Shasta County Municipal Code Ch. 2.44 Department of Social Services

There is in Shasta County an indigent relief program to be known as the general assistance program. The general assistance program is the means by which the board of supervisors discharges its responsibility under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 17000 to provide aid for needy residents of Shasta County and by which the board exercises its authority to provide emergency relief for needy nonresidents within Shasta County.

(Prior code § 140)

The general assistance program is adopted to assure uniform operation of indigent relief activities throughout the county of Shasta; to promote, protect and secure the general welfare of the people thereof and to assist and encourage indigents to be self-supporting.

(Prior code § 141)

The department of social services shall list the basic requirements of all people for decent, healthy, minimum standards of living and shall assign money values to each of the requirements in accordance with the minimum costs of the requirements. The department shall also list the special requirements of some persons for decent and healthy living and shall assign money values to each of the special requirements in accordance with the minimum costs of the special requirements. These basic and special requirements, expressed in money figures, shall be known as the standards of general assistance.

(Prior code § 142)

The standards of general assistance shall be submitted by the Shasta County department of social services to the board of supervisors for approval and adoption. After adoption, the standards shall be revised upward or downward by the department as the costs of the basic and special requirements vary but no revision shall take effect unless first approved by the board of supervisors.

(Prior code § 143)

The department of social services shall develop detailed operating policies and procedures to implement this chapter, and shall submit these for review and approval of the board of supervisors. The policies and procedures shall become effective upon approval by the board of supervisors.

(Prior code § 144)

Eligibility for general assistance shall be determined by the department of social services by measuring an applicant's readily available resources against the established standards of general assistance. Those persons, found to have such resources in lesser amounts than their needs as determined by the standards of general assistance shall be considered to be eligible for general assistance, insofar as residence is concerned, shall be determined by the department in accordance with the Welfare and Institutions Code, and shall be amended to conform to any amendments to that code.

(Prior code § 145)

General assistance may be paid by Shasta County warrant, aid in kind, or food stamps pursuant to the federal food stamp program.

(Prior code § 146)

Determination of those kindred of recipients responsible to support or contribute to the support of general assistance recipients shall be made in accordance with the Welfare and Institutions Code and shall change to conform to any amendments to that code. A standard for determining the extent of liability of those kindred to support recipients of general assistance shall be developed by the department of social services. The standard shall become effective upon adoption by the board of supervisors, and shall not be changed without prior approval of the board of supervisors.

(Prior code § 147)

Any applicant for or recipient of general assistance who believes that general assistance has been improperly denied by the department or that general assistance has been granted by the department in a lesser amount than required by the standards of general assistance may appeal the matter to the general assistance appeals board, pursuant to procedures to be established by resolution of the board of supervisors. The decision of the appeal board is final.

(Prior code § 148)

Where conditions exist which make compliance with any standard impracticable, the department may recommend that the board of supervisors grant a variance from the standards or any requirement of this chapter.

(Prior code § 149)