Sanction Procedures

The following describes the referral and sanction/penalty procedures for the Social Services Benefits Specialist (SSBS), the Associate Employment Counselor (AEC)/Employment Counselor (EC), and the client:

  1. SSBS  
    1. Registers the client with CalWORKs Employment Services (CWES) via CalSAWS.
  2. AEC/EC  
    1. Contacts the client to schedule an orientation appointment.
  3. Client  
    1. Does not cooperate with CWES.
  4. AEC/EC  
    1. Initiates the cause determination and the compliance process.

      1. Note: The Sanction of Mandatory Participant (NA 840) Notice of Action (NOA) is sent by CWES during the compliance process.

    2. Sends a notice to the spouse or other parent in the Assistance Unit (AU) informing them they must participate in CWES Welfare-to-Work (WTW) activities to avoid the sanction.
    3. Gives the case to their Supervisor for review and authorization.
  5. AEC/EC Supervisor 
    1. Reviews the case and authorizes the sanction request in CalSAWS.
    2. Notifies the SSBS and the SSBS Supervisor by creating a manual task on the same day the sanction is authorized.
  6. SSBS  
    1. Runs EDBC and authorizes the case.
  7. SSBS Supervisor
    1. Reviews the CalWORKs case to ensure the appropriate actions were taken.
  8. Client  
    1. Is sanctioned/penalized.

Notices of Actions (NOAs)

The following NOAs are sent to the client by the AEC/EC to initiate the CWES noncompliance process and to inform them of the effective date of their cash grant decrease:

  • Sanction of Mandatory Participant Notice (NA 840)
  • Removal of the Second Parent’s Needs/Compliance Plan (NA 845).

The SSBS is NOT required to send any additional 10-day NOA to lower the AU’s cash grant. The NA 840/845 sent by the AEC/EC is considered a timely and adequate NOA.

Effective Dates

The effective grant decrease date entered on the NA 840/845 and sent by the AEC/EC is auto calculated by CalSAWS and takes into account the CWES 20-day Non-Compliance period and the 10-day NOA requirement for cash grant decreases. The discontinuance date generated by CalSAWS should NOT be overridden.

Related Topics

CWES Sanctions