CalWORKs.

The welfare-to-work provision (Section 11320.3) was simplified. The Senate-amended version authorized two types of plans that could satisfy the welfare-to-work requirement: (A) a case plan serving as a CalWORKs family reunification plan, or (B) a jointly developed child welfare services and CalWORKs welfare-to-work plan. The enrolled version removes this two-plan structure and instead simply exempts an individual receiving aid or services for CalWORKs family reunification from the requirement to participate in welfare-to-work activities as a condition of eligibility.

The short title was corrected to remove an erroneous duplicated reference to Section 11325.21 and a redundant '11265.2' that appeared in the Senate-amended version's drafting.

Various drafting artifacts were cleaned up: 'a the needy child' corrected to 'the needy child', '48-month 60-month time limit' resolved to '60-month time limit', and a duplicated '11056, 11056' reference was corrected to a single '11056'.

Section 11265.2 was restructured: the noncustodial parent placement provision moved from subdivision (g)(2) to subdivision (f)(2), and the foster care discontinuance provision moved from (g)(1) to (f)(1), consolidating related aid-discontinuance rules under a single subdivision.

The immunization exemption under Section 11265.8 was narrowed: it now applies specifically to 'the child or children that have been removed from the parent or parents' rather than the entire family, and requires the family to be receiving aid under subdivision (a) of Section 11450 pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 11203.

The welfare-to-work exemption was broadened: it now exempts 'an individual receiving aid or services for CalWORKs family reunification' rather than only those 'cooperating in the development of, or participating in, a reunification case plan.' This removes the cooperation condition and covers a wider group.

Section 11203(b) now specifies that parents shall be eligible for 'family reunification cash aid' (rather than generic 'aid') and adds the condition that they must 'continue to meet all other eligibility requirements.'

A new provision states that the existing continuous General Fund appropriation for CalWORKs county costs would not be made for purposes of implementing this bill, meaning the state will not fund the new provisions through the standard CalWORKs cost-sharing mechanism.

Sunset and operative dates were extended from May 1, 2022 to July 1, 2027 in multiple sections (Section 11265.2 subdivisions (i) and the second Section 11265.2), aligning all provisions to a single later date.

The child support enforcement sanction provision was clarified to end upon 'the removal of the child or children from the assistance unit and their placement into out-of-home care' (previously just 'removal of the child'), making the trigger more specific.

The requirement for the department to revise its TANF plan was qualified with 'to the extent required by federal law,' limiting when the department must take that action.

The department's implementation authority was expanded: all-county letters or similar written instructions are now explicitly exempt from submission to, or review by, the Office of Administrative Law, giving the department more flexibility in how it implements the new provisions.

The noncustodial parent placement provision was restructured from subdivision (b)(4) to a new subdivision (c), and now explicitly states that 'the formerly noncustodial parent shall also receive CalWORKs aid' if both conditions are met, making the entitlement more explicit.

The bill no longer adds new Section 11251 (which would have excluded child support payments from income for CalWORKs eligibility) or new Section 11477.08, both of which were in the Assembly version.

New provisions added to Section 11265.2 establish that when a child is placed in foster care with the formerly noncustodial parent, the county must not discontinue aid to the original assistance unit if it is eligible for reunification cash aid, and the receiving parent also gets CalWORKs aid if they apply and qualify.

A new provision requires that a child support enforcement sanction (grant reduction) must end when the child is removed from the assistance unit and placed into out-of-home care.

New rules added to Section 11265.2 specify that when a child is placed in foster care, aid is discontinued at the end of the month of placement, and cases are closed if remaining members are not otherwise eligible.

The immunization exemption for families in reunification case plans was broadened from 'participating in a reunification case plan' to 'cooperating in the development of, or participating in, a reunification case plan,' covering more parents earlier in the process.

The condition for eligibility when a child is placed with a noncustodial parent changed from 'either of the following conditions are met' to 'either and both of the following conditions are met,' requiring both that the family remains eligible for reunification cash aid AND that the parent is otherwise eligible for aid.

The bill was restructured so the existing Section 11203 becomes inoperative on July 1, 2027 (or upon SAW automation notification) and is repealed the following January 1, while a new Section 11203 with all reunification provisions becomes operative on the same date.

New subdivision (d) of Section 11203 requires that if a family's state-funded CalWORKs reunification cash aid grant was lowered as a sanction for not cooperating with child support enforcement under Section 11477.02, the sanction must end upon removal of the child from the assistance unit and placement into out-of-home care.

The existing Section 11203 (operative since July 1, 2022) is made inoperative on July 1, 2027 or when the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform necessary automation, and is then repealed as of January 1 of the following year. A replacement section takes effect on the same date.

The statutory reference for childcare services was updated from Article 15.5 (commencing with Section 8350) of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code to Chapter 21 (commencing with Section 10370) of Part 1.8, reflecting a reorganization of childcare provisions in the Welfare and Institutions Code.

New condition (4) addresses situations where a child is removed from a CalWORKs assistance unit and placed with an adult who was previously a noncustodial parent, specifying that either the family must remain eligible for reunification cash aid or the parent must be otherwise eligible for aid.

The operative date for the new provisions changed from July 1, 2022 (old section) to July 1, 2027 or when the department notifies the Legislature that SAW can perform any automation deemed necessary or that no automation is necessary, whichever is later. The amendment also clarifies that implementation shall not result in retroactive payment or underpayment.