require the department to develop and implement a policy for compromising administrative error claims, in whole or in part, for households that include at least one elderly or disabled member, as specified. The bill would authorize its provisions to be implemented through an all-county letter no later than January 1, 2021.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature to prevent the harm of hunger experienced by low-income elderly or disabled Californians that would result if they were forced to repay CalFresh benefits that were overissued as the result of an administrative error or an inadvertent household error.

SEC. 2.

Section 18927 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

18927.

(a) Current and future CalFresh benefits shall be reduced in accordance with subdivisions (c) and (d) to recover an overissuance caused by intentional program violation, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 273.16 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, fraud, or inadvertent household error.

(b) Current and future CalFresh benefits shall be reduced in accordance with subdivisions (c) and (d) to recover an overissuance caused by administrative error if required by federal law or if the overissuance exceeds one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125).

(c) A household’s CalFresh benefits shall not be reduced to recover an overissuance as required or authorized by subdivision (a) or (b) unless the household receives adequate and timely notice of the overissuance, including, but not limited to, the budget worksheet that includes the amount and calculation of the overissuance and the reason for the overissuance.

(d) (1) In recovering an overissuance caused by administrative error, a recipient household’s monthly CalFresh benefits shall not be reduced by more than 5 percent of the household’s monthly CalFresh benefits or ten dollars ($10), whichever is greater, unless the recipient elects for the benefits to be reduced at a higher rate.

(2) In recovering an overissuance caused by inadvertent household error, a recipient household’s monthly CalFresh benefits shall not be reduced by more than 10 percent of the household’s monthly CalFresh benefits or ten dollars ($10), whichever is greater.

(3) In recovering an overissuance caused by intentional program violation, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 273.16 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or fraud, a recipient household’s monthly CalFresh benefits shall be reduced by 20 percent of the household’s monthly CalFresh benefit or twenty dollars ($20), whichever is greater.

(e) If a household is no longer receiving CalFresh benefits, a CalFresh overissuance caused by administrative error or inadvertent household error shall not be established, and collection shall not be attempted, if the overissuance is less than four hundred dollars ($400).

(f) (1) No later than January 1, 2021, the department shall develop a policy for compromising administrative error claims, in whole or in part, for households that include at least one elderly or disabled member, including, but not limited to, recipients of Supplemental Security Income benefits.

(2) The department will implement the policy specified in paragraph (1) on December 31, 2023, or when implementation of the single Statewide Automated Welfare System automation is confirmed, whichever is later.

(g) If a household is no longer receiving CalFresh benefits, collection shall be attempted if the overissuance is caused by inadvertent household error and the overissuance is equal to or greater than the amount established for overissuances caused by administrative error, as specified in subdivision (e). All overissuances caused by intentional program violation, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 273.16 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or fraud shall be collected as required by federal law.

(h) When an overissuance collection is attempted, reasonable cost-effective methods of collection shall be implemented. The department shall define reasonable cost-effective collection methods, which shall include adequate and timely notice of the overissuance, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) The amount and calculation of, and reason for, the overissuance.

(2) A statement of the monetary threshold described in this subdivision.

(3) Information about how to appeal the overissuance.

(4) Instructions for timely commencement of repayment.

(5) Consequences of delinquent payment.

(i) Nothing in this section shall prevent a county from writing off or terminating an overissuance claim when it meets the provisions of paragraph (8) of subdivision (e) of Section 273.18 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(j) Nothing in this section shall prevent a county or the state from collecting all overissuances that are identified during a quality control review, as required by Section 275.12 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(k) 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 this section through all-county letters or similar instructions from the director no later than January 1, 2014, to allow for automation updates required by this section to be made in coordination with other scheduled updates.

SEC. 3.

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 this act through all-county letters no later than January 1, 2021.