Institutional Residents (2024)

Definitions[63-402.4]

An individual is considered a resident of an institution when the institution provides them with the majority of meals as part of the institution's normal services. Residents of institutions are not eligible for CalFresh unless listed in the section below, “Eligibility”.

Eligibility[63-402.4]

The following residents of an institution are eligible for CalFresh as a separate household.

• Residents of federally subsidized housing for the elderly.
• Individuals struggling with a substance use disorder who:
  • Participate in a drug or alcohol treatment and rehabilitation program, and
  • Live at the treatment center.
    • If the individual, struggling with a substance use disorder, has children in the same CalFresh household when they also live at the treatment center and are provided with meals by the center.
    • Any other family members of the individual struggling with a substance use disorder, including the spouse, is ineligible for CalFresh when living at the center and provided with meals. If, however, the treatment center does not provide meals to these family members living there, they may be eligible for CalFresh as a SEPARATE HOUSEHOLD from the individual struggling with a substance use disorder. Refer to HH Composition.
• Disabled/blind Social Security recipients in a group living arrangement (a public or private nonprofit residential setting with 16 residents or less).
• A man or woman alone or man or woman with children temporarily residing in a shelter for battered persons that provides meals.
• Homeless Shelter residents (public or private nonprofit).
• Children of jail/prison inmates participating in a program (such as the one run by the Volunteers of America at Brandon House) if their parent buys and prepares food separately for their child(ren).
• The inmate parent does NOT qualify for CalFresh because he or she is still considered a resident of an institution (jail/prison) even though he or she is residing at Brandon House.

Note: Residents of an institution not mentioned above may be eligible for CalFresh, if the client has special diet needs for which the institution cannot accommodate verification from the institution as well as a doctor’s note is required.

Drug/Alcohol Treatment Centers

Approved Facilities [63-503.471]

A drug/alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation program must meet the following requirements for a resident to qualify for CalFresh.

• Authorized by USDA-FNS as a retailer, OR
• Qualifies for funding under Part B of Title 19 of the Public Health Services Act, AND
• The facility must provide meals to residents to qualify as an eligible institution.

Note: Residents of those programs that do not provide meals may apply as roomers.

Programs that meet the above requirements are listed in this section. DO NOT issue benefits for a resident of a drug/alcohol program that is NOT listed in this section. Refer treatment centers which are interested in accepting CalFresh to the CalFresh Coordinator.

Drug/Alcohol Facilities[63-503.471]

Application

Residents of a DAA Treatment Center must apply for CF voluntarily, DAA Treatment Centers cannot require residents to apply for CF. If a resident voluntarily applies for CF, they MUST apply through an AR who is employed by and designated by the DAA Treatment Center. CF applications may be filed in person, mail, fax, electronic mail, or by completing a MyBCW application.

Important: The DAA Treatment Center employee designated for the purpose of applying must also act as the AR for recertification purposes. The AR is responsible for notifying the county of changes in the household’s circ*mstances that are required to be reported during the certification period.

The application forms may be signed by the resident household or the AR. The AR is designated by completing the CF 100, CalFresh Request for Authorized Representative Drug or Alcohol Treatment Center Resident. The AR must sign the form “Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Request for Designated Alternate Cardholder/Authorized Representative” (CSF 64).

Note: A CalFresh application must not be denied to residents of drug and alcohol treatment centers because the AR did not initiate the application. However, the certification MUST be done through the AR.

The institution must receive and spend the CalFresh benefits for food prepared by and/or served to the residents of the center.

HH Composition

Authorize benefits as a separate household for an addict/alcoholic and their children who live at the treatment center and are provided with meals. (Parents and children must be one household.)

The spouse or family members other than children who live at the treatment center:

• May receive CalFresh if meals are not provided to them (they are treated as a roomer and must be a separate household from the addict/alcoholic and their children).
• Are ineligible for CalFresh if meals are provided to them.

CalWORKs Income

When a drug/alcoholic treatment center resident has CalWORKs income and is not in the same CalFresh household with the other CalWORKs recipients, prorate the grant equally among the CalWORKs AU members. Count the addict's/alcoholic's prorated share of the CalWORKs grant as income. Refer to Combined Payments.

HH Rights

All changes in household circ*mstances and recertifications shall be processed using the same standards that apply to all other CalFresh household.

All rights to Notices of Adverse Action, to State Hearings, and to entitlement to lost benefits shall be applied. In this respect, there is no difference between the households and other households.

Work Registration [63-407.21(f)]

A participating resident is exempt from work registration requirements.

CalFresh EBT Card

When a resident leaves the treatment center, the treatment center’s EBT card must be deactivated and a new EBT card issued to the client.

Reminder: The primary cardholder must also be changed from the Authorized Representative (AR) of the Treatment Center to the client.

