SB 86

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law establishes the State Supplementary Program for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (SSP) , which requires the State Department of Social Services to contract with the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments to SSP recipients to supplement Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments made available pursuant to the federal Social Security Act. Existing law also establishes the Golden State Grant Program, which requires the department to make a one-time grant payment of $600 to qualified grant recipients, including recipients of benefits under the SSI/SSP program. Existing law authorizes the department to determine the form and manner of these payments. This bill would instead require the one-time grant payments made under the Golden State Grant Program to individuals who are eligible for the payment because they are recipients of SSI/SSP benefits to be paid as a one-time increase of $600 to the individual's SSP benefits. The bill would expressly exempt this increase from the provisions requiring the department to contract with the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments to SSP recipients. (2) Existing law authorizes eligibility interviews for the Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind and Disabled Legal Immigrants program to be conducted electronically, and all application and redetermination forms to be submitted by telephone, email, or facsimile through December 31, 2020. This bill would continue that authorization through the end of the state of emergency declared on March 4, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (3) Existing law prohibits a person from publishing or disclosing, or permitting the publication or disclosure of, a list of persons receiving public social services and limits the use of the lists to purposes directly connected with the administration of public social services. This bill would authorize the use of a list of persons receiving public social services to notify a public social services recipient of their potential eligibility for other benefits and services not administered by the department. (4) Existing law provides for the temporary or emergency placement of dependent children of the juvenile court and nonminor dependents with relative caregivers or nonrelative extended family members under specified circumstances. Existing law requires counties to provide a specified payment to an emergency caregiver if, among other things, the emergency caregiver has completed an application for resource family approval and an application for the Emergency Assistance Program. Existing law, for emergency or compelling reason placements in the 2020–21 fiscal year, makes the federal and state share of payments available beyond 120 days of payments and up to 365 days of payments if specified conditions are met. This bill would suspend the 365-day payment limitation through June 30, 2021, subject to guidance from the department. (5) This bill would appropriate $1,234,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Social Services to implement provisions relating to foster care placements during the COVID-19 emergency and would authorize up to $29,000 of those funds to be used for administrative support to counties for the processing of those payments. (6) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.