Past Budget Priorities

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State Budget Update # 4
2019-20 Budget and Legislative Actions

Following is an update on the main issues that we have been highlighting for you throughout the budget process. Also below is an update of the CWDA budget tracking chart, which provides the details on the Legislative actions for all the issues we have been tracking since January.

Download Budget Update #4 – June 12, 2019

Download Budget Legislative Tracking – June 12, 2019

Budget Priority

Bringing Families Home Program
Adopt Assembly Version

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC), Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) and Housing California respectfully request your support of the ASSEMBLY VERSION to provide a one-time appropriation of $25 million General Fund (GF) for fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21 to continue and expand the existing Bringing Families Home (BFH) Program, which provides rapid re-housing, supportive housing, and other critical housing-related supports to child-welfare involved homeless families and those at risk of homelessness in

Budget Priority

Adult Protective Services (APS) Training Program
Support Senate Version

The California State Association of Public Administrators/Guardians/Conservators (CAPAPGPC), California Commission on Aging, California Elder Justice Coalition, and County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) respectfully request adoption of the SENATE VERSION of $5.75 million General Fund (GF) over three years to continue support of the Adult Protective Services (APS) and Public Administrator/Guardian/Conservator (PA/PG/PC) training budget. This training will enable counties to meet their mandate to protect and serve this vulnerable elderly and dependent adult population.

Budget Priority

County Administrative Costs for CalFresh Expansion
Adopt Assembly Version

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) supports the action taken by the Assembly to adopt placeholder trailer bill language requiring the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), to work with counties and other stakeholders to update the budgeting methodology used to determine annual funding for county administration of the CalFresh Program.

Download CalFresh Expansion Budget Memo – May 29, 2019

Budget Priority

Child Welfare Services – CANS Trailer Bill Language
Adopt Assembly Action

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) supports the action taken by the Assembly to adopt trailer bill language requiring the Department of Social Services (DSS), in collaboration with CWDA, to track the utilization, workload and costs associated with implementation of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment tool, and incorporate any necessary budget changes as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 State Budget.

Download the CANS Budget Memo – May 29, 2019

Budget Priority

CalWORKs Stage One Child Care 12-Month Continuous Eligibility Memo
Support & Refine Budget Estimate Prior to Adoption

CWDA Supports the expansion of access to CalWORKs Stage One Child Care by establishing a 12-month minimum eligibility period for Stage One as has been proposed by the Administration in the May Revision and adopted in some form by both the Senate and Assembly. However, we believe the amount of funding currently provided for 2019-20 is insufficient. While the Senate version of the budget adds $25 million, the Senate’s proposal also adds additional elements beyond those proposed by the Administration.

Budget Priority

State Budget Update #3
2019-20 May Revision & Legislative Actions

CWDA issues Budget Updates that include information about the Governor’s proposals, budget subcommittee actions, Budget Conference Committee actions, leadership negotiations, and Governor’s vetoes.

Download State Budget Update Memo #3 – May 24, 2019

Budget Priority

County Whole Person Care Budget Memo

On behalf of the members of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), the County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA), the County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC), the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH), the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California (CBHDA), the Urban Counties of California (UCC), and the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), we are writing today to express our strong support for Governor Newsom’s proposed investments in our innovative, county-led Whole Person Care

Budget Priority

2019-20 May Revise Budget Memo

CWDA issues Budget Updates that include information about the Governor’s proposals, budget subcommittee actions, Budget Conference Committee actions, leadership negotiations, and Governor’s vetoes.

Download CWDA May Revise Memo – May 10, 2019

Press release

CWDA Statement on the 2019-20 Budget May Revise

SACRAMENTO – CWDA continues to be inspired by Governor Newsom’s vision of a California for all, as evidenced by his May Revise investments to lift Californians out of poverty and homelessness. The 2019-20 May Revise continues to expand on programs that address underlying issues contributing to the state’s high poverty rate, including housing insecurity, trauma, and low wages. Proposed changes include greater funding for trauma screenings as well as funding for physician training and the time to properly roll out the policy change.

