Chapter 20 — SOCIAL SERVICESArticle VII — COUNTY ADULT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

§ 20.7

San Francisco Administrative Code · 2025 edition · ingested 2026-07-08 · San Francisco

SEC. 20.7-1. TITLE.

This Article VII shall be known as the “County Adult Assistance Programs of the City and County of San Francisco.”

(As Sec. 20.55, amended by Ord. 212-80, App. 5/16/80; Ord. 152-98, App. 5/8/98; redesignated as Sec. 20.7-1 and amended by Ord. 153-16, File No. 160636, App. 8/1/2016, Eff. 8/31/2016, Oper. 1/1/2017)

SEC. 20.7-2. AUTHORITY AND MANDATE.

(a) The County Adult Assistance Programs consist of the General Assistance Program, the Personal Assisted Employment Services (PAES) Program, the Cash Assistance Linked to Medi-Cal (CALM) Program, the Supplemental Security Income Pending (SSIP) Program, and the Family General Relief Program.

(b) The General Assistance program is established pursuant to California Welfare and Institutions Code Division 9, Part 5, Chapter 1, commencing with Section 17000.

(c) Any amendments to the above authority, adopted subsequent to the effective date of this Article VII, shall not invalidate any provisions of this Article. Any amendments to the Welfare and Institutions Code that may be inconsistent with the administration of the General Assistance Program, as set forth in this Article, shall govern.

(d) The provisions of this Article VII shall govern in relation to all other ordinances of the City and County of San Francisco and rules and regulations pursuant thereto. In the event of any inconsistency or conflict between the provisions of this Article and other provisions of the Administrative Code, the most specific shall prevail.

(e) The PAES, CALM, SSIP, and Family General Relief Programs, as set forth in this Article VII, are not established pursuant to Chapter 1, Part 5, Division 9 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code and may be amended or terminated by the Board of Supervisors at any time, for any reason. In the event that PAES, CALM, SSIP, and/or Family General Relief are terminated, all Applicants for and participants in those programs shall be transitioned to the General Assistance Program without need to reapply, in accordance with the rules and regulations of that program.

(As Sec. 20.55.1, amended by Ord. 212-80, App. 5/16/80; Ord. 152-98, App. 5/8/98; redesignated as Sec. 20.7-2 and amended by Ord. 153-16, File No. 160636, App. 8/1/2016, Eff. 8/31/2016, Oper. 1/1/2017)

SEC. 20.7-3. DEFINITIONS.

For the purposes of this Article VII:

“Applicant” is a person who is in the process of applying for benefits under the County Adult Assistance Programs.

“CalFresh” means the food assistance program as defined in Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code, or any successor program.

“CALM” means the Cash Assistance Linked to Medi-Cal Program as set forth in this Article VII.

“CalWORKs” means the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids as defined in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code or any successor program.

“CAPI” means the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants as defined in Chapter 10.3 (commencing with Section 18937) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code or any successor program.

“City” means the City and County of San Francisco.

“Decrease” means any reduction in a Recipient’s current cash grant amount.

“Denial” means a determination, based on a County Adult Assistance Programs application, that the Applicant is not eligible for aid.

“Department” means the Department of Human Services of the City and County of San Francisco.

“Discontinuance” means the termination of a person’s entitlement to aid.

”Electronic benefit transfer” means a method of transferring benefits through a centralized computer system so that an Applicant/participant may obtain his or her benefits at facilities such as automated teller machines (ATM) and point-of-sale (POS) terminals using an access device such as a magnetic stripe plastic card. “Electronic benefit transfer” includes direct deposits.

“Executive Director” means the Executive Director of the Department of Human Services of the City and County of San Francisco.

“Guaranteed Income Pilot Program” means an income distribution program that provides unconditional, regular cash payments over a specified period of time to a specified participant population, provided that the Department has approved the program’s research and evaluation plan.

“PAES” means the Personal Assisted Employment Services Program as set forth in this Article VII.

“Recipient” is a person who is receiving assistance under this Article VII.

“Recoupment” means the collection of past overpayments by making deductions from current grants.

“Resident of a state or private institution” shall mean that the Applicant/Recipient is staying in a facility that provides housing and three meals a day.

“SSI/SSP” means Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Californians as defined in California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 12000, et seq.

“SSIP” means the Supplemental Security Income Pending Program as set forth under this Article VII.

“State” means the State of California.

“TANF” means Temporary Assistance to Needy Families as defined in Part A (commencing with Section 601) of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code.

“Withholding” means the retention of aid payments.

(As Sec. 20.55.2, amended by Ord. 271-81, App. 5/21/81; Ord. 152-98, App. 5/8/98; redesignated as Sec. 20.7-3 and amended by Ord. 153-16, File No. 160636, App. 8/1/2016, Eff. 8/31/2016, Oper. 1/1/2017; Ord. 196-23, File No. 230702, App. 9/28/2023, Eff. 10/29/2023)

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