Measuring CalWORKs Performance

Sep 6, 2017 - Requires Development of New Performance Measures The Cal ‑OAR legislation requires the development of performance measures, referred to in the legislation as “indicators, ” that are consistent with program goals.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3702

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - As such, this brief includes our best understanding of the proposals as of March  16,  2026. As more information becomes available, we will provide updates if necessary. Background Overview of the IHSS Program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2024-25 Budget: Child Support

Feb 27, 2024 - Chapter  755 of 2022 (AB  1686, Bryan) requires DSS to update regulations to instruct local child welfare agencies, in making the determination of whether it is in the best interests of the child to refer a case to the LCSA, to presume that the payment of support by the parent “is likely to ” pose a barrier to FR.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4861

California’s Child Welfare System: Addressing Disproportionalities and Disparities

Apr 24, 2024 - This roughly equates to earnings of under $1,000 per month for a family of four. Nationally, researchers estimate around 85  percent of families involved with the child welfare system have incomes below 200  percent of the federal poverty level, which is around $5,000 per month for a family of four in 2023.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4897

The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Oct 21, 2022 - Adopted in 2022 ‑23 budget Court ability to establish earning capacity Codify courts ’ ability to impute income based on earning capacity. Also codifies requirement for courts to consider specific circumstances of the parent, including the parent ’s assets, educational attainment, and health when determining earning capacity.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4640/6

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

Mar 5, 2026 - This approach creates a framework within which the Legislature can assess how best to adjust funding for county administration to respond to changing CalFresh program requirements, including H.R.  1 changes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

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

Feb 21, 2025 - Conduct peer review sessions, aimed at sharing local best practices and brainstorming solutions to challenges. Submit two progress reports on local program improvement efforts (in the current cycle, most counties must submit the first progress report in 2025).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4978

Trends in CalWORKs: Participant Characteristics

Jun 16, 2025 - Throughout this report, we reference the percentage of all California families (with children under 18) participating in the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, which we refer to as the CalWORKs participation rate.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057

Estimating the CalWORKs Take-Up Rate

Feb 2, 2021 - In talking with program experts, our best guess is that the errors introduced by these assumptions roughly cancel each other out, such that a more detailed estimate (one which corrected for all of these simplifying assumptions) would be roughly equal our estimates.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4340

The 2019-20 Budget: Analysis of Proposed Increase in State Funding for Local Child Support Agencies

Mar 26, 2019 - In some cases, child support orders are set at zero —referred to as a zero ‑order case —if the noncustodial parent has little income or no ability to earn income. This could be the case when the parent is incarcerated, involuntarily institutionalized, or disabled.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3989