Human services.

Existing law establishes a statewide electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system, administered by the State Department of Social Services, for the purpose of providing financial and food assistance benefits, including CalFresh benefits. Existing law establishes the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project and requires the department, in consultation with specified entities, to include within the EBT system a supplemental benefits mechanism that allows an authorized retailer to deliver and redeem supplemental benefits and to provide grants for pilot projects to implement and test the mechanism in existing retail settings. Existing law requires the department to evaluate the pilot projects and make recommendations to further refine and expand the supplemental benefits mechanism, as specified.

This bill would require the department to evaluate the pilot projects that operated pursuant to the above-described provisions between February 1, 2023, and January 31, 2025, as specified.

Existing federal law, through Disaster SNAP, provides for short-term food assistance benefits to families suffering in the wake of a major disaster. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services and the county human services agency, if the President of the United States issues a major disaster declaration for individual assistance, to request to operate a federal Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) for the regions affected by the major disaster. Existing uncodified law, in the event of a declaration by the Governor or the President of the United States of a major disaster, continuously appropriates to the department from the General Fund an amount necessary to cover specified costs relating to the administration of disaster assistance services, but not to exceed $300,000 per disaster declaration.

This bill would codify that funding provision.

(2) Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services for needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program, state, and county funds. Under existing law, a county is required to annually redetermine eligibility for CalWORKs benefits and, at the time of redetermination, require the family to complete a certificate of eligibility. Existing law additionally requires the county to redetermine recipient eligibility and grant amounts on a semiannual basis and requires the recipient to submit a semiannual report form during the first semiannual reporting period following the application or annual redetermination of eligibility. Existing law requires, to the extent permitted by federal law, the State Department of Social Services to implement the semiannual reporting system, including the use of the semiannual report form, in the CalFresh program. Existing law requires the department to work with specified entities to develop and implement system changes that would prepopulate the semiannual report. Existing law requires counties to provide recipients with a prepopulated semiannual report form instead of a blank form.

This bill would instead, to the extent permitted by federal law, require counties to provide recipients with a prepopulated semiannual report, either via mail or electronically, at the election of the recipient, instead of a blank form. The bill would require the department to complete final policy guidance for changes to the prepopulated semiannual report by August 15, 2025. To the extent that this bill would expand county responsibilities under the CalWORKs program, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(3) Existing federal law, the Community First Choice Option (CFCO) program, authorizes states to provide home- and community-based attendant services and supports to eligible Medicaid enrollees, as specified. Existing federal law provides federal financial participation for a state that provides services under the CFCO program.

Existing state law establishes the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, administered by the State Department of Social Services and counties, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes. Existing law requires the state and counties to share the annual cost of providing IHSS pursuant to a specified cost ratio. Existing law requires all counties to have a rebased County IHSS Maintenance of Effort (MOE) and requires the rebased MOE to be adjusted for the annualized cost of increases in provider wages, health benefits, or other benefits, as prescribed. If the state ceases to receive federal financial participation for the provision of services, existing law requires the rebased County IHSS MOE to be adjusted to require a county to pay a 35% share of the enhanced federal financial participation that would have been received.

This bill would, commencing July 1, 2026, require a county to pay, separate from the rebased County IHSS MOE payment, a 100% share of the enhanced federal financial participation that would have been received if the state ceases to receive that funding for the provision of services due to noncompliance of timely case reassessment for the federal CFCO program. The bill would, for the 2025–26 fiscal year, require the state and county to each pay 50% of the amount of that lost enhanced federal financial participation. The bill would require the department to develop guidance to implement these provisions.

(4) Existing law requires the state, through the State Department of Social Services and county welfare departments, to establish and support a public system of statewide child welfare services to be developed as rapidly as possible and to be available in each county of the state. Existing law requires family maintenance services to be provided or arranged for by county welfare department staff, in order to maintain a child in their own home. Existing law identifies the categories of families to which these services are available. Existing law defines a "child and family team" as a group of individuals who are convened by the placing agency and who are engaged through a variety of team-based processes to identify the strengths and needs of the child or youth and their family, and to help achieve positive outcomes for safety, permanency, and well-being. Existing law defines a "child and family team meeting" as a convening of all or some members of the child and family team that may be requested by any member of the child and family team.

This bill would require, beginning July 1, 2025, all county child welfare agencies to convene child and family team meetings for children and youth receiving family maintenance services. By increasing the duties of county child welfare agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law establishes the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP), administered by the State Department of Social Services, to benefit children residing in foster homes by providing the stability and security of permanent homes. Existing law requires the department or the county, whichever is responsible for determining the child's AAP eligibility, to assess the needs of the child and the circumstances of the family, with the amount of a cash benefit being determined based on those factors. Existing law authorizes payment to be made on behalf of an otherwise eligible child in a state-approved group home, short-term residential therapeutic program, or residential care treatment facility if the department or county responsible for determining payment has confirmed that the placement is necessary, and, if the placement is out-of-state, requires the facility to be eligible for Title IV-E funded placements in the state in which it is situated.

