(a) The department shall establish an income reporting threshold for CalWORKs assistance units described in subdivision (a) of Section 11265.45.
(b) The income reporting threshold described in subdivision (a) shall be the lesser of the following:
(1) Fifty-five percent of the monthly income for a family of three at the federal poverty level, plus the amount of income last used to calculate the recipient’s monthly benefits.
(2) The amount likely to render the recipient ineligible for federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
(c) A recipient described in subdivision (a) of Section 11265.45 shall report to the county, orally or in writing, within 10 days, when any of the following occurs:
(1) The monthly household income exceeds the threshold established pursuant to this section.
(2) Any change in household composition.
(3) The household address has changed.
(4) An incidence of an individual fleeing prosecution or custody or confinement, or violating a condition or probation or parole, as specified in Section 11486.5.
(d) When a recipient described in subdivision (a) of Section 11265.45 reports income or a household composition change pursuant to subdivision (c), the county shall redetermine eligibility and grant amounts as follows:
(1) If the recipient reports an increase in income or household composition change for the first through 11th months of a year, the county shall verify the report and determine the recipient’s financial eligibility and grant amount.
(A) If the recipient is determined to be financially ineligible based on the increase in income or household composition change, the county shall discontinue the recipient with timely and adequate notice, effective at the end of the month in which the change occurred.
(B) If it is determined that the recipient’s grant amount should decrease based on the increase in income, or increase or decrease based on a change in household composition, the county shall increase or reduce the recipient’s grant amount for the remainder of the year with timely and adequate notice, effective the first of the month following the month in which the change occurred.
(C) If a recipient has reported a change in income or household composition in accordance with subdivision (c), an overpayment shall not be assessed for the following month if the county was unable to provide 10 days’ notice of the termination or reduction in benefits before the first of the month following the month in which the change occurred.
(2) If the recipient reports an increase in income for the 12th month of a grant year, the county shall verify this report and consider this income in redetermining eligibility and the grant amount for the following year.
(e) During the year, a recipient described in subdivision (a) of Section 11265.45 may report to the county, orally or in writing, any changes in income that may increase the recipient’s grant. Increases in the grant that result from reported changes in income shall be effective for the entire month in which the change is reported and any remaining months in the year. If the reported change in income results in an increase in benefits, the county shall issue the increased benefit amount within 10 days of receiving required verification.
(f) During the year, a recipient described in subdivision (a) of Section 11265.45 may request that the county discontinue the recipient’s entire assistance unit or any individual member of the assistance unit who is no longer in the home or is an optional member of the assistance unit. If the recipient’s request is verbal, the county shall provide a 10-day notice before discontinuing benefits. If the recipient’s request is in writing, the county shall discontinue benefits effective the end of the month in which the request is made, and simultaneously shall issue a notice informing the recipient of the discontinuance.
(g) This section shall become operative on June 1, 2020, or when the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement this section, whichever date is later.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 27, Sec. 44. (SB 80) Effective June 27, 2019. Section operative on or after June 1, 2020, as prescribed by its own provisions.)