The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - The spending plan reflects an additional set of requirements that providers will need to satisfy in order to be eligible to earn the quality incentive portion of rate models beginning in July 2026. Specifically, providers will need to comply with Electronic Visit Verification, federal Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS), and independent audit and fiscal review requirement s.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/1

The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - To be eligible, households generally must earn less than 200  percent of the federal poverty level. CalFresh benefits can be used to buy most groceries and some prepared food at participating vendors, which include most grocery and convenience stores.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126

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

Feb 21, 2025 - The earning levels of those individuals six and 12 months after program exit. Whole family income levels during and after program participation, including employment earnings; tax credits; child support payments; and other income supports or benefits, including SSI/SSP and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program assistance (CalFresh in California).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4978

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

Mar 5, 2024 - Cal-OAR also captures information on participating households ’ stability and well-being, such as access to supportive services like child care, educational attainment, wage progression, and rate of program exits with earnings.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4877

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 2023-24 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 22, 2023 - Increasing the earned income disregard for applicants (or the amount CalWORKs applicants can earn before further income effects their eligibility for the program) from $90 to $450 per month. (The 2022-23 budget includes $79.5  million General Fund to implement this change starting in March  2023.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4699

Housing and Homelessness Funding Impacting Children

Mar 25, 2019 - Food benefit amounts vary based on household earnings and household size. CalWORKs. Counties administer monthly cash grants for about 400,000 low ‑income families with children. Grant amounts vary based on earnings and family size.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3985

Estimating the CalWORKs Take-Up Rate

Feb 2, 2021 - Families may earn non-CalWORKs income of up to $500 a month without affecting their grant, but for each additional dollar they earn above $500 their grant is reduced by 50 cents. In 2019 ‑20. the maximum family grant for a family of three was $785.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4340

Trends in CalWORKs: Participant Characteristics

Jun 16, 2025 - Increased Earned Income Disregard (EID). The EID for applicants and participants (or the monthly dollar amount applicants and participants can earn before further income affects eligibility) changed multiple times over the last decade.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of the Governor’s CalWORKs Proposals

Feb 11, 2022 - Increased the earned income disregard for applicants (or the amount CalWORKs applicants can earn before further income effects their eligibility for the program) from $90 to $450 per month. (The 2022 ‑23 budget includes $79.5  million General Fund to implement this change starting in March  2023.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4530