SB 85

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) The federal Reception and Placement Program (RPP) under the United States Department of State is established to serve refugees during their first 3 months after arrival in the United States, through contracts with local resettlement agencies to provide various services using federal funds. Existing state law requires the State Department of Social Services, after setting aside the necessary state administrative funds, to allocate federal funds appropriated for refugee social services programs to each eligible county or service provider, as defined, based on the number of refugees receiving aid, or who reside, in the eligible county. If an eligible county or service provider that receives funds declines all or part of those funds, or returns unexpended funds, existing law authorizes the department to exercise its discretion to reallocate the declined or returned funds among eligible counties and service providers. Existing law conditions the applicability of the requirements under these provisions on the availability of federal funds. This bill would make those requirements also applicable if state funds are available subject to an appropriation. Under the bill, if a refugee recipient of refugee social services under RPP completes 90 days of those services and exhausts the federal funds allocated for that recipient, the recipient would be eligible for a 90-day extension of those services using state funds within the first 12 months of arrival in the United States. If a recipient completes that 90-day extension and seeks additional services, the bill would require the designated case manager to conduct an assessment of the recipient's needs and to determine, as specified, whether to grant the recipient an additional extension of those services, at a minimum of 90 days and a maximum of 180 days, for a combined total of no more than 360 days of those services. The bill would also make conforming changes to related provisions. (2) Existing law, subject to an appropriation, establishes the Enhanced Services for Asylees and Vulnerable Noncitizens to provide resettlement services for persons residing in the state and who are granted asylum, as specified, or who are eligible for the above-described refugee social services. Existing law requires the program to provide culturally appropriate and responsive case management services for asylees and vulnerable noncitizens for up to 90 days within the first year following the grant of asylum or after having been deemed eligible for refugee social services. This bill would extend the provision of those case management services for up to 180 days. If a recipient completes 180 days of services and seeks an extension, the bill would require the designated case manager to conduct an assessment of the recipient's needs and to determine, as specified, whether to grant the recipient the extension, as described above for the refugee social services, for a total of no more than 360 days of those services. (3) For both sets of the above-described services, the bill would expand the scope of the service, as specified, and would authorize their provision by a qualified nonprofit organization, an office or affiliate of the agencies authorized under RPP, or, in the case of refugee social services, by an eligible county.