AB6 calls for the elimination of the finger imaging requirement for all CalFresh households, a move to semi-annual reporting for both CalFresh and CalWORKs, and the implementation of a utility assistance initiative or “Heat and Eat” program. Combined these proposals seek to increase access to and participation in CalFresh by removing barriers and simplifying the application process, while simultaneously implementing cost savings efforts.
Yes Votes: Fuentes, Blumenfield, Bradford, Charles Calderon, Campos, Davis, Hall, Hill, Lara, Mitchell, Solorio
No Votes: Harkey, Donnelly, Gatto, Nielsen, Norby, Wagner
The following is courtesy of California Food Policy Advocates
http://www.cfpa.net/2011leg/ab6/ab6_factsheet.pdf
Contact: George Manalo Le-Clair at george@cfpa.net | 510-433-1122 x 103 or Alexis Fernández at alexis@cfpa.net | 510-433-1122 ext. 111
The CalF-R-E-S-H Act of 2011 seeks to increase access to and participation in CalFresh by removing barriers and simplifying the application process, while simultaneously implementing cost savings efforts. About 50% of eligible Californians do not participate in the program, ranking California second to last among states on measures of program participation. Increasing participation levels to near 100% of eligible households, as other states have done, could mean an additional $4.9 billion in federal benefits for needy Californians. Moreover, increasing participation has the potential to benefit all Californians through the more than $8.7 billion in economic activity associated with these lost federal benefits.
Less Paper and More Food; Move to Semi-annual Reporting
California is the last state using a quarterly reporting system for CalFresh. The USDA has long supported the use of semi-annual reporting as experience in other states has shown that semi-annual reporting can decrease burdens and simplify rules for clients, reduce administrative workload, and improve program accuracy. Quarterly reporting is not only costly and burdensome to the state, but also contributes to the barriers in access faced by needy California families. This proposal would move CalFresh and CalWORKs’ reporting periods from quarterly to semi-annual and would adjust the CalWORKs income reporting threshold (IRT); improving access to critical nutrition assistance and maintaining reporting alignment between the two programs.
Fight Fraid and Feed Families; Eliminate the Statewdie Fingerprint Imaging System (SFIS)
California is one of just three remaining states and one city that require all adult members of CalFresh households to provide a finger and photo image in order to get benefits. The requirement is aimed at preventing duplicate-aid fraud, though other effective and more efficient fraud detection measures are also in place. At a cost of about $17 million each year, finger imaging simply adds a major hassle to an already lengthy and intimidating CalFresh application process. A recent audit by the Bureau of State Audits shows that given the miniscule amount of multiple-aid fraud, the state cannot justify the tens of millions of dollars it spends on the implementation and annual operation of this system. Citing concerns about participation (a 2009 USDA report indicates that participation may be 7% lower in states that use finger imaging) USDA has barred additional states from implementing the practice.
Few Bills, More Benefits; Implement a heat and Eat Initiative
A utility assistance or “Heat and Eat” initiative is based on a partnership between the Department of Social Services, which administers CalFresh, and the Department of Community Services and Development, which administers the state Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Under such an initiative all CalFresh households would receive a nominal energy assistance benefit through LIHEAP qualifying them to automatically receive the standard utility allowance (SUA), currently $320, for the purpose of calculating CalFresh benefits. The nominal benefit would be delivered through a non-paper driven system, such as Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) and would not require any additional paperwork or verification on behalf of the CalFresh applicant. Such an initiative would allow households who had not previously claimed the SUA to claim higher shelter costs and the related income deductions. The resulting change in benefit calculations would increase benefits for some households and remove the verification requirements associated with utility costs for all households. Thus simplifying the application process and leveraging additional federal nutrition benefits for CalFresh households.