Budget Priority

Family Stability Fund Budget Memo

On behalf of the Alliance for Children’s Rights, California Alliance of Caregivers, Children NOW, California State Association of Counties, County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) and Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC), we respectfully urge the Human Services Budget Subcommittees to provide $43.2 million State General Fund (SGF) to maintain critical supports to resource family caregivers, and the children and youth in their care.

Budget Priority

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Cash-Out Reversal Budget Memo

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) strongly supports the reversal of the SSI Cash-out that was enacted as part of the 2018-19 budget to provide CalFresh benefits to individuals who were previously ineligible for the program due to receipt of SSI benefits. This momentous change will increase the food and economic security of an estimated 370,000 Californians.

Budget Priority

Family Urgent Response System for Foster Youth and Caregivers Budget Memo

CWDA and a coalition of organizations request support of the Family Urgent Response System, a $15 million State General Fund (SGF) budget proposal in 2019-20 and $30 million SGF ongoing, to support foster youth and their caregivers and strengthen their relationships.

Budget Priority

Disaster CalFresh Automation Budget Memo

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) requests consideration and support for funding to automate Disaster CalFresh eligibility determinations and add related forms and notices and required state reports in the CalACES systems, which will ultimately become the CalSAWS system that will be used by all counties, as part of the 2019-20 budget.

Budget Priority

CalWORKs 2.0 SAWS Automation Budget Memo

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) requests consideration and support for funding to automate the CalWORKs 2.0 tools in the SAWS and make them available to CalWORKs participants via the SAWS online web portals, as part of the 2019-20 budget. Currently, the CalWORKs 2.0 tools are primarily paper based, and there is no way to store much of the information they capture in the SAWS, which is the system of record for the CalWORKs program. This lack of automation impedes outcome tracking.

Budget Priority

Resource Family Approval and CANS Assessments Budget Memo

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) oppose the proposed cut to county child welfare agencies for the implementation of the state-mandated Resource Family Approval (RFA) process.  We urge you to restore $24.4 million State General Fund (SGF) so that county child welfare agencies may continue to expeditiously approve resource families to care for children and youth in the foster care system due to abuse, neglect and exploitation. We also urge consideration of budget or trailer bill language related to the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Assessment.

Budget Priority

Bringing Families Home Budget Memo

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC), Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) and Housing California request support to provide a one-time appropriation of $25 million General Fund (GF) for fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21 to continue and expand the existing Bringing Families Home (BFH) Program, which provides critical housing-related supports to child-welfare involved homeless families and those at risk of homelessness in support of family reunification and family maintenance efforts.  

Budget Priority

Adult Protective Services Training Program Budget Memo

The California State Association of Public Administrators/Guardians/Conservators (CAPAPGPC), California Commission on Aging, California Elder Justice Coalition, and County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) request support for $5.75 General Fund (GF) over three years to continue support of a training program and infrastructure to enable counties to meet local needs to protect and serve this vulnerable elderly and dependent adult population.

Budget Priority

CalWORKs Earned Income Disregard Budget Memo

CWDA requests support for strengthening the Earned Income Disregard (EID) for the CalWORKs program. The EID is the amount subtracted from a CalWORKs recipient’s income to determine eligibility for assistance and, once on the program, monthly grant amounts.  By allowing certain types of income to be excluded from grant calculations, the EID is intended to facilitate and encourage paid employment. However, the EID has not been changed since the CalWORKs program was created in 1997.

Download the advocate coalition letter – May 7, 2019

Download the full CalWORKs EID budget memo – February 21, 2019

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Extended Foster Care Program Budget Memo

The Alliance for Children’s Rights, Children NOW, County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, respectfully request support for a $50 million General Fund (GF) investment to support transition-aged foster youth and young adults participating in the Extended Foster Care (EFC) Program.