Per ACL 08-27, the 2008-09 CalWORKs MAP COLA had been delayed by the state legislature from June until October of 2008. This year’s budget trailer bill further suspended the CalWORKs COLA for the rest of this fiscal year. [Download]

Regs@ doesn’t usually editorialize, but really. This ACIN reminds the counties ON 10/1 that they are required to implement the Farm Bill mandatory changes that very day, now that there is a budget. Check out ACL 08-37 for the changes. [Download]

New program, new refugees, new services. In August 2006, Homeland Security announced the Parole for Cuban Medical Personnel in Third World Countries Program. Cuban medical professionals and their spouses and children have begun arriving in California and some are applying for Refugee Resettlement Program services and public assistance. Eligibility for ORR benefits and services begins on the date of parole (located on the I-94 form). Spouses and children who are non-Cuban and are nationals or citizens of a country other than Cuba do not meet the definition of a Cuban entrant and are not eligible for ORR Program benefits and services unless they have another status qualifying them for those benefits and services, such as asylee. Cuban medical professionals (and spouses and children paroled as Cuban/Haitian) are immediately eligible to receive federally-funded CalWORKs benefits. As Cuban/Haitian Entrants, they meet the definition under the Refugee Education Assistance Act, Section 501(e) and would not be subject to the five-year waiting period for federally-funded CalWORKs benefits. These families are required to meet all other eligibility criteria including welfare to work requirements and reporting requirements. These folks also are immediately eligible for federal food stamp benefits as qualified noncitizens. [Download]

This letter clarifies that the Refugee Medical Assistance and Entrant Medical Assistance program (RMA/EMA) is a fully federally funded non Medi-Cal program that gives full-scope medical assistance through the Medi-Cal program. RMA/EMA only lasts for 8 months and counties must evaluate RMA/EMA beneficiaries for ongoing Medi-Cal eligibility prior to discontinuance. If a refugee/ entrant claims a disability the county must submit the disability evaluation as soon as possible to increase the chances that the disability evaluation will be completed by the end of the eight month period. The letter also discusses who can be on the program, lists which documentation is acceptable evidence of status for the program, and lays out upcoming MEDS changes. [Download]

This letter clarifies that the Aged and Disabled Federal Poverty Level Program (A&D FPL) follows the Medically Needy Rules, including all income deductions, allocations, and exemptions. It refers to ACWDL 00-57, which contains the A&D FPL financial eligibility form. [Download]

This letter has revisions to the effective date of the 2008 SSI/SSP cash grant levels. The SSP COLA increases originally scheduled for June 1, 2008, and then delayed to October 1, 2008, will not be going into effect on October 1, 2008. The ACWDL includes a revised chart showing the rates from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. The rate for an independently living couple where both are aged or disabled will remain at $1,524. [Download]

DSS anticipates that the statute authorizing the SSP COLA increase on October 1, 2008 will be repealed, so the COLA increase will not be implemented on October 1, 2008. Income limits for a couple on A&D FPL Medi-Cal will not be increased on October 1, 2008 as planned but will remain at $1524 through March 31, 2009. [Download]

DHCS will no longer mail out paper copies of new All County Welfare Director Letters or Medi-Cal Eligibility Division Information Letters. New ACWDLs and MEDILs will only be issued electonically and placed on the website at http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/ACWDLbyyear.aspx. [Download]

Aid code 8X, the Child Health and Disability Prevention Gateway Healthy Families Program aid code, will be included on the county exception eligible report. This will stop the problem of a child indefinitely being on presumptive eligibility Medi-Cal even after the child has been determined Medi-Cal eligible. [Download]

The SSP COLA implementation date has been pushed back meaning budget calculation charts previously released by DHCS are no longer accurate. Updated budget calculation charts are attached to this ACWDL. [Download]