4.19.2017 According to new Data released by the California Office of Horizontal Integration, the new online application bridge linking Covered CA applicants to CalFresh resulted in 4,750 approved CalFresh applications during the reporting period (September – December 2016).
The “CalHEERS/SAWS Online Application Bridge” went live in August 2016. The bridge seamlessly links Covered CA online applicants who have gross incomes below 200% FPL to the online CalFresh application from their county of residence. It also functions to remove application questions for which answers have been previously provided through the applicant’s Covered CA application, including income. The bridge was also designed to collect data on the number of CalFresh applications submitted, completed, and successfully enrolled.
The first three months of data suggest that the bridge is working as intended, by providing an easy, direct link to a CalFresh application for low-income Californians seeking health coverage.
The state and advocates will continue to work to make further improvements and refinements to the bridge, based on analysis of reported data. One improvement currently being considered is to not apply the gross income screen to applicants who indicate they are elderly or disabled, as there is no gross income test in CalFresh for those populations.
View the CalHEERS Horizontal Integration Report. PDF
Read the CDSS All County Letter implementing the new online bridge and county reporting procedures PDF
View the 2017 CalFresh Forum Presentation by Adam Dondro, Assistant Director for Horizontal Integration, CDSS
Slideshow: CalHEERS and SAWS Horizontal Integration PDF
Questions? Contact Jared Call at 213.482.8200 ext. 201