Treatment Center Responsibilities [63-503.476: ACL 19-51]

The treatment center shall:

• Provide to the CalFresh Coordinator a certified list of currently participating residents on a monthly basis. The County will conduct periodic random on-site visits to assure accuracy of these list.
• Notify the EW of changes in income, household circ*mstances, and when resident leaves center.
• Advise the household who leaves the center to contact their EW to be issued an EBT card.
• When a household leaves the DAA Treatment Center, the center must adhere to the following requirements:
  • Notify the County by sending a completed change report form to the County with the household’s change in address, new address if available, and a statement that the DAA treatment Center and employee are no longer the household’s AR.
  • Provide a change report form as soon as it finds out that the household plans to leave the facility and must advise the household to return the change report form to the County within 10 days of any change in the household’s circ*mstances that the household is required to report. After the household leaves the DAA Treatment Center, the center can no longer act as the household’s AR for certification purposes, obtaining benefits, or using benefits.
  • Provide the household with its EBT card if the DAA Treatment Center was keeping the EBT card. The DAA Treatment Center must return to the County any EBT cards not provided to departing households by the end of each month in which the households left the DAA Treatment Center.
• Return household benefits as follows:
  • If no benefits have been spent on behalf of the individual household, the DAA center must return the full value of any benefits already debited from the household’s current monthly allotment back onto the household’s EBT account at the time the household leaves the DAA Treatment Center.
  • If benefits have already been debited from the EBT account and any portion spent on half of an individual household, the following procedures must be followed:
    • If the household leaves prior to the 16th day of the month, the DAA Center must ensure that the household has one-half of its monthly allotment remaining on its EBT account.
    • If the household leaves on or after the 16th day of the month, the DAA Treatment Center must return the household a portion of its allotment back. If the DDA treatment Center is authorized as a retailer, the DAA treatment center can refund that amount back to the EBT account when the household leaves.
  • In either case, the household, not the DAA Treatment Center, must be allowed to have sole access to any benefits remaining in the household’s EBT account when the household leaves the DAA center.
  • If the household has already left the DAA center and, as a result, the DAA Center is unable to return the benefits the DAA center must advise the County and return the benefits to the County.
• Be strictly liable for all losses or misuse of CalFresh benefits held on behalf of resident households and for all overissuances which occur while the households are residents of the treatment center, regardless of cause. The EW shall establish a claim for any overissuances of CalFresh benefits received on behalf of a resident household.

Both the intake and continuing EW must remind all ARs at application and recertification of the following:

• Careful and continuing review of a resident's circ*mstances are required before application for CalFresh, and during the receipt of continuing benefits.
• It is the responsibility of the AR to ensure that the correct information about the resident's circ*mstances are reported to the EW.
• The AR must review the DAATreatment and Rehabilitation Center Responsibilities (SCD 2499).

Overissuances

For each overissuance which exists in these cases, the EW shall refer the claim directly to Public Assistance Recovery, using the following procedures:

• Eligibility Worker (EW)
  • Review the Inquire on History Data from EBT” window to confirm if the DAA Treatment Center has returned the unused portion of benefits.
  • If the unused portion of the allotment is not returned, establishes the overissuance claim in
  • CalSAWS, as it is normally establish for any other claim.
  • Deletes all overissuance NOAs and the repayment agreement generated in the client's name.
  • Generates a manual NOA DFA 377.7B and Repayment Agreement in CalSAWS DEBS Forms Library, and addresses both to the treatment center.
  • Sends an e-mail to Public Assistance Recovery by selecting “Collections” from the Outlook Global Address List, requesting to establish the claim outside of CalSAWS. The following information must be included in the e-mail:
    • Case name and number
    • Claim number
    • Aid Code
    • Liable individual (name and address of treatment center)
    • Attaches a scanned copy of the manual NOA and Repayment Agreement.
  • Enters detailed case narration in CalSAWS Maintain Case Comments window.

    • Note: Case narration is imperative, since this is the only way to track this claim after it is established outside CalSAWS.

• Public Assistance Recovery
  • Receives the e-mail from the EW.
  • Changes the claim name to the facility’s name and refers claim to VACS.
  • E-mails the EW to close the claim in CalSAWS.
• EW
  • Closes claim in CalSAWS
  • Opens the Display Claim Summary by Case window
  • Highlights the claim.
  • Clicks the [Claim Recovery Detail] button.
  • Selects Canceled from the Status field.
  • Selects Canceled from the Status Change Reason field
  • Documents thoroughly in the Maintain Case Comments window, all actions taken for the specific claim.

Claims are not to be sent to Public Assistance Recovery when benefits have been issued, but have not been used by the treatment center.

Follow the steps below

• Deactivate the AR’s EBT card.
  • If the client is not entitled to the benefits issued, then
    • Establish the overissuance.
    • Send the NOA and the repayment agreement to the AR
    • Submit the “Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) online Request” (SCD 2201) with the signed repayment agreement to the DOFC for processing.
  • If the client is entitled to the benefits issued,then the client will have access to the benefits when he/she requests a new EBT card in the client's name.

    • Note: Benefits will become dormant and will be expunged if not used within the allowable time.

Refer to Supplemental Payments and Claims.

Related Topics

Sober Living Environments