CWES Update 26-03: Increase in Mileage Reimbursement Rate
CWES Handbook
| Date | References | Clerical | Implementation |
| 01/29/2026 | County Finance Agency: Controller-Treasurer Memo, dated January 2, 2026 | N/A | January 1, 2026 |
Background
Mileage reimbursement is approved by the Associate Employment Counselor (AEC)/Employment Counselor (EC) when public transportation from home to the approved activity is not available or public transportation takes more than two hours round trip. Time to and from the child's school or child care provider does not count when approving mileage.
In Santa Clara County, mileage reimbursement payments are paid to CalWORKs Employment Services (CWES) clients who meet certain requirements. The reimbursement rate is the same rate reimbursed to Santa Clara County employees.
Ongoing transportation payment, equivalent to a monthly bus pass, must be advanced to participants when needed and requested so the client does not have to use personal funds to pay for this expense. The payment must be issued at least seven (7) working days prior to the end of the current month for the future month.
Changes
Effective January 1, 2026, the mileage rate is increased to $0.725 per mile.
Note: Claims for miles driven between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, are reimbursed at $0.70 per mile.
With this Update, the Transportation-Related Expenses (TRE) Payments topic in the CWES Handbook Chapter 8 Transportation-Related Expenses (TRE) has been updated.
Department of Employment & Benefits Services
Contact Person(s): Vivian Myers, SSA BPIS (WOOC), (408) 755-7540