CalFresh: foster youth.

Existing federal law 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. Existing law required the State Department of Social Services, effective July 1, 2010, and subject to federal law, to propose a Transitional Food Stamps for Foster Youth demonstration project under which independent foster care adolescents who are not eligible for CalWORKs or Supplemental Security Income program benefits are eligible for CalFresh without regard to income or resources. This bill would require the department to conduct a study to examine the effectiveness of CalFresh benefits for foster youth and would require the study to include, at a minimum, specified components, including, among others, a measurement of health outcomes for foster youth who are enrolled in CalFresh. Participation in the study by foster youth would be voluntary, and the bill would require the department to obtain consent from a foster youth before they may participate in the study. Under the bill, "health outcomes" would include, among other things, changes in the study participants' nutrition levels and changes in their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about good nutrition. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2026, to submit a report to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Human Services that includes the results of the study. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2027.