SSI/SSP Recipients

AB 1811, Human Services Omnibus Trailer Bill, reverses the CalFresh eligibility policy known as “cash out,” under which SSI recipients are ineligible for CalFresh. In addition, AB 1811 creates two state-funded programs, known as the SNB Program and the TNB Program. SSI/SSP grant amount are not decreased as a result of this policy change.

Effective June 1, 2019, individuals receiving or are authorized to receive SSI/SSP benefits are eligible for CalFresh, provided all other eligibility criteria are satisfied. This change includes recipients of the California Food Assistance Program benefits. Throughout this Section, “SSI” recipients refer to both recipients of SSI/SSP and or SSP only.

Note: “Authorized to receive SSI/SSP means that an individual has been determined eligible for benefits and has been notified of this determination, even if the benefits have been approved but not received, or not paid because they are less than the minimum amount.

Reminder: Under current CalFresh policy, individuals in SSI/SSP suspense status are eligible for CalFresh, if otherwise eligible. Therefore, individuals in SSI/SSP suspense status on the implementation date are not impacted by this policy change.

Newly Eligible Households

Newly eligible households (i.e., those in which all members are SSI/SSP recipients) may be eligible for CalFresh beginning 6/1/2019.
Newly eligible households must complete the existing CalFresh application process, including an interview within 30 days of application.

Exception: Applications received from the SSA must not require an interview. Refer to “SSA Joint Processing of CalFresh Applications” below for more information. Households that applied for CalFresh with Social Security Administration are not required an interview.

Joint Processing of CalFresh Applications by Social Security Administration (SSA) and the County

As a result of the federal regulatory requirement, SSA accepts CalFresh applications from households consisting only of SSI applicant and recipient members. SSA and the United States Department of Agriculture, FNS have established a national MOU that applies in all States and explains the CalFresh-related services that SSA provides in SSA offices, including SSA operations for taking applications. The Joint Processing procedures apply to households consisting only of SSI applicant or recipient members.

Households that include only SSI applicant or recipient members may apply and be certified for CalFresh under “SSA Joint Processing” procedures. The following sections outline how CalFresh “Joint Processing” by SSA and the county welfare offices will be implemented in California.

If SSA submits the household's CalFresh application either by online or paper, the County must not require an additional signature from the household or schedule an interview to determine eligibility.

Exception: For households that include both SSI and non-SSI applicants or recipients, SSA will refer the households to the online application or their County to apply for CalFresh benefits.

SSA Informing

Whenever a member of a household consisting only of SSI applicants or recipients conducts business with SSA, the SSA technician will inform the household of:

1. Their right to apply for CalFresh benefits at the SSA office without going to a County office; and
2. Their right to apply with the County Welfare Office if they choose to do so.

SSA Screening

The SSA technician will screen households for CalFresh eligibility or CalFresh application status. The SSA technician will fulfill this responsibility by asking the four questions outlined below, and that appear in the SSA eligibility system and on the paper “SSA 800 Application for SSI”:

1. Are you currently receiving SNAP benefits?
2. Have you received a recertification notice in the last 30 days?
3. Have you applied for SNAP benefits in the last 60 days?
4. Have you received an unfavorable SNAP decision?

SSA must allow the household to apply for CalFresh if the SSA determines that the household is either:

• Not receiving CalFresh;
• Receiving CalFresh, but needs to complete their recertification;
• Recently applied for CalFresh but was determined ineligible; and
• SSA determines that the individual is a member of a household that includes only SSI recipient or applicant members.

SSA Application Assistance

SSA will assist SSI-only households to apply for CalFresh either by the online or paper application.

GetCalFresh.Org: Statewide Online Application Tool:

If a household with only SSI applicants or recipients agrees, the SSA technician will assist the household in completing and submitting a CalFresh application. These households may also complete the CalFresh application for recertification at the SSA office. The SSA will follow the same process for recertification as the CalFresh initial application.

