CalFresh Employment and Training program.

Existing law authorizes counties to participate in the CalFresh Employment and Training program (CalFresh E&T) , established by federal law, and requires a participating county to demonstrate in its CalFresh E&T plan how it is effectively using CalFresh E&T funds for each of the specified components that the county offers, including work experience or training and job search. Existing law, for a county that elects to participate in the CalFresh E&T, requires an individual to be deferred from a mandatory placement in CalFresh E&T if he or she satisfies any of various criteria, including, among others, residing in a federally determined work surplus area. Existing federal law limits a participant who is an able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) to 3 months of CalFresh benefits in a 3-year period unless that participant has met specified work participation requirements or is otherwise exempt. Existing law directs the State Department of Social Services to annually seek a federal waiver of this limitation, and provides that an eligible county is included in this waiver. This bill, for a county that elects to participate in CalFresh E&T, would prohibit a person who is subject to the able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) time limit described above from mandatory placement in CalFresh E&T. The bill would include job search training and job retention, among others, as CalFresh E&T components that a county may offer. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations by January 1, 2019. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 18926.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 282 to be operative only if this bill and SB 282 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.