Refugee Programs - Students

[69-205.4]

Student status must be considered when determining eligibility for RCA or ECA of each applicant/recipient. Refugees/entrants are ineligible for RCA or ECA if they are full-time students in a college program attending an institution of higher education.

Full-Time Student Definition

[69-205.411]

A full-time student is a student attending an institution of higher education at least:

12 semester hours or 12 quarter hours for institutions using standard semester, trimester or quarter hour systems
24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours for institutions using credit hours to measure progress and not using semester, trimester or quarter hour systems
24 clock hours per week for institutions using clock hours
The program includes both credit and clock hours and the number of credit hours per term divided by 12 plus the number of clock hours per week divided by 24 is equal to or greater than one
A series of courses or seminars which equal 12 semester hours or 12 quarter hours in a maximum of 18 weeks, or
The work portion of a cooperative education program in which the amount of work performed is equivalent to the academic workload of a full-time student.

Institutions of Higher Education

[69-205.412]

An “Institution of Higher Education” is a:

Public or private nonprofit educational institution which provides:
- An educational program which awards an associate baccalaureate degree, or
- At least a two-way program which is acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree, or
- At least a one-year training program which leads to a certificate or degree and prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.
Proprietary institution (privately owned) of higher education which provides at least a six-month program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

Approved Student Status

[69-205.44]

Refugees enrolled and participating as full-time students in an institution of higher education may remain eligible if the training program meets all of the following criteria:

It is funded or approved by SSA
It is part of an employability plan developed by the CIU
It has a definite employment objective and short-term (less than one year) duration.

Refugees may still be eligible when attendance in a college program in addition to a training program, funded by SSA and developed by the CIU, equals full-time enrollment.

Note: If the EW is not positive that a student's training program is part of the CIU employability plan, the EW must verify with the CIU and document the case record.

Students who are enrolled in a college program less than full-time remain eligible for RCA or ECA if they cooperate with the CIU.

Full-time attendance in a college or professional training program may be approved for an EMPLOYED RCA recipient who is in need of professional refresher training and other services, provided that such training meets ALL of the following criteria:

Is approved as part of the individual’s employability plan developed by the CIU
Is specifically intended to assist the client in becoming re-licensed in his/her profession, and if completed, is expected to result in such licensing, AND
Does not exceed one year’s duration, INCLUDING any time spent in an enrollment program, in the United States, PRIOR to the client’s application for assistance.

Note: If there is no documentation available regarding the PRIOR time spent in the enrollment program, the client’s statement is acceptable.

Local Institutions

A partial listing of local schools/colleges considered “institutions of higher educations” are as follows:

Canada College

Cogswell College

College of Notre Dame

De Anza College

Evergreen Valley College

Foothill College

Gavilan College

Heald's College

Institute for Business and Technology

Lincoln University

Mission College

Northern California Bible College

Palmer College of Chiropractic-West

San Jose Bible College

San Jose City College

San Jose State University

Stanford University

St. Mary's College

Sysorex Institute

UC at Berkeley

UC at Santa Cruz

University of San Francisco (Cupertino)

University of Santa Clara

West Valley College

Training Participants

Refugees who are participating in training at other than an “institution of higher education” must:

Maintain CIU registration
Cooperate with the CIU
Accept suitable employment.

Verification of Student Status

Both the “Eligibility/Status Report “(SAR 7) and the “Statement of Facts - Cash Aid and CalFresh “(SAWS 2) request student status information. The student status of each applicant/recipient of RCA or ECA, regardless of age, must be verified and documented when determining eligibility. The school is responsible for determining the student status and for completing and returning the “Full-time College Enrollment Status Form” (SC 1397) to the EW.

SAR 7 Processing

When processing SAR 7s, the EW must check each case where a refugee/entrant reports someone in the AU is a student.

If the refugee/entrant is a new student or the student status is not known, follow the procedures in Refer to Full-Time College Enrollment Status Form (SC 1397) below.
If the status of each student is known to the EW and the “Full-time College Enrollment Status Form” (SC 1397) is on file for the current semester, trimester or quarter, document the Journal Detail page in CalSAWS as follows: “SC 1397 dated (insert date) on file for each student.” No further action is required.

Other Sources

If the EW is informed by other than the SAWS 2 or SAR 7 that the refugee/entrant is a student, follow the procedures in [Full-Time College Enrollment Status Form (SC 1397) below.

Full-Time College Enrollment Status Form (SC 1397)

The school must determine which program and the number and type of semester, quarter, credit or clock hours in which the student is enrolled. The school will determine if the student is enrolled full-time. The “Full-Time College Enrollment Status Form” SC 1397 is used to verify student status when:

The refugee states he/she is a student.
Information from another source indicates the refugee is a student.
The refugee/entrant changes schools.

Follow these procedures to process the SC 1397:

EW
1. Give/send the SC 1397 to the refugee as soon as student status is known with instructions to return the form within 10 working days
2. Include a postage-paid return envelope identified with the EW district number.
Refugee
1. Sign and date the release of information section of the SC 1397 and immediately either:
  1. Submit the SC 1397 to the school/college, or
  2. Return the SC 1397 to the EW to send to the appropriate school/college.
School
1. Required to complete the SC 1397 by Public Law 97-363. In addition, the school is required to:
  1. Identify the type of program the student is enrolled in
  2. Verify the type and number of semester, quarter, credit or clock hours
  3. Verify whether the student is enrolled full-time or not, and
  4. Return the SC 1397 to the Social Services Agency.
EW
1. Receive and process the SC 1397.

Problems that may arise in processing the SC 1397:

If the...	Then...
School indicates the refugee is not enrolled or enrolled less than full time and there is no conflicting information,	Image the SC 1397 into the case record. Follow up on possible student financial aid for the part-time students. Create a Reminder to verify enrollment the beginning of the next semester/quarter.
School indicates the refugee is enrolled full-time,	Delete the student from the AU. Determine if the student has sufficient income to meet his/her needs. Follow up on possible student financial aid. Compute “excluded” person budget if the student has income. If the student has no income refer the case to the DA for misuse of funds.
Refugee fails/refuses to cooperate (after 10 calendar days) with the SC 1397 procedure,	Delete the refugee from the AU as soon as a timely NOA can be sent. For example, the refugee does not return the SC 1397 to the EW or take it to the school.
School does not return the SC 1397,	The EWs must notify the Refugee Program Coordinator if the refugee has difficulty in getting the school to complete the SC 1397. EW and EW Supervisors MUST NOT CONTACT THE SCHOOLS DIRECTLY.