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All County Letter No. 14-100 Page Eight

with a prior felony drug conviction who are added to the AU as a result of AB 1468 will be subject to WTW requirements, eligible for supportive services, and may qualify for WTW exemptions like any other CalWORKs recipient.

CWDs must inform adults with a prior felony drug conviction who are added to an existing CalWORKs AU of the requirement to participate in WTW no later than February 28, 2015. The advance notice should include all relevant information provided to any other CalWORKs applicant or recipient about the WTW program, including hourly participation requirements, exemptions from WTW, domestic abuse services and program waivers, and sanctions for failing to comply with WTW participation requirements.

Once added to the AU, the CWD must enroll the eligible adult in WTW at the appropriate point in the WTW process, provide necessary supportive services and engage him or her in WTW activities, unless it is determined that he or she is exempt from WTW or eligible for a domestic abuse waiver, like any other CalWORKs recipient.

Effective April 1, 2015, adults with a prior felony drug conviction approved for aid and entering the CalWORKs caseload must be engaged in WTW in accordance with the normal CalWORKs flow. All newly eligible recipients are required to sign a plan. However, CWDs should be mindful of participants who are already engaged in work and/or education activities and should look for ways to support their continued participation in those activities with minimal interruption. For example, adults working enough hours to meet hourly requirements may opt out of assessment and have a WTW plan developed over the phone to avoid missing work to attend an in-person appointment.

CWDs must inform individuals with prior felony drug convictions that as a current CalWORKs recipient they are entitled to receive child care, transportation, and other supportive services necessary for their WTW activities, and that once they receive cash aid, they will continue to be eligible for child care services so long as they qualify as current or former CalWORKs recipients. CWDs should inform individuals with prior felony drug convictions who are currently receiving subsidized child care services through other sources that they may now be eligible for child care services through the CalWORKs program, and may seek child care assistance from the CWD. They should also be informed of the benefits of doing so.

Benefit Issuance for CalWORKs and CalFresh Cases

Beginning April 1, 2015, CalWORKs benefits shall be issued to individuals with a prior felony drug conviction in the same manner benefits are issued to all CalWORKs applicants and recipients. Specifically, the practice of issuing benefits in the form of