The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - Participants in the self-determination program are provided an individual budget, a fixed amount of money with which to purchase the services of their choosing. Participants then decide how to use the money in their individual budget by developing a spending plan, which identifies the services and items the participant needs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/1

Estimating the CalWORKs Take-Up Rate

Feb 2, 2021 - More recently, the state allocated $2  million in 2016 ‑17 and 2017 ‑18 to improve awareness and take-up of the California Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which provides money to low-income workers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4340

The 2022-23 Budget: CalHR California Leads Proposal

Feb 28, 2022 - These reports include the Annual Census of Employees in State Civil Service (fulfilling requirements established under Government Code Sections 19237 ; 19402 ; 19405 ; 19792 subdivisions (h), (i), and (j); and 19792.5 subdivisions (a) and (b); and 19793 ) and the Women’s Earnings in State Civil Service report (in accordance with Section 19827.2 of the Government Code).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4564

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

Feb 21, 2025 - To qualify for CalWORKs, families generally must earn less than about 80  percent of the federal poverty level, equivalent to about $1,700 per month for a family of three in 2024. Families also generally can only have limited assets (such as property or savings).
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 - Depending on how quickly and significantly caseload changes, California may face a future scenario where a program like WINS could again be helpful in ensuring the state can meet its WPR targets. Legislature Might Consider Future Goals for WINS.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4877

The 2026-27 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 18, 2026 - Federal law gives states significant flexibility in how they use TANF block grant funds and related MOE expenditures. In general, expenditures are required to be consistent with four purposes of the federal TANF program, which include: Providing assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5122

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 2021-22 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision

May 17, 2021 - How Can These Monies Be Used? In a normal budget year, General Fund surplus monies are available to use for any public purposes. This is not necessarily the case in this May Revision. That is because the SAL, which limits how the state can use revenues that exceed a specified threshold, is salient to the state budget process this year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4432

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - A challenge that nearly every county emphasized is how to sustain their prevention programs financially once their state block grant dollars expire. Even once CWS ‑CARES launches and counties can claim Title IV ‑E reimbursement for eligible EBPs, how to fund the required local match remains a challenge for counties.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106

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