Extenders - After the 60-Month CalWORKs Time Limit

Once an individual has reached the CalWORKs 60-month time limit, an extender to that time limit may be granted if ALL PARENTS OR CARETAKER RELATIVES of an aided child(ren) meet one of the following conditions.

The individual is:

Sixty (60) years of age or older.
Caring for an ill or incapacitated person residing in the home and the ability to be regularly employed or to participate in self-sufficiency activities is impaired.
A non-parent caretaker relative:
- Who has primary responsibility for providing care to a child who is a dependent or ward of the court, or at risk of placement in Foster Care, AND
- Who has caretaker responsibilities beyond those considered normal in day-to-day parenting, so that the caretaker’s ability to be regularly employed or participate in self-sufficiency activities is impaired.
Receiving SSP, IHSS, SDI, or Worker’s Compensation TDI, if the disability significantly impairs the recipient’s ability to be regularly employed or participate in self-sufficiency activities.
A victim of domestic abuse and it has been determined by a CalWORKs Social Worker that good cause exists for adding the individual back into the Aid Unit (AU).
Incapable of maintaining employment or participating in self-sufficiency activities based on the assessment of the individual and the individual has a history of participation and full cooperation with Employment Services.
Not included in the AU.

The following is an example of how the extender criteria are applied to a Two-Parent household:

Example 1

Mom reaches her 60-month CalWORKs lifetime limit on September 1st. She meets extender criteria because she has caretaker responsibility for her disabled child. Dad has already reached his 60-month CW lifetime limit, and does not meet an extender criteria. Both adults in a two-parent household must meet extender criteria in order to continue to be aided. Mom must be removed from the AU at the end of the month after a timely and adequate 10-day NOA is given.

Example 2

A husband and wife are both timed-out and receiving CalWORKs aid for their common child in an Annual Reporting/Child Only (AR/CO) AU. They have provided verification of the husband’s disability which qualifies him as unable to maintain employment and documentation to verify the wife is needed to provide care for the husband which impairs her ability to be regularly employed. The husband had a history of participation and full cooperation in WTW when he was aided. Both individuals are timed-out and eligible to time extenders and will be added to the AU the firs of the following month.

Example 3

An AR/CO AU consists of unmarried couple with a common child. The mother is timed-out and the father is an ineligible non-citizen. The mother turns 60 next month, at which time each parent will meet an exception to the 60-month time limit rule; the mother will meet the advanced age criteria and the father is unaided for a reason other than exceeding the time limit. Only the mother is eligible to a time extender and will be added to the AU the next month as the father is ineligible to CalWORKs.

Example 4

A Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) AU consists of an unmarried couple with a common child. The father is timed-out and turns 60 next month. The mother is a long-term WTW sanctioned individual. Each parent meets an exception to the time limit rules. The father will be added to the AU the next month as there is no reported change in household income. However, if the mother cures her WTW sanction, she will no longer meet the unaided exception and the father will be removed from the AU with a timely notice the same month the mother is added. The father will be eligible for an extender when the mother meets another exception criteria.

Example 5

A SAR AU consists of a married couple with a common child and a separate child. The father is timed-out and the mother has a CalWORKs clock stopper due to her disability, which was previously verified as an unable-to-participate in WTW activities exception. The father becomes disabled and provides verification of State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefits. Both parents meet the exception criteria. If adding the father’s SDI income decreases the CalWORKs grant, he will not be added
mid-period and will be added at the start of the next payment period as a mandatorily included individual.

Same scenario in example 5, except the mother is providing care for a child under 24 months and has elected to take the once-in-a-lifetime CalWORKs 60-month time limit exemption. In this situation, the father is not eligible for a time extender as the mother’s clock stopper does not meet the exception criteria for providing care as listed as one of the conditions that meet the exception criteria.

Example 6

A SAR AU consists of an unmarried couple with a common child. The father is timed-out and the mother is currently aided. The father is a past victim of domestic abuse and good cause was determined to waive the time limit program requirement. It is not required for the mother to meet an exception condition. The father will be added back to the AU the month the waiver was granted.

Adding an Individual to an AU Based on Extender Criteria

In order to add an individual back into an AU based upon Extender Criteria, the client must first make a verbal or written request for the extender. It is NOT necessary or even recommended that client’s file fair hearings to be evaluated for the extender criteria. Clients simply need to make a verbal or written request to the county. Individuals are added back into the AU based on BDA rules. Refer to Adding a Person to the AU and Beginning Date of Aid.

Examples

The following are examples of rules to follow when adding a person back into an AU:

An aided mom with two children reaches her 60-month time limit and is removed from the AU in March. On June 5th, she informs her EW that she is disabled. The EW provides her with the request form CW 2186A and a CW 61 to verify the disability. On June 15th, she submits the CW 2186A. However, she does not provide the completed CW 61 until August. The CW 61 indicates that she became disabled in August. The verification provided by the client states that her disability impairs her ability to work and that she is currently receiving benefits from SDI. Mom is considered a mandatory AU member and must be added back into the AU according to BDA rules. Refer to Adding a Person to the AU and Beginning Date of Aid.

If the budget calculation results in. . .	Then the BDA is. . .
an increase to the CalWORKs grant,	the first of the month AFTER the change is reported and all necessary verification provided.
a decrease to the CalWORKs grant,	the first of the month of the next payment period AFTER the change is reported and all necessary verification provided.

An aided non-parent caretaker relative with two aided grandchildren reaches the 60-month time limit and is removed from the AU in September. On November 15th, she becomes age 60 and informs the worker that she would like to receive aid. The EW must add her back into the AU according to BDA rules. Refer to Adding a Person to the AU.

If the budget calculation results in. . .	Then the BDA is. . .
an increase to the CalWORKs grant,	the first of the month AFTER the change is reported and all necessary verification provided.
a decrease to the CalWORKs grant,	the first of the month of the next payment period AFTER the change is reported and all necessary verification provided.

County Specific Extenders to the 60-Month Time Limit

An extender to the 60-month time limit is given to a client when he/she has received 60 months of CalWORKs, but because of certain criteria is eligible to continue to receive CalWORKs. The determination of whether a client is eligible for a county specific extender will be made by the Assessment Counselor Supervisor or the Program Unit. These individuals will include:

Learning and/or developmentally disabled individuals who cannot access services,
Persons pending an SSI determination who appear to have emotional and/or psychiatric barriers, and
Individuals who did not receive WTW Employment Services.

Note: All parents or caretaker relatives DO NOT have to qualify for an exemption or extender in order to be eligible for a county specific extender to the 60-month lifetime limit. Extenders to a client’s 60-month lifetime limit will be granted on an individual basis.