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Many California County Welfare Departments are partnered with American Job Centers under the federally funded Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to provide services to CalWORKs participants.

Legal Authority

Assembly Bill (AB) 1542 (Ducheny, Chapter 270, Statutes of 1997), the Welfare to Work Act of 1997, established the CalWORKs program in California. AB 1542 eliminated the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and the Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) program and replaced them with the CalWORKs program.

ii. Outline how the state intends to require a parent or caretaker receiving assistance under the program to engage in work (as defined by the state) once the state determines the parent or caretaker is ready to engage in work.

California’s WTW program is designed to assist CalWORKs recipients in finding employment and/or acquiring the necessary job or workforce skills to obtain employment. To reach that goal, the CalWORKs program established mandatory work participation requirements for assisted parents and caretakers as follows:

• At the time of application, the county may determine that the individual meets specified criteria for exemption from participation in employment preparation or work activities. Otherwise, the county will determine an individual’s ability to engage in work upon their entry into the CalWORKs WTW Program. • After assistance has been granted, recipients who are not exempt are required to participate in an appraisal. • If the client does not possess a high school diploma or its equivalent, then earning a high school diploma or equivalent shall be the primary activity unless the client opts out in writing. Clients are generally assigned to job search for four weeks as their first work activity upon completion of the appraisal. • If the appraisal indicates that the recipient should participate in mental health, substance abuse, or domestic abuse services in lieu of or in addition to job search, or adult basic education activities, then those activities are assigned. The four-week period may be shortened if the county determines that the recipient would not benefit from the activity or time in job search may be lengthened if additional time would result in employment.