The State and SSA, with federal approval, have agreed to use the GetCalFresh.org online application assistance tool for SSA submission of CalFresh applications. Beginning June 1, 2019, all California counties will receive CalFresh applications submitted by SSA using GetCalFresh. Use of GetCalFresh will be the SSA default method to assist households with submitting a CalFresh application. Only if the household requests to submit a paper application will the SSA technician divert to paper application procedures outlined later in this Section.

CalFresh applications submitted by SSA using GetCalFresh.org will be routed to CalSAWS with an indicator, “SSA-Assisted.”

In assisting the client with the submission of the CalFresh application through GetCalFresh.org, the SSA technician is signing the application on behalf of the household. CDSS and SSA have agreed, with federal FNS approval, that SSA technician attestation that the client has designated the SSA technician to sign the application on their behalf through GetCalFresh.org is sufficient.

Important: Under no circumstances, these households are required to appear at the local county office or conduct an interview to finalize the eligibility determination.

CalFresh Paper Applications (CF 285)

If a household requests to submit a paper CalFresh application, SSA will assist the household in completing the paper application and will submit the signed paper application to the appropriate County within one business day of receipt of the signed application. The local SSA technician will submit the paper application to the designated email address assigned to AAC.

When submitting a paper application, the SSA technician will send the complete and signed Application for CalFresh Benefits (CF 285) with a Social Security Administration Transmittal for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Applications (SSA 4233) cover sheet.

Information for Households Applying for CalFresh with the Social Security Administration (CF SSA 1)

After the CalFresh application has been submitted through GetCalFresh or the SSA technician submits the signed paper application to the County, the SSA technician will provide the household with a copy of CF SSA 1.

Per federal regulation, the CF SSA 1 will inform the household of the following:

• Contact information for the household’s County;
• The remaining actions to be taken by the household to complete the CalFresh application process;
• A statement that the household should be notified of their CalFresh eligibility determination within 30 days and can contact the COUNTY if it receives no notification within 30 days, or has other questions or problems;
• The household’s rights and responsibilities (including fair hearings, authorized representatives, out-of-office interviews, reporting changes, and timely reapplication); and
• Information on how and where to obtain an EBT card and PIN and how to use an EBT card and PIN, including the products the household may purchase with CalFresh benefits.

Pending SSI Approval

Households applying for SSI benefits and CalFresh benefits simultaneously will be subject to all CalFresh eligibility criteria until the household is considered categorically eligible. Because Joint Processing procedures apply to households consisting only of SSI applicant or recipient members, the EW must not assume that a household applying for CalFresh under SSA Joint Processing procedures is categorically eligible. The EW must confirm that all members receive or are authorized to receive SSI benefits before applying categorical eligibility.

No Interview by County

Households whose CalFresh applications are processed under SSA Joint Processing procedures will not be required to go into a County office, or otherwise be subject to an interview with the County.

This rule applies whether the household is entitled to ES or not and whether the household is categorically eligible or not. The County will process the application, and the EW will not contact the household to obtain information to complete the eligibility determination unless:

• The application is improperly completed;
• Mandatory verification is missing; or
• The EW determines that certain information on the application is questionable.

Note: Contact made for the purposes described above will not be considered a County interview. In no event will the applicant be required to go into a County office to finalize the eligibility determination.

Verification

Even though the County will not interview households whose applications are processed under SSA Joint Processing procedures, the County must ensure that mandatory information is verified prior to determining initial eligibility. Households entitled to ES must be processed by existing ES verification rules that allow the verification requirement to be postponed.

SDX and BENDEX

SSI and SSP benefit payments are verified through SDX and BENDEX Using SDX or BENDEX is considered VUR because it has been provided by the primary source (i.e., SSA), it is complete, not questionable, and requires no further verification. Information verified through the SDX and BENDEX must not be re-verified, but households must also be allowed to verify another source if all necessary information is not available through the SDX or BENDEX or if the SDX or BENDEX information is contradictory to information provided by the household or is otherwise questionable.

The SDX and BENDEX data are available in MEDS via the “Title XVI -SSI/SSP Information” screen, also known as the INQX screen. The County must use the SSI and SSP benefit amount paid (not eligible) to the individual which is shown in the “SSI – PAID – AMT” and “SSP – PAID – AMT” data elements.

Note: If the information in the INQX screen is questionable, because it seems to be too much to be a monthly payment, the EW will need to contact the household to request an alternative verification of the monthly payment amount that is expected moving forward.

Note: CalFresh rules regarding the verification of SSI and SSP benefit payment amounts through the SDX or BENDEX apply regardless of household composition or the method of application. That means, regardless of whether a household is composed only of SSI applicant or recipient members or whether the household includes a combination of both SSI and non-SSI applicant or recipient members and whether an application is processed under SSA Joint Processing procedures or an SSI recipient applies with the County, verification of SSI benefit payments through SDX or BENDEX is the preferred method of verification.

Allowable Deductions

EWs may proactively contact the household to determine whether the household incurs expenses, such as medical costs that may increase benefits if verified. If applicable, the County must provide the household at least 10 days to verify. If a deduction is not mandatory (e.g., medical expenses) and the household does not fulfill the request for verification, the EW must determine eligibility without the deduction.

Reminder: Verification of shelter expenses should only be requested if questionable. Households can claim a deduction any time: at application, periodic report, recertification, or during the certification period. Households do not have to wait until a periodic report or recertification to claim a deduction.

Certification Periods

Households processed under SSA Joint Processing procedures must be certified for a 24 or 36-month certification period depending on the household type. Households in which all members are elderly and/or disabled and have earned income will be assigned a 24-month certification period. Households in which all members are elderly and/or disabled, and the household has no earned income will be assigned a 36-month certification period under California’s ESAP.

Public Assistance CalFresh (PACF)

Households in which all members receive SSI, including ESAP households, are considered PACF cases in the federal SNAP regulations. The State will be issuing revised instructions regarding the definition of PACF in the coming months.

Processing Timelines & Beginning Date of Aid (BDA)

When the household designates the SSA technician to sign the application on the household’s behalf, the SSA technician submits the application through GetCalFresh.org.

• For CalFresh applications submitted by SSA through GetCalFresh.org, the BDA is the date the County receives the signed GetCalFresh application from SSA.
• For paper applications submitted by fax or email, the application is considered received by SSA when the household returns the signed application to SSA. This applies even if there is a delay between when the household returns the signed application to SSA and when the SSA technician submits the signed application to the County.

If the household chooses to submit a paper application at the SSA office, the beginning date of aid is the date SSA receives the signed paper application. The date of the SSA receipt will be indicated on the paper application itself. The County must make an eligibility determination and issue benefits to eligible households within 30 days following the date SSA receives the signed application.

The County will make an eligibility determination and issue CalFresh benefits to eligible households within 30 days following the date SSA receives the signed application.

Expedited Service (ES)

The ES processing time standards begin the date the County receives the signed application from SSA. This applies whether the CalFresh application is submitted through GetCalFresh.org or a paper application is submitted by fax or email. The County must screen all CalFresh applications received from SSA for entitlement to ES when received by the County.

Before submission of the signed paper application to the County, the SSA technician will pre-screen the application for entitlement to ES, on the day the signed paper application is received at the SSA office. If the household appears to be entitled to ES, the SSA technician will write “Expedited Processing” on the first page of the application. The Counties are reminded that they must screen all CalFresh applications for entitlement to ES, whether the CalFresh application received under SSA Joint Processing is or is not marked by SSA as “Expedited Processing.”

The SSA technician will inform a household that appears to meet the criteria for entitlement to ES that benefits may be issued a few days sooner if the household applies directly with their County instead of with SSA. If the household chooses to apply with their County, the household will be informed of the option to submit an application online or take the paper application from SSA to the County office. The County will then complete the ES screening, an interview, and processing of the application. In this scenario, as is always the case, the beginning date of aid is the date the County receives the signed application. The ES processing time standard also begins the date the County receives the signed application.

