Bill > AB969

This bill modifies California's CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids) program to provide enhanced protections for domestic violence survivors. The bill requires counties to waive program requirements for applicants or recipients who are victims of domestic abuse when compliance with those requirements would make it more difficult for them or their children to escape abuse or stay safe. Counties must evaluate waiver requests on a case-by-case basis and cannot deny a waiver without documented evidence that the requirement would not create additional risk. The bill mandates that the State Department of Social Services develop a uniform set of written materials and a standardized waiver request form to help survivors identify resources, understand their rights, and navigate the welfare system. Counties must provide these materials in the applicant's preferred language and include information about confidentiality, safety planning, and available support services. The bill also requires the department to track and report on the number of domestic abuse survivors in the CalWORKs program and the actions taken to support them. These provisions will become operative on January 1, 2028, or when the state's welfare system can be automated to implement them, whichever is later, with the goal of maximizing protections for abuse survivors and ensuring they are not unfairly penalized by welfare program requirements.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB969