No Asset Test for Food Stamp Applicants with Children

Last year, AB 433 passed to allow Department of Social Services (DSS) to use categorical eligibility to remove the asset test for Californians. Recently, DSS has instructed counties to apply modified categorical eligibility (MCE) to households with children so that families can hold on to their most basic resources and still qualify for food stamps.

Only households w children can apply without the asset test.

DSS chose to apply MCE only to households that have children. Single adults or adults that live together without children will still have to qualify under asset rules. We hope to continue our advocacy and partnership with DSS to extend MCE to all applicants to the Food Stamp Progam.

Those households will receive benefits without losing savings.

Households w children now will not have to exhaust all of their assets and resources before receiving assistance. By eliminating the asset test, struggling families can retain savings to cushion them against financial uncertainties and better climb out of poverty.

County offices can implement as soon as July 1, 2009.

The Department of Social Services has issued an All-County Letter directing county offices to apply MCE to new applicants with children as early as July 1, 2009 and no later than January 1, 2010. The date of implementation will vary by county, but check w your county office and encourage them to implement as soon as possible!

Additional Details

Unfortunately, asset information will continue to be collected, but it will not be used to disqualify an applicant with children. Also, DSS has directed counties to re-evaluate the presence of children in the household at recertification.

**UPDATES**

8/5/09

We now know that all the consortia (computer systems) have issued direction to counties on how to implement asset test removal for Food Stamp eligibility.  This means that all counties have the capability to implement this policy.  Check with your county's Food Stamp office to see if they are currently implementing the removal of the asset test for households with children!

8/28/09

From our Nutrition Alert:

... We need your help getting the word out to the people about MCE and collecting stories of families benefiting from MCE! If MCE has been implemented in your county already, tell your clients and your colleagues to make sure that everyone knows about this policy change. If you think your clients might be eligible, encourage them to apply for Food Stamps! If you know someone that is newly eligible and recently enrolled in Food Stamps, we need those stories --stories that tell the policymakers that MCE helps people get the food they need while allowing them to save money to make a better life for their families. We need those stories to continue our advocacy to expand MCE to all applicants to the Food Stamp Program! Thank you! Questions? Contact Cathy at cathy@cfpa.net.

8/31/09

Word from our partners in the field is that there are many counties that have implemented MCE for new applicants to the Food Stamp Program.  As far as we know, the counties where families can apply for food stamps without the asset test are: Fresno, LA, Monterey, Calaveras, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Napa, Contra Costa, Kern, Mendocino and San Francisco.  Other counties are choosing to implement later (date of planned implementation): San Diego (Dec. 1), Orange (?) and Alameda (Jan. 1).  What do you know about your county?  Send us an update at cathy@cfpa.net.

Learn More

Read DSS's All-County Letter: Modified Categorical Eligibility For The Food Stamp Program; Questions And Answers, issued May 27, 2009.

Sign up for our Nutrition Alert to stay up-to-date with our future efforts to expand asset test removal to all Californians applying for Food Stamps.

Flier for County Offices and Community-Based Organizations

Please circulate this flier to all those that may be interested in the asset test removal for households with children.  To download this flier, click here.

For additional information, please contact George Manalo-LeClair, Senior Director of Legislation, at (510) 433-1122 or george@cfpa.net.