Denials

Households denied CalFresh benefits that have an SSI application pending (i.e., they are not receiving or are not authorized to receive SSI) must be informed on the notice of denial of the future possibility of categorical eligibility if and when they become SSI recipients. The CDSS is in the process of updating the CalFresh Notice of Denial or Pending Status (DFA 377.1A) to comply with this requirement. The revised notice will be released as soon as administratively feasible.

Avoiding Duplicate Applications

The County must implement a method to determine if any member of a household whose CalFresh application is submitted by SSA is already participating in CalFresh before completing the eligibility determination. The County will fulfill this responsibility by completing the existing file clearance process.

Referral Process for Households with both SSI and Non-SSI Applicant or Recipient Members

SSA will not assist households with both SSI and non-SSI applicant or recipient members with completing and submitting a CalFresh application.

The SSA technician must refer households with both SSI and non-SSI applicant or recipient members to www.getcalfresh.org or www.benefitscal.com or the appropriate County, if the household prefers to apply in person or, in some Counties, on the telephone.

To effectively provide a referral to those households who prefer to apply in person or by telephone, CDSS and SSA have agreed that SSA technicians will use CDSS’ “Find an Office” online tool to accurately identify the contact information, including phone number, of the County office closest to the household’s residence.

Recertification

These households may also complete the CalFresh application for recertification at the SSA office. The SSA will handle the CalFresh application for recertification in the same manner as the CalFresh initial application. The SSA technician will take the client’s statement and process the application for recertification. Therefore, the County staff must verify and route the application to the current case worker.

Implementation for New Applicant Households with SSI/SSP Recipient Members

For new CalFresh households that include at least one member who is an SSI/SSP recipient and that apply on or after the implementation date, the SSI recipient(s) will be included in the household as an elderly and/or disabled member. These households will be assigned the maximum certification period for their household type.

Transitional CalFresh (TCF)

TCF cases that include an SSI recipient and complete their TCF recertification on or after the implementation date (i.e.,6/1/2019) will implement the policy change at recertification. The TCF household may voluntarily request to implement the change during the TCF household's five-month TCF period, at any time after the implementation date. If a TCF household voluntarily requests to implement the policy change during the five-month TCF period, the TCF recertification will be processed early to add the SSI recipient.

If a household becomes ineligible for CalWORKs mid-period (i.e. not at SAR 7 or recertification) and is eligible for TCF, the household is not required to implement the expansion until the household’s TCF recertification, as long as the household has not also voluntarily requested to implement the expansion or voluntarily reported a household composition change. At which time, the household may be eligible for SNB or TNB.

If the household becomes ineligible for CalWORKs at SAR 7 or recertification and is eligible for TCF, the County transitions the household to TCF and implements the expansion of CalFresh.

Eligibility

Treatment of Income, Resources, and Deductions

As of the household effective date, new or previously excluded SSI recipients will become included household members, and their income, resources, and deductions must be considered when determining CalFresh eligibility for the household.

If a deduction was previously prorated because it was determined that the SSI recipient was a contributor, the EW must re-evaluate the deduction to ensure the household is receiving the correct deduction amount.

When adding the previously excluded SSI recipient in mid-period, the household’s benefits should be adjusted prospectively, as soon as timely and adequate notice can be provided to the household.

Categorical Eligibility (CE)

Households in which all members receive or are authorized to receive SSI benefits are categorically eligible for CalFresh unless the entire household is institutionalized or disqualified from receiving CalFresh for any reason.

For this purpose, “authorized to receive” means that an individual has been determined eligible for SSI benefits and has been notified of this determination, even if the SSI benefits have been authorized but not received, authorized but not accessed, suspended or recouped, or not paid because they are less than a minimum amount.

CE SSI-only households should not be conferred MCE. This is because certain preliminary eligibility factors have already been determined by the program that made the individual categorically eligible, which in this case is SSI.

CE means that certain preliminary eligibility factors do not apply to the household because they have already been determined by the other assistance program. While categorically eligible households have met these preliminary eligibility factors, counties must still determine the household’s benefit level. Individuals who are ineligible for CalFresh remain ineligible even if they are members of an otherwise CE household.

ExampleExample

Determination of Categorical Eligibility

Household Type	Can the HH apply for CalFresh with SSA?	Is the HH Categorically Eligible for CalFresh
All members have applied for SSI	Yes	No
All members receive SSI	Yes	Yes
All members receive or have applied for SSI	Yes	No

Deemed Verified

The following eligibility factors are deemed verified for CalFresh without additional verification:

• SSI/SSP payments
• Social Security Number
• Resources
• Sponsored immigrant information
• Residency
• Identity.

Verification Required

Additional verification required, including but not limited:

• Additional earned or unearned income not verified by SSI or has not made information available (e.g., through a data match).
• Medical or dependent care expenses when the household claims.

Note: EWs must use existing data matches to verify SSI recipient eligibility factors to determine the household’s benefit level using the BENDX that is part of the PVS monthly match

Mid-Period Changes

Households are no longer considered CE if SSI benefits are terminated for one or more members of the household. Households are not required to report termination of SSI benefits mid-period. However, if termination of SSI benefits becomes known to the county through a data match that is considered VUR, such as PVS, and the EW must take appropriate action mid-period.

Residents of an Institution

Residents of an institution are ineligible for CalFresh. This includes residents of an institution who are SSI recipients. Individuals must be considered residents of an institution when the institution provides them with the majority of their meals (i.e., over 50 percent of three meals daily) as part of the institution’s normal services.

Refer to Institutional Residents for more information, including exceptions to this requirement.

Group Living Arrangements (GLA)

Some residents of GLAs that are also SSI recipients may be eligible for CalFresh. GLA are public or private nonprofit homes for disabled or blind individuals that serve no more than 16 residents and are certified by the county. A GLA resident may apply on his or her behalf unless the GLA determines that a resident does not have the physical and/or mental ability to so. Such residents may apply through an authorized representative as a one-person household.

Refer to Institutional Residents for more information regarding residents of institutions.

Ongoing Households: Household Effective Date

Implementation for ongoing CalFresh households that include at least one household member who is an SSI recipient on the implementation date (i.e. 6/1/2019) will begin with periodic reports (i.e., SAR 7) or recertification due June 2019. Counties can stagger implementation at the ongoing household’s next periodic report (i.e., SAR 7) or recertification, or when voluntarily requested by the ongoing household on or after June 1, 2019. This rolling implementation date for individual households will be referred to a the household’s effective date.

Note: Ongoing households include those households which temporarily lose their eligibility on or before the household effective date and have their benefits restored within 30 days of that date, based on good cause or providing the necessary information to restore eligibility (i.e., restoration of aid).

Implementation at Periodic or Recertification

At the time the SAR 7 report or recertification is processed, the EW must include the previously excluded SSI recipient(s) in the household size determination and consider the SSI member’s income, resources, and deductions when determining the households’ continuing eligibility and benefit amounts.

Implementation at Voluntary Request

Excluded SSI member(s) must be added at any time after June 1, 2019, but before the ongoing household's next periodic report or recertification if the household:

• Requests to add the excluded SSI member(s) to the case, or
• Makes a voluntary report of a household composition change either verbally or in writing whether or not the household composition change is specific to the excluded SSI recipient.

Reminder: A new application form is not required to add an SSI recipient to an ongoing CalFresh household per existing policy and procedures for a change in household composition.

This policy change does not require taking a county-initiated mid-period action for the ongoing household.

ExampleExample

ExampleExample

Refer to  SNB Program and the TNB Program for more information.

Related Topics

Transitional Nutritional Benefit (TNB Program)

Supplemental Nutrition Program