Removing the Benefits Penalty for Chronic School Truant

This section explains the criteria for removing a penalty. The penalty will be lifted in the following manner:

Eligibility Worker (EW) Action

Once the EW is notified, by the school district, that a teen is regularly attending high school or its equivalent the EW must take appropriate action to remove the penalty.

Restoration of Cash Aid

The needs of the penalized individual are added to the AU effective the first of the month following the month in which verification is received, if otherwise eligible, regardless of the date received by the case-carrying EW, verifying that the child is regularly attending school.

Exception Criteria

If good cause exists, the penalty may be lifted by the EW upon receipt of an email or telephone contact, and the teen may be referred to the CalWORKs Social Worker or by the CWES Worker if a referral has not previously been made by either the EW or the CWES Worker. A child may be determined to have good cause for not enrolling in school when that child:

• Has already graduated from high school.
• Has a serious illness, injury or incapacity which prevents the child from enrolling and attending school. The parent/caretaker relative must provide a written doctor’s statement concerning the illness, injury or incapacity and the inability of the student to currently attend school. This good cause criteria cannot be used for longer than 90 days.