Expedited Services Certification Periods

[63-301.544]

Use the chart below to determine certification periods for households which qualify for ES:

  • All CalFresh households - 12 months for predictable circumstances.
  • All members are elderly or disabled  - 24 months.

Households with Postponed Verification [63-301.544]

Follow the steps below for households with postponed verification.

  1. Establish a normal certification period.
  2. IF THE HH APPLIED 
    1. 1st-15th of the month, then issue benefits for the 1st (application) month.
      1. EXCEPTION: Issue benefits for both the 1st and 2nd months if ES eligibility is discovered late and it is already the 2nd month when the application is approved.
    2. After the 15th of the month, then issue benefits for the 1st and 2nd months at the same time.
  3. Issue an approval NOA, including the following information:
    1. What verifications were postponed.
    2. If applicable, that the entire HH will be discontinued for a missing verification of:
      1. Income,
      2. Resources,
      3. Residence (except for homeless, migrant farmworker, or newly arrived households), or
      4. Any deduction that is not received within 30 days after the date of application.
    3. If applicable, that an individual HH member will be discontinued if SSN, or student or alien status verification is not received within 30 days after the date of application.
    4. No advance notice will be given if verification (or lack of child support verification) results in changes in the household’s eligibility or benefit level.
  4. Set an alert to:
    1. Discontinue benefits for the individual or household within 30 days of the application date if the missing verification has not been provided. [Refer to “When Postponed Verification Isn't Received [63-301.541],” page 7-9].]
      1. If postponed verification affects only some individual(s) in the household (such as proof of an SSN, or verification of alien or student status), then discontinue only the affected individual(s); not the entire household.
      2. Households which are initially certified as nonassistance, but which later become CE, must still provide all the verification which was required at the initial nonassistance ES certification. ES provision take precedence over CE rules in this circumstance.
    2. Recompute eligibility and benefits if child support verification has not been provided.
  5. Document on the Maintain Case Comments window that the ES with postponed verification.
  6. If the missing verification (including verification of a deduction other than child support) is not received by the 30th day after the date of application, discontinue benefits. Refer to When Postponed Verification Isn't Received [63-301.541].
    1. If the entire household is discontinued, a NOA is not required.
    2. If an individual household member is discontinued, send an adequate (not 10-day) NOA to advise the household of the benefit reduction.
    3. If benefits are discontinued or decreased because a child support deduction is disallowed, send an adequate (not 10-day) NOA.

Postponed Verification Examples

Example: Missing SSN VerificationExample: Missing SSN Verification

A member of the applicant household does not have an SSN or proof of application for one within the ES processing timeframe.
Certify the entire household for ES pending verification of the SSN. If the missing SSN (or proof of application) is not provided by the 30th day following application, discontinue that household member only. Send an adequate (not 10-day) NOA.

Example: Missing Deduction VerificationExample: Missing Deduction Verification

An applicant household is missing verification of rent and child support deductions which cannot be provided within the ES timeframe.

Certify the household and allow the deduction in the month of application with postponed verification.

If the postponed verification is not received by the 30th day following application, discontinue the entire household. A NOA is not required.

If the rent verification is received, but the child support verification is not, recompute continued eligibility and benefits without the child support deduction. Child support is the only deduction for which a discontinuance is not required when an ES postponed verification is not provided by the household.

Example: Missing Deduction: NA HH Becomes CE After ESExample: Missing Deduction: NA HH Becomes CE After ES

A household files a joint application for CalWORKs and CalFresh and is approved for ES with postponed verification of a deduction. The household is later determined eligible for CalWORKs and becomes CE. The postponed verification of the deduction is not provided by the 30th day from the date of application.

As a result of the household being certified under ES, all ES requirements would still apply. Therefore, as the postponed verification (of the deduction) would affect the household's eligibility or benefit level, discontinue the entire household. A NOA is not required.

Example: Missing SSN Verification: NA HH Becomes CE After ESExample: Missing SSN Verification: NA HH Becomes CE After ES

A household files a joint application for CalWORKs and CalFresh and is approved for ES. A member of the household does not have an SSN or proof of application for one. The household is certified for CalFresh pending verification of the SSN. The verification is not submitted by the 30th day following application. After the 30th day, the household is approved for CalWORKs and becomes CE.

Since the missing SSN information (an individual eligibility factor) was not provided by the 30th day, discontinue only that household member. Send an adequate (not 10-day) NOA.

In addition, as CE status does not take precedence over ES provisions, the affected household member will continue to be ineligible until the SSN information is provided.

