15525. (Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 27, Sec. 100.)

(a) The State Department of Social Services shall establish a Work Incentive Nutritional Supplement (WINS) program pursuant to this section.

(c) The state shall pay to the counties 100 percent of the cost of WINS benefits.

(d) For purposes of this section, an “eligible CalFresh household” is a household that meets all of the following criteria:

(1) Receives benefits pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6.

(2) Has no household member receiving CalWORKs benefits pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200).

(3) Contains at least one child under 18 years of age, unless the household contains a child who meets the requirements of Section 11253.

(4) Has at least one parent or caretaker relative determined to be “work eligible,” as defined in Section 261.2(n) of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations and Section 607 of Title 42 of the United States Code.

(5) Meets the federal work participation hours requirement set forth in Section 607 of Title 42 of the United States Code for subsidized or unsubsidized employment, and provides documentation that the household has met the federal work requirements.

(e) (1) In accordance with federal law, federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits administered in California as CalFresh (Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6), federal supplemental security income benefits, state supplemental security program benefits, public social services, as defined in Section 10051, and county aid benefits (Part 5 (commencing with Section 17000)), shall not be reduced as a consequence of the receipt of the WINS benefit paid under this chapter.

(2) Benefits paid under this chapter shall not count toward the federal 60-month time limit on aid, as set forth in Section 608(a)(7)(A) of Title 42 of the United States Code. Payment of WINS benefits shall not commence before January 1, 2014, and full implementation of the program shall be achieved on or before July 1, 2014.

(f) (1) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code and Section 10554), until emergency regulations are filed with the Secretary of State pursuant to paragraph (2), the State Department of Social Services may implement this section through all-county letters or similar instructions. The department may provide for individual county phase-in of this section to allow for the orderly implementation based upon standards established by the department, including the operational needs and requirements of the counties. Implementation of the automation process changes shall include issuance of an all-county letter or similar instructions to counties by June 1, 2013.

(2) The department may adopt regulations to implement this chapter. The initial adoption, amendment, or repeal of a regulation authorized by this section is deemed to address an emergency, for purposes of Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of the Government Code, and the department is hereby exempted for that purpose from the requirements of subdivision (b) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code. After the initial adoption, amendment, or repeal of an emergency regulation pursuant to this paragraph, the department may request approval from the Office of Administrative Law to readopt the regulation as an emergency regulation pursuant to Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.

(g) (1) The department shall not fully implement this section until the department convenes a workgroup of advocates, legislative staff, county representatives, and other stakeholders to consider the progress of the WINS automation effort in tandem with a pre-assistance employment readiness system (PAERS) program and any other program options that may provide offsetting benefits to the caseload reduction credit in the CalWORKs program. The department shall convene this workgroup on or before December 1, 2013.

(2) A PAERS program shall be considered in light of current and potential federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) statutes and regulations and how other states with pre-assistance or other caseload offset options are responding to federal changes.

(3) The consideration of program options shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the potential impacts on helping clients to obtain self-sufficiency, increasing the federal work participation rate, increasing the caseload reduction credit, requirements and efficiency of county administration, and the well-being of CalWORKs recipients.

(4) If the workgroup concludes that adopting a PAERS program or other program option pursuant to this section would, on balance, be favorable for California and its CalWORKs recipients, the department, in consultation with the workgroup, shall prepare a proposal by March 31, 2014, for consideration during the regular legislative budget subcommittee process in 2014.

(5) To meet the requirements of this subdivision, the department may use its TANF reauthorization workgroups.