(a) An application and an authorization for participation in CalFresh shall be processed within a period of not more than 30 days from the date of application.
(b) The department shall develop written information that describes the eligibility and verification requirements for expedited service, the process for applying for those benefits, and the availability of assistance in filling out the forms and gathering needed documentation.
(c) Each county human services agency shall make the material developed pursuant to subdivision (b) available to each applicant at the time the applicant initially seeks CalFresh benefits.
(d) Each county human services agency shall, upon request, make available the information developed pursuant to subdivision (b) to community action agencies, legal services offices, emergency food programs, and other community programs.
(e) (1) Each county human services agency shall, except as specified in paragraph (2), compile a list of emergency food providers in the area served by the local CalFresh office. The list shall be updated, based on information from the emergency food providers. The list shall be made available upon request, and, where needed, may be used to refer individuals to emergency food sites that may be able to provide assistance.
(2) A county human services agency may elect to refer a CalFresh applicant or recipient to the 2-1-1 dial code to access information on emergency food providers and supplemental food assistance providers, including child nutrition programs, in lieu of providing a list pursuant to paragraph (1) if the county deems that method to be the most appropriate to serve an applicant or recipient.
(f) Each county human services agency shall make available to CalFresh applicants, upon request, nonpromotional information that contains addresses and phone numbers of local legal services and welfare rights organizations.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 68, Sec. 2. (AB 323) Effective January 1, 2018.)