Migrant/Seasonal Farmworkers with Postponed Verification

The following are ES verification regulations specific to migrant Farmworker households:

  • When the only missing verification is from an out-of state source, migrant HHs must receive the second month’s benefits regardless 
  • of when the application was submitted during the month of application.
  • Migrant farm worker HHs must be entitled to postpone our-of state verification only once each migrant farm season. If a migrant farmworker HH is entitled to ES and has already received this exception during the current migrant farm season, the County must grant a postponement of the our-of state verification for only the initial month.
  • When postponed verification is received, issue the third month’s benefits within five working days from receipt of the verification or by the first working day of the third month, whichever is later.
  • If the out-of-state verification is not completed within 60 days, following the date the application was filed, the case must be discontinued. The household is not entitled to ES when they reapply or restored their eligibility.
  • A migrant farm season is defined as having a clear beginning point and ending point between which migrant farmworkers travel. When they are not migrating to work they are residing at one location which they regard as home. In this case, the season would be the period during which the migrants are traveling to work. If a migrant farmworker travels constantly with no break period, the season will be considered the calendar year.

Summary

The Guide Below is a Summary of ES Regulations.

Eligibility Factor Requirement
Eligibility Criteria

Housing and utilities exceed gross income and liquid resources, or

Less than $150 gross income and $100 or less liquid resources, or

Destitute migrant/seasonal farmworkers with $100 or less liquid resources.
Informing Requirement All CalFresh households must be verbally informed of the right to ES when filed their application with the county office, or during the interview.
Screening Requirements All CalFresh application must be screened for ES, even if HHs did not complete the ES questions on the SAWS 1, SAWS 2 Plus, or CF 285.
Issuance Deadline APPLICATION TYPE DEADLINE
  New application 3rd calendar day after the date of application (even if this comes before the HH's normal staggered issuance date).
[Refer to “Issuance Deadline [63-301.531],” page 7-6].]
  RC or application with less than a month's break in benefits

Whichever is later:

3rd calendar day after the date of application, or

HH's normal issuance date.

[Refer to “Issuance Deadline [63-301.531],” page 7-6].]
SSN SSN or “SSA Referral Notice” (MC 194) required before 2nd issuance.
Work Registration Required for nonexempt HH members, but verification of exemption may be postponed
Verification

Required: ID for head of HH and/or AR. Make all reasonable efforts to obtain, but may postpone:

  • Residence
  • Income (or statement of no income)
  • Liquid resources
  • All other required eligibility factors

Special requirements apply to HHs with postponed verification.
Certification Periods Household Classification Certification Period
  All households except elderly/disabled, 12 months
  All members are elderly or disabled, 24 months
Computer Tracking Computer entries are required to record ES applications and approval or denial dates.
NOAs

A separate ES NOA is not required. Handwritten entries are required on the approval NOA for a HH with postponed verification.

A discontinuance NOA is not required when the household failed to provide postponed verification.

An adequate (not 10-day) NOA is required when benefits are reduced or terminated as a result of received verification that was postponed for expedited service (e.g. excess income).

 

Guideline for Processing Applications Found Entitled to ES

Step   Action
1.
  •  One of the ES questions on the SAWS 1/SAWS 2 Plus/CF 285, online application is answered “Yes;” 
  • ES questions are not answered but the income and property questions on the application indicate ES entitlement;
  • ES questions is answered “No,” but the income and resource section of the application indicate ES entitlement,
  • ES questions are marked yes and or income and property questions are answered, but the application is not assigned to an EW timely to meet the 3-day ES timeframe; 

 

The application must be processed.

 

When a delay occurs in processing applications under the ES timeline, the application must be processed on an expedited basis.  under ES timeframe. 
2. Call the household for on-demand interview or schedule interview appointment.  
  • HH answers and agrees to an on-demand interview 
    • Determines CalFresh eligibility and if entitled to ES, issue benefits following ES timframes. 
    • Document ES entitlement outcome.     
  • If the HH does not answer the phone,    
    • Leave a message for the HH on the day and time of the scheduled interview under ES timeframe.    
  • If the HH is unable to complete the interview on-demand,  
    •  Schedule an interview with the client within the ES timeframe.  
3. Call the household on the day of the scheduled interview,
  • If the HH attends and complete the interview,  
    • Review the application with the household and determine CalFresh eligibility and benefit amount. 
    • Issue an approval or denial NOA.    
  • If the HH fails to attend the interview,   
    • A NOMI must be sent on the same day.
    • The application is processed under normal 30-day timeframe.
    • A denial NOA must be sent if the HH does not contact the County to reschedule a second interview.                       

         
                                                                             
                         

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