This bill would authorize AAP payments for placement in an out-of-state residential treatment facility, as defined, if one or more of the adoptive parents reside in the state in which the residential treatment facility is located and the responsible public agency, as defined, has confirmed that placement is necessary. The bill would require counties, commencing September 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, to provide specified information to the department regarding out-of-state residential treatment facilities and the children placed in those facilities, and would require the department to provide guidance to counties regarding steps necessary to document the requirements of these provisions. By imposing duties on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law prohibits the AAP rate paid on behalf of the child for these placements from exceeding the rate paid for a short-term residential therapeutic program. Existing law establishes a Tiered Rate Structure, as specified, upon which the per child per month rate for every child in foster care is based, which includes 3 components, including an amount paid to the foster care provider for care and supervision of the child, a strengths building allocation to provide for a child's strengths building objectives, and an immediate needs allocation to provide for the child's immediate needs, and establishes payment tiers, as specified. Existing law requires the 3 components of the Tiered Rate Structure to become operative on July 1, 2027, or the date that the department notifies the Legislature that the California Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement the Tiered Rate Structure, whichever is later.

The bill would prohibit the AAP rate for an out-of-state residential treatment facility from exceeding the lesser of the rate paid for a foster care placement in a short-term residential therapeutic program or the rate determined by the ratesetting authority in the state in which the out-of-state residential treatment facility is located. Upon the 3 components of the Tiered Rate Structure becoming operative, this bill would instead prohibit the AAP payment rate from exceeding the lesser of the sum of the 3 components of the Tiered Rate Structure or the rate determined by the ratesetting authority in the state in which the out-of-state residential treatment facility is located.

(5) Existing law establishes the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant program to provide county-based custody, care, and supervision of youth who are realigned from the Division of Juvenile Justice or who would have otherwise been eligible for commitment to the division. Existing law appropriates moneys from the General Fund for the 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, and 2025–26 fiscal years in specified amounts for these purposes, and specifies how those funds are to be allocated to counties based on specified criteria. Existing law requires the Governor and the Legislature to work with stakeholders to establish a distribution methodology.

This bill would make an appropriation for the 2025–26, 2026–27, 2027–28, and 2028–29 fiscal years from the General Fund in the amount of $208,800,000 each year and specify the by-county distribution methodology for each fiscal year, as specified. The bill would require, by January 10, 2030, the Office of Youth and Community Restoration to review the formula within these provisions and report to the Legislature with an assessment of the formula's efficacy in meeting the Legislature's intent to implement public health approaches to support positive youth development and outcomes, build the capacity of a continuum of community-based approaches, and reduce recidivism.

In order to be eligible for funding under the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant program, existing law requires a county to create a subcommittee of the multiagency juvenile justice coordinating council, as specified, to develop a plan describing facilities, programs, placements, services, supervision and reentry strategies needed to provide appropriate rehabilitation and supervision services for youth who were eligible for commitment to the division. Under existing law, the plan is required to include specified information, including a detailed facility plan.

This bill would additionally require the plan to include a description of less restrictive programs used by the county and an accounting of all expenditures for funding during the prior fiscal year, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Board of State and Community Corrections, with the mission of providing statewide leadership, coordination, and technical assistance to promote effective state and local efforts and partnerships in California's adult and juvenile criminal justice system. Existing law requires the judge of the juvenile court of a county to inspect any jail, juvenile hall, lockup, special purpose juvenile hall, camp, ranch, or secure youth treatment facility that was used for the confinement of a juvenile for more than 24 hours in the preceding calendar year, as specified. Existing law requires the court to notify the operator of the facility of any observed noncompliance, and make a finding of suitability of the facility for the confinement of juveniles. Existing law requires the board to conduct a biennial inspection of each jail, juvenile hall, lockup, special purpose juvenile hall, camp, ranch, or secure youth treatment facility, as specified, and notify the operator of the facility of any noncompliance.

This bill would prohibit a county board of supervisors from allocating funding pursuant to the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant to any juvenile hall, camp, ranch, or secure youth treatment facility that is, or at any time during the prior fiscal year was, unsuitable and used for the confinement of youth on any day when the facility was prohibited by law from being used for the confinement of youth. The bill would authorize the county board of supervisors to withhold funding from any entity that is, or at any time during the prior fiscal year was, operating an unsuitable juvenile hall, camp, ranch, or secure youth treatment facility and is confining or did confine one or more youth in the unsuitable facility on any day when the facility was prohibited by law from being used for confinement of youth, as specified.

(6) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(7) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.