1. ABAWD Time Limit
Preparing for implementation of the Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD) rule in Contra Costa County

2. Basic Calfresh eligibility
Who is eligible?
Households that meet the gross income guidelines ($2,024 for 1 person, $2,744 for 2 people, $3,464 for 3 people, etc.)
Households that have at least one member who is a citizen or legal permanent resident
Individuals on SSI - this rule changed June 1, 2019
What is a household?
Anyone that purchases and prepares food together
Expedited Services (Emergency CalFresh)
If their monthly gross income is less than $150 and
They have less than $100 in cash, checking or savings

3. INTRODUCTION
A person classified as an ABAWD may be subject to a 3-month time limit on CalFresh (during a period of three years)
Not a “new” rule, but is being implemented in a small number of counties after a federal waiver of the rule expired
CA lost statewide waiver but was able to apply for area waivers
Counties currently implementing ABAWD rule: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara
Counties scheduled to begin implementation effective September 1, 2019: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin
Statewide clock
Clock started in 2017 and will “restart” in January 2020
The three-year period is the same for everyone in California
CA lost statewide waiver but was able to apply for area waivers
Areas are eligible for waivers based on their unemployment rate
The three-year period is the same for everyone in the state of CA. CA’s 3 year clock started in 2017 and thus will “restart” in January of 2020.

4. Who is an abawd? Between 18 and 49 years old Not disabled
Not living with children
Not otherwise exempt
As the acronym suggests, these are individuals who should theoretically be able to work
However, we know that many people face barriers to work or are underemployed
As the acronym suggests – these are individuals who should theoretically be able to work
However, we know that in today’s economy – many people in need still face barriers to work or are underemployed
We will go into other exemptions later on in the presentation

5. Time limits
Benefits are limited to 3 full months per 3 year period to childless adults age UNLESS:
Individual is working 20 hours a week (job search does not count)
Individual is in a qualifying job slot (e.g., Employment & Training) 20 hours a week or volunteering
Meets one of the exemptions
The time limit effectively reduces access to CalFresh, and it is important to understand the rules to prevent as many people from having their benefits discontinued as possible

6. ABAWDs in Contra costa county
There are approximately 31,000 households receiving CalFresh in Contra Costa County
Estimated 4,398 persons are classified as ABAWDs, which will mean that they need to be screened for an exemption or meet the work requirement
Many are facing significant barriers. For example:
In a survey of 112 individuals who enrolled in Opportunity Junction’s 5-7 month fulltime intensive training program for the administrative field: 98% indicated a lack of skills for an administrative job, 82% indicated past trauma, 29% indicated they were terminated from past employment, and 29% indicated a history of domestic violence

7. Exemptions
Goal: make sure everyone who qualifies for an exemption has one
Exemptions:
In a CalFresh household with a member under 18
Pregnant (any stage of pregnancy)
Physically or mentally unable to work 20 hours a week
Look for factors like chronically homeless, experiencing domestic violence, dealing with a drug or alcohol issue, dealing with a mental health issue, etc.
Student attending school at least half time (student rule may apply)
Applied for or receiving disability benefits (temporary or permanent) (private or government benefits qualify) – Includes SSI
Requalifying (worked 20 hours a week in recent past)
PASS OUT CLIENT SCREENING TOOL FOR OUTREACH WORKERS
On this slide I will go over some of the most common exemptions to the ABAWD time limit. You can follow along with the screening tool I just passed out. This tool is meant for outreach workers to fill out for clients they are assisting – not for clients to fill out themselves.
In a CalFresh household with a member under 18 – A CalFresh household is anyone purchasing and preparing food together. The Adult does not need to be related to the child. The child does not need to be receiving CalFresh.
Regulations say “physically or mentally unfit for work” however, throughout the presentation I will refer to “unable to work”. This is more client-centered language. Most people will not want to identify themselves as “unfit for work”

8. Exemptions continued Exemptions continued:
Already exempt from CalFresh work requirements because:
Responsible for the care of a child under 6 or an incapacitated person
Applied for or receiving Unemployment Insurance Benefits (UIB)
Expected to return to work in the next 60 days
Former Foster Youth
Re-entry/Probation/Criminal Record
Seasonally Employed
Dependent Child Ages Out
Family Reunification
PASS OUT USE OF 12% EXEMPTIONS SHEET
- Every county is given 12% of their ABAWD caseload to exempt individuals at their own discretion.
Contra Costa has chosen to use their 12% exemptions on the following:
Bridge month – nobody should lose benefits during the month of December. This is because the statewide clock will restart January 1, In order to avoid people losing benefits and then being eligible to reapply in January, Contra Costa has opted to apply the 12% exemptions to all affected for the month of December.
Overissuance/error protection – this is a very complicated rule and despite extensive training, it is likely some eligibility workers may make mistakes. In order to avoid this from negatively affecting clients, Contra Costa has opted to use some 12% exemptions on errors.
Former Foster Youth -

9. Unable to work How is someone deemed unable to work?
Medically certified as physically or mentally unable to work
Applied for or receives temporary or permanent public or private disability benefits
Is obviously unfit as determined by Employment and Human Services case worker
If not obvious, a medical professional can provide verification
Examples include:
Physician
Physician’s assistant
Nurse
Nurse practitioner
Physician’s office
Psychologist
Social Worker
Any other medical personnel
Exemptions can be verified retroactively!
PASS OUT VERIFICATION CHEAT SHEET
We do not expect you all to remember all of these exemptions or how to verify them. For that reason, we have developed the following cheat sheet to refer to when assisting clients.
PASS OUT MEDICAL EXEMPTION FORM
For exemptions that require a medical professional’s verification – the following form has been developed.
Medical professionals can fill this out and send it to EHSD

10. Meeting the work requirement in contra costa county
Contra Costa County administers its Employment & Training program through its Fresh Success program
The following are Employment & Training providers in Contra Costa County who may be able to help persons who are not exempt meet work requirement.
Note: some E&T programs will not automatically meet work requirements because they may be fewer than 20 hours per week or 80 hours per month
Opportunity Junction – East County
Rubicon – West and East County
PASS OUT E&T/VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES SHEET

11. Reporting work participation
Ensure forms include information about the work activity and number of hours per week/month
Qualifying work activity includes:
Paid work
In-kind work
Volunteer work
CalFresh E&T (but not job search alone)
Work and volunteer hours can be combined
Example: Person works 10 hours, and volunteers for 10 hours
Paid work can include traditional work or self-employment
Paid work can include traditional work or self-employment examples of self-employment: babysitting, selling crafts online, driving for Uber, Lyft, etc.
In-kind work = work in exchange for goods or services. An example would be that a client works on his neighbor’s car in exchange for the neighbor watching his kids.
Volunteer work – volunteering at a community based organization

12. Areas of advocacy
How you can help people obtain and keep CalFresh benefits under this new rule:
Support effective county screening for exemptions and work opportunities
Making appropriate referrals to E&T providers
Identifying ABAWDs
Helping ABAWDs keep or restore benefits
Help educate and clarify misunderstandings
Help determine exemptions
Help people know how to effectively contact EHSD
Informing the community
More resources can be found at:

13. Questions?
Caitlin Sly Program Director Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano