§ 18900.7

(a) There is hereby created the SSI/SSP Cash-In Transitional Nutrition Benefit (TNB) Program described in this section.

(b) The department shall use state funds appropriated for this program to provide transitional nutrition benefits to former CalFresh households that were eligible for and receiving CalFresh benefits as of June 1, 2019, or the alternate implementation date described in subdivision (b) of Section 18900.5, but became ineligible for CalFresh when a previously excluded individual or individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income benefits and/or State Supplementary Payment Program benefits provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12000) of Part 3, was added to the household pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 18900.5.

(c) (1) The amount of transitional nutrition benefits provided to each household will be based on a transitional nutrition benefit table developed by the department.

(2) The benefit table described in paragraph (1) shall be issued annually based on all of the following:

(A) The projected number of households described in subdivision (b).

(B) Household size as determined when the previously excluded individual or individuals were added to the household pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 18900.5.

(C) The number of previously excluded individuals added to the household pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 18900.5.

(D) The total funding appropriated for purposes of this section in the annual Budget Act.

(d) The transitional nutrition benefits described in this section shall be delivered through the electronic benefits transfer system created pursuant to Section 10072, and to the extent permitted by federal law shall not be considered income for any means-tested program.

(e) Households eligible for TNB shall be initially certified for one 12-month period and then households may be recertified for additional six-month periods through a recertification process developed by the department, following consultation with counties and stakeholders, so long as the household continues to meet all of the following criteria:

(1) Include at least one individual added to the household pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 18900.5.

(2) That individual or individuals continue to receive Supplemental Security Income benefits and/or State Supplementary Payment Program benefits provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12000) of Part 3.

(3) The household remains ineligible for CalFresh benefits.

(f) The department shall develop client notices for the TNB program as appropriate.

(g) If a household is discontinued for failure to provide the documentation or information required to determine continuing eligibility for TNB, the benefits shall be restored, without proration, back to the original date of discontinuance of TNB, if all documentation and information required to determine continuing eligibility is provided to the county within 30 days of the date of discontinuance from TNB. If the household is discontinued for any other reason and reapplies for benefits, the transitional benefit provisions outlined in this section shall not apply.

(h) Households that are eligible for and receive TNB under this section shall not at any point be eligible for supplemental nutrition benefits, as created in Section 18900.6, regardless of a change in household circumstances.

(i) Transitional nutrition benefits authorized pursuant to this section are not entitlement benefits, and the department shall provide benefits under this section only to the extent funding for purposes of this section is appropriated in the annual Budget Act.

(j) This section shall be inoperative during any fiscal year in which funding is not appropriated in the annual Budget Act to support increased state and county administrative costs resulting from this section.

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 35, Sec. 40. (AB 1811) Effective June 27, 2018. Conditionally inoperative as prescribed by its own provisions.)