The 2026-27 Budget: Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program

Mar 3, 2026 - As shown in Figure  3, the Governor ’s budget projects that caseload will decrease by 0.9  percent in both 2025-26 and 2026-27. In past years, the Department of Social Services (DSS) has noted that a potential driver of this steady caseload decline may be fewer individuals meeting income and asset eligibility thresholds.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5148

The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - California ’s most recent payment error rate, for federal fiscal year 2023-24, is about 11  percent. (The comparable national error rate is similarly about 11  percent.) Payment error rates in California and nationally have risen in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - Flexible Family Supports and Home ‑Based Foster Care Funding Program $50 million one ‑time in 2022 ‑23 and again in 2023 ‑24, expendable for three years (through June 30, 2026 for the later allocation).
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

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

Mar 5, 2026 - In particular, DSS developed a revised CalFresh administration budgeting methodology, implemented starting in 2023 ‑24, that relies on estimates of unit costs for various mandated eligibility administration activities, based on a county survey.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - As seen in Figure  3 , IHSS caseload has grown significantly since 2013. Despite slower caseload growth between 2016 ‑17 and 2020 ‑21 (the caseload continued to grow during this period, just at a slower than usual rate).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2026-27 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 18, 2026 - As shown in Figure  3, the amount of TANF used to support CalWORKs has changed from year to year. During the COVID-19 pandemic the state significantly overestimated CalWORKs caseload and spending, largely due to unprecedented federal and state policy responses that led to historically unusual enrollment trends.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5122

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - Tier 3 focuses on implementing EBPs. Trainings are targeted toward providers as well as child welfare staff. Initial trainings under Tier 3 have been provided, and DSS released guidance (via All‑County Letter 25‑73 ) in October 2025 with more detail about the specific training sessions and required participants for Tier 1.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106