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All County Letter No. 25-92 Page Five
As noted above, H.R. 1 did not amend the rules regarding LPRs and the five-year waiting period, or any other provisions of PRWORA.
No Longer Eligible for CalFresh
The following categories of lawfully present noncitizens who are not LPRs, are no longer eligible for CalFresh as a result of H.R. 1:
• Asylees; • Refugees; • Parolees (unless they are CHEs); • Individuals with deportation or removal withheld; • Conditional entrants; • Victims of trafficking; • Battered noncitizens; • Certain Afghan Nationals granted parole between July 31, 2021, and September 30, 2023; and • Certain Ukrainian Nationals granted parole between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2024. Lawfully present noncitizens in the categories listed above that are newly ineligible for CalFresh under H.R. 1 may become eligible for CalFresh or CFAP if they later adjust their status to LPR and dependent on whether or not they have met the five-year waiting period or an exemption. IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE
Effective April 1, 2026, CWDs must apply the eligibility criteria outlined above at initial certification for new applicant households, and at recertification for ongoing households. This implementation date is necessary because H.R. 1 introduces complex noncitizen policy changes that require adequate time to provide accurate and comprehensive policy training to county staff. In addition, CalSAWS must complete the necessary automation updates to ensure accurate application of the changes. Further, it has been determined that the use of the current automation or manual workarounds are not feasible because CalSAWS is not designed to support the changes required under H.R. 1. Relying on manual processes at this scale would create a high risk of inconsistent data entry, incorrect case actions, and data tracking gaps the system would not be able to reconcile. These errors could lead to systemic and long-term inaccurate eligibility outcomes and disruptions in benefits. For these reasons, CDSS directs CWDs not to use current automation or manual workarounds to implement the changes under H.R. 1 prior to the effective date in this letter.
NEW APPLICATIONS