Emergency Assistance (EA) Definitions

These definitions of the terms used in the EA program are provided to ensure that EA policies are correctly applied.

Applicant

The applicant is the “needy child” on whose behalf EA has been requested. Either the parent/relative, SW or MH can request EA on the child's behalf. The child being considered for EA must not immediately qualify for federal AFDC-FC funding. However, when a child is determined to be federally eligible for AFDC-FC while receiving EA, the EA funding must be terminated.

There must be separate eligibility determination for each “needy child.” Each EA applicant must have their own EA application even when they are part of a sibling group.

County Worker

The term “county worker”, as used in state-issued material or forms pertaining to the EA program, refers to a “professional in the field who is able to determine the risk factor to the child”. This must be the DFCS SW, or a MH professional. It does NOT refer to the FC EW.

Eligible Needy Child

A “needy child” for whom an EA application has been made and on whose behalf EA assistance and/or services have been authorized.

Emergency

A child is at risk of abuse, neglect, abandonment or exploitation.

Episode

Assembly Bills 110 and 1811. ACL 19-24

A period of time during which a child or youth is experiencing an emergency covered by California's EA plan and for which assistance and/or services have been authorized. The episode cannot exceed 180 days (emergency caregiver-eligible cases may use up to 365 days with documented good cause).

Fiscal claiming begins from the date of the determination that the child is at “risk,” and
Funding ends when the child returns home, changes to a non-EA placement, or the 180-day period has been exhausted, whichever occurs first.
- Reminder: If the parent does not sign or is not willing to sign the EA application it can be signed and dated by a SW or MH professional.

Fiscal claiming can go to the date of risk (or removal date) which may not be the application date (the SW or EW signature date).

Note: Per ACL 19-24, EA funding is now available to relative placements and eligible Emergency Caregiver cases for up to 180 days (or up to 365 days with documented good cause) or until the EC is approved or denied as a resource family, whichever comes first.

If the child is non-federally eligible and placed with a non-relative, EA may be paid up to 180 days.

When a child receives EA funding, then returns home and is later removed again, a new EA episode may only be initiated 12 months from the ending date of the previous EA period. If the child received EA funding during the previous 12-month period, EA funding must be denied unless the prior EA episode is abated. See CWS Abatement.

Family

Persons who may or may not be related, who are living in the same residence that is maintained as their home, and for whom EA assistance and/or services have been deemed necessary and appropriate in order to meet the needs of an “eligible needy child”.

Effective 9/19/94, for CWS, each “eligible needy child” is considered a “family” or his/her own “AU.”

Head of Household

The parent or specified relative with whom the “needy child” is living (or, within six months prior to the month in which EA is requested was living with) in a shared residence.

Household

A group of persons, who may or may not be related, that are living in the same residence which is maintained as their home. This may include the following persons:

The “needy child”
His/her parent or specified relative
Any other related or unrelated persons
Individuals who do not share income and resources with the “needy child.”

Needy Child

A child or youth who is in a state of “emergency” (as defined in the EA program), is under age 21, is otherwise eligible for EA, and for whom EA is necessary to resolve or ameliorate the emergency. In rare instances, a youth 18 but under 21 years old may enter EA without participating in the EFC.

Relative

A person related to the child by birth or adoption by virtue of one of the following:

He/she is the father, mother, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, or any such person of a preceding generation denoted by the prefixes grand-, great-, or great-great-, or
The stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, stepsister; or,
The spouse of any person named above, even after the marriage has been terminated by death or dissolution.

For AFDC-FC (and EA) purposes, when a parent's rights to a child are terminated by the filing of a relinquishment with the department or by court action, the parent and his or her relatives are no longer considered to be the child's relatives.