Registrant Requirements

Overview

The general CalFresh work requirements are referred to as work registration, and those who are subject to work registration are referred to as work registrants.
Work registrants who fail to comply with CalFresh work registration requirements without good cause may receive a CalFresh disqualification if they are not otherwise exempt.

Work registrants must meet the following requirements for CalFresh when requested by the agency with which they are registered (that is, Employment Services, EDD, VS):

 

  • Comply with the specific program requirements.
  • Respond to a request for supplemental information regarding employment status or availability for work.
  • Report to an employer to whom they are referred, if the potential employment meets suitability requirements. Refer to Unsuitable Employment [63-407.7] for further information.
  • Accept a bona fide offer of suitable employment.
  • Continue suitable employment until:
    • It is no longer considered suitable, or
    • The registrant is terminated from employment due to circumstances beyond their control, or
    • The registrant becomes exempt from work registration.
  • Not to reduce hours of employment to less than 30 hours per week without good cause. Good Cause includes when the pay for the new job (which is less than 30 hours per week) is equal to or more than the pay for the old job (which was more than 30 hours per week).
  • Comply with the CFET Program requirements, including completion of assigned component(s).

Unsuitable Employment [63-407.7]

The chart below describes employment which is considered unsuitable. Applicants/recipients are NOT required to accept unsuitable employment as a condition of CalFresh eligibility.

Below minimum wage

Salary is LESS than the highest of:

  • The applicable federal minimum wage;
  • The applicable state minimum wage; or
  • 80% of the federal minimum wage if neither the federal nor state minimum wage is applicable.
Piecework below minimum wage

The employment offered is on piecework basis and the average hourly yield the employee can reasonably be expected to earn is less than the applicable hourly wages specified above.

Labor organization requirement

 The household member, as a condition of employment or continuing employment, is required to join, resign from, or refrain from joining any legitimate labor organization.

Strike or lockout

The work offered is at a site subject to strike or lockout at the time of the offer.

Health and Safety Risk*

 The degree of risk to health and safety is unreasonable.

HH member physically or mentally unfit for the job

The member is physically or mentally unfit to perform the employment, as documented by medical evidence or by reliable information from other sources.

Outside HH member's major field of experience*

 The employment offered within the first 30 days of registration is not in the member's major field of experience.

Unreasonable commute*

The distance from the member's home to the place of employment is unreasonable considering the expected wage and the time and cost of commuting. This includes situations where the:

  • Individual must spend more than 2 hours per day commuting (exclusive of transporting children to and from child care).
  • Distance to the place of employment prohibits walking and there is no public or private transportation available to get the person to the job site.

Religious interference*

The working hours or nature of the employment interferes with the member's religious observance, convictions or beliefs.

EXAMPLES:

  • A Sabbatarian could refuse to work on the Sabbath.
  • A person whose religion forbids any contact with liquor could refuse to work in a liquor store.
*VS and the EW shall notify each other upon discovery of this information.

CalFresh E&T Components

The chart below describes the two VS CalFresh E&T components.

Unsupervised Job Search

Public Work Assignment

Recipient required to make 6-12 job contacts per week (or 24 to 48 job contacts in 4 weeks and 48 to 96 job contacts in 8 weeks.

 Recipient required to work at a public agency work project for 3 to 7 days (according to the GA grant level).