44-305 AID PAYMENTS - PAYEE AND DELIVERY

.1 To Whom Paid and Delivered

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.11 For Payee and Delivery requirements applicable to pregnant or parenting minors who are participants of the California Work Pays Demonstration Project, see Section 89-201.4.

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.12 Child Living with Parent or Relative

.121 If a child is living with a caretaker relative, the warrant shall be paid only to the caretaker relative unless such relative has a legally appointed guardian or conservator or there is a substitute payee or there is a vendor designated to receive payment (see Section 44-307). In such cases, the warrant is paid to the guardian, conservator, substitute payee or vendor.

.122 If the caretaker relative is temporarily absent from the home, the warrant may be paid to a person designated by the caretaker relative.

.123 The warrant is to be delivered only to the payee or otherwise according to the payee's instructions. If there is an emergency, the warrant may be delivered to a person acting temporarily for the parent or relative payee. (See Section 25-530.2.)

.13 Repealed by Manual Letter Number 81-62 (1/1/82)

.2 Alternate Payment System

.21 A county may develop a plan that divides its cases into groups and pays aid to these cases on dates other than the first and fifteenth of the calendar month, in order to allow payment dates to be spaced evenly throughout the calendar month.

.22 Such an alternate payment system must receive written approval of the California Department of Social Services before it may be implemented. The plan must provide that:

.221 Each recipient shall be assigned a recurring, specified aid payment period. The budget period shall correspond to this payment period.

.222 The aid payment shall be issued by mail or by direct deposit electronic fund transfer in time to be available to the recipient on the dates specified under Section 44-305.23.

.223 Upon changing aid payment periods for any recipient, the recipient shall be provided a payment for the prorated amount of aid for the interim period between the end of the old payment period and the beginning of the new payment period. The prorated payment shall be made on the old aid payment delivery date.

STANDARDS OF ASSISTANCE

.224 Under the alternate payment system, references to month in the regulations shall be interpreted to mean the assigned aid payment or budget period.

.225 Upon approval of the plan by the state and the assignment of an applicant to an alternate payment period, the recipient shall be informed of the payment period, budget period and dates he can expect his aid payment.

.23 Aid payments to CalWORKs families residing in counties with approved semimonthly alternate payment systems shall be made in two installments during the payment period as follows:

(SAR) .231 The county shall issue the first aid payment by mail or forward the direct deposit electronic fund transfer in time to be available to the recipient by the first day of each month of the assigned SAR Payment Period, unless the county received the completed SAR 7 after the tenth day prior to the end of the assigned SAR Submit Month or the annual redetermination is not completed by the 15th day of the SAR Submit Month. If the SAR 7 is received after the tenth day prior to the end of the assigned SAR Submit Month or the annual redetermination is completed after the 15th day of the SAR Submit Month, but before benefits are discontinued, the county shall not delay the payment and shall issue the first aid payment in time to be available to the recipient by the first day of the next assigned SAR Payment Period if possible, but not later than the tenth day of the first month of the next assigned SAR Payment Period.

(AR/CO) The county shall issue the first aid payment by mail or forward the direct deposit electronic fund transfer in time to be available to the recipient by the first day of each month of the assigned AR/CO Payment Period, unless the annual redetermination is not completed by the 15th day of the AR/CO Submit Month. If the annual redetermination is completed after the 15th day of the AR/CO Submit Month, but before benefits are discontinued, the county shall not delay the payment and shall issue the first aid payment in time to be available to the recipient by the first day of the next assigned AR/CO Payment Period if possible, but not later than the tenth day of the first month of the next assigned AR/CO Payment Period.

.232 The county shall place the second warrant in the mail or complete the second direct deposit electronic fund transfer in time to be available to the recipient by the 15th day of the assigned payment period.

.24 The exceptions to standard delivery dates specified in Section 44-304.6 shall be applicable to counties that have alternate payment systems.

STANDARDS OF ASSISTANCE

NOTE: Authority cited: Sections 10553 and 10554, Welfare and Institutions Code. Reference: Sections 10063(a), 11006.2, 11254, Welfare and Institutions Code; 45 CFR 233.29, 45 CFR 233.31(b)(4) and 45 CFR 233.32; Federal Register, Vol. 75, No. 19, dated January 29, 2010, pages 4928 and 4929 [7 CFR 273.12 (a)(1)(vii)].