Preliminary Assessment of Significant Changes to State's Technology Project Approval and Oversight Processes

Apr 29, 2025 - Knowing if and when additional funding might be requested through the annual budget process for GenAI POCs will better help the Legislature assess and prepare for discussions on these types of projects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5034

The 2025-26 Budget: The California State Payroll System IT Project

Mar 7, 2025 - Will SCO and CalHR help departments develop and implement interfaces between their existing HR and payroll IT systems and the new payroll system? If so, how? Timing of Department Onboarding to New Payroll System Matters.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5011

The 2025-26 Budget: CWS-CARES

Mar 5, 2025 - (We discuss these data and how they could help address the disproportionalities and disparities in the state’s child welfare system in our April 24, 2024 report— California’s Child Welfare System: Addressing Disproportionalities and Disparities .)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5006

The 2025-26 Budget: Child Welfare

Feb 13, 2025 - The 2025-26 Budget: Child Welfare Restoration of program expansion funding that was previously reduced to help address the budget shortfall. BH ‑CONNECT 28 21 Transition from a half ‑year implementation in 2024 ‑25 to full ‑year implementation in 2025 ‑26.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4962

The 2025-26 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 19, 2025 - The federal government helps manage an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system which deposits monthly benefits for CalFresh and other human services pr ograms onto cards to be used at grocery and convenience store checkout counters.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4971

The 2025-26 Budget: Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program

Feb 13, 2025 - Specifically, the federal government pays for the SSI portion of the grant while the state pays the SSP portion of the grant. Federal Government Required to Provide Annual Cost-of-Living (COLA) Adjustment to SSI Grants … The federal government is required to provide an annual COLA each January to the SSI portion of the grant.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4964

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

Feb 21, 2025 - If California were not participating in the pilot (and was instead subject to WPR requirements), WINS would only help California meet its 2025-26 WPR requirements if monthly benefits were increased from $10 to $35.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4978

The 2025-26 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 6, 2025 - The IHSS program provides personal care and domestic services to low-income individuals to help them remain safely in their own homes and communities. In order to qualify for IHSS, a recipient must be aged, blind, or disabled, and in most cases have income below the level necessary to qualify for the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment cash assistance prog
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5009

The 2025-26 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 19, 2025 - To help the Legislature take on this task, understanding which programs are working well and those in need of adjustment is a key starting place for considering these future budget solutions. 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.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4969