Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - In theory, counties will achieve foster care cost savings once they implement effective child welfare prevention services—meaning there is a natural incentive to invest in prevention programs. However, achieving those savings will require significant upfront investment, which may not be possible using only local funds.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Federal CalWORKs Pilot

Feb 21, 2025 - As shown in Figure  1 below,   California failed to meet at least one WPR requirement annually between 2007-08 and 2021-22 (California has submitted appeals for all penalties incurred to date and, to date, has not paid a penalty).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4978

Trends in CalWORKs: Participant Characteristics

Jun 16, 2025 - Interactions Between Federal TANF Policies and CalWORKs Eligibility Requirements Federal Law Generally Sets Basic Eligibility Requirements for TANF ‑Funded Programs, With Some State Flexibilities. As previously mentioned, states have some flexibility in setting eligibility requirements for state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs such as the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - Under prior program rules, individuals were required to first attended an orientation and appraisal, followed by participation in job search activities (also called job club or job readi ness workshop in some counties).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/2

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - Difficult to Account for Interaction Effects. It is important to note that some of these components may be interactive, making it difficult to conclusively attribute a portion of the growth to one specific component.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2021-22 Budget: CalWORKs Fiscal Outlook

Dec 8, 2020 - The 2021-22 Budget: CalWORKs Fiscal Outlook The 2021-22 Budget CalWORKs Fiscal Outlook In this post, we describe our most recent forecast for California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program costs and discuss recent caseload trends.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4306

The 2025-26 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 19, 2025 - The Legislature should consider leveraging the state’s participation in the federal TANF pilot as an opportunity to reassess the various components and offerings of the CalWORKs program. Key Questions for Oversight.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4969

The 2026-27 Budget: County Administration and H.R. 1 Implementation

Mar 5, 2026 - In particular, processes that require manual verification or direct interaction with enrollees present risks that steps will be missed or information falls through the cracks. Automating verification processes and connecting with all available data sources to the extent possible is a key strategy to mitigating the risk that eligible individuals are disenrol led.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

The 2024-25 Budget: Overview of the Federal Fiscal Responsibility Act's Impacts on CalWORKs

Mar 5, 2024 - The 2024-25 Budget: Overview of the Federal Fiscal Responsibility Act's Impacts on CalWORKs 24 Failed a Due to the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, states could receive the caseload reduction credit from either 2007 or 2008 for WPR calculation from 2008 to 2011.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4877

Trends in CalWORKs: Participant Characteristics [Publication Details]

Jun 16, 2025 - This report is the first of a three-part series focused on trends in the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program. Each part of the series focuses on an area of the program, beginning with this report on participant characteristics.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5057