Developmental services: data exchange.

(1) Existing federal law provides for allocation of federal funds through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program to eligible states. Existing law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which, through a combination of state and county funds and federal funds received through the TANF program, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Existing law generally requires a recipient of CalWORKs benefits to participate in welfare-to-work activities as a condition of eligibility for aid. Existing federal law also provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services is charged with state administration of both of these programs. Existing law generally prohibits county welfare departments and the State Department of Social Services from disclosing records and information concerning the administration of public social services for which grants-in-aid are received from the United States government, such as CalWORKs and CalFresh, and requires that those records and information be kept confidential, except as prescribed. Existing law establishes the Employment First Policy, which is the policy that opportunities for integrated, competitive employment be given the highest priority for working-age individuals with developmental disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities. Existing law requires various state agencies to disclose specified information to the State Department of Developmental Services to assist the department in the implementation of this policy. This bill would, notwithstanding the general prohibition above, require the State Department of Social Services to provide the eligibility and enrollment data for the CalWORKs and CalFresh programs to the State Department of Developmental Services for the purposes of monitoring and evaluating employment outcomes to determine the effectiveness of the Employment First Policy, as specified, to the extent permitted under federal law and regulations. (2) Existing law provides that all information and records obtained by the State Department of Developmental Services in the course of providing intake, assessment, and services to persons with developmental disabilities are confidential and may only be disclosed under specified circumstances. This bill would authorize disclosure of this information as necessary to authorized employees of the State Department of Social Services to enable the State Department of Developmental Services to obtain the CalWORKs and CalFresh eligibility and enrollment data described above. (3) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 4514 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 1190 to be operative only if this bill and SB 1190 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.