Topic Category: CalFresh

Governor Newsom’s January Budget Preserves Broader Safety Net Funding, but Falls Short on Anti-Hunger Investments

Posted on by Jared Call

On January 10, Governor Newsom introduced his 2023-24 State Budget proposal, which maintained funding and support for most major safety net programs, but failed to make the investments needed to address the level of hunger and inequity faced by Californians with low and moderate income. While we recognize state revenues are predicted to fall short this year, it is in such times of economic downturn that the state must invest in programs and services that foster equity and make California a state for ALL. 

Families are struggling to put food on the table, immigrant families are still denied basic resources and services,older adults need support to age with dignity, and kids and college students deserve to learn grow and thrive to reach their full potential. State leaders should make bold investments in essential services and the long-term nutrition safety net.  We look forward to working with the Legislature and the Newsom administration this legislative session to secure much-needed investments in food and nutrition programs that will mitigate the alarming, persistent rates of hunger and hardship across our state.

Below is a summary of the Governor’s budget proposals with respect to food and nutrition.

Food and Nutrition 

Food4All/CFAP Expansion

The Governor’s budget proposal does not include new investments to remove exclusions to the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for Californians ages 54 and under, regardless of immigration status. The 2021-22 State Budget included funding for CFAP automation and system readiness. Last year, the Legislature and the Governor took action to include an allocation of $40 million to provide CFAP food benefits to income-eligible California immigrants ages 55 and older, who are excluded from CalFresh solely due to their immigration status.

This year’s Governor’s proposed budget includes an implementation date for this historic expansion set to begin January 1, 2027 — a three year delay from what was anticipated. Nourish California, the California Immigrant Policy Center, and the Food4All Coalition will continue to work with our legislative  champions, the legislature, and the Governor’s office to ensure timely access to CFAP benefits for Californians of all ages, regardless of immigration status. 

Take Action: Join the Food4All Campaign to expand CFAP to income-eligible Californians of all ages, regardless of immigration status. No exception, No exclusions, No delays.

Emergency Food 

The Governor’s budget proposal funds the CalFood program at $52 million, on top of the already existing annual baseline of $8M, totaling $60M in the 2023-24 budget to mitigate increased food needs among Californians with low income. We call on the Governor and Legislature to provide adequate ongoing funding to address the ongoing elevated need across the state. For more information, see the California Association of Food Banks’ budget statement. 

School Meals 

The Governor’s proposed budget continues to invest in students’ access to breakfast and lunch — free of charge — each school day. The proposed budget also reflects a substantive child nutrition COLA to help account for rising food and operational costs that may affect the viability of school nutrition programs.

We applaud the administration for this commitment to health, well being, and learning among all kids in California public schools. We’ll continue to monitor investments in school nutrition as the state budget process continues. We urge the Governor and the Legislature to guarantee that funding for meal reimbursements remains secure, sustainable, and sufficient. We also call on state budget leaders to ensure schools have the necessary resources and capacity to reach all students with nutritious, appealing, culturally appropriate meals.

Take Action: Join the Campaign to Ensure Healthy Meals for Every Kid, Every Day

CalFresh

The Governor’s budget proposal includes $50 million ($17.1 million General Fund) in 2023-24, $23 million ($7.9 million General Fund) in 2024-25, and $3.5 million ($1.2 million General Fund) in 2025-26 to prevent benefit  theft, which has risen markedly in the past two years. The funding will provide security upgrades and EBT card technology enhancements to safeguard CalWORKs and CalFresh clients’ access to benefits. We applaud the administration for taking this step to protect Californians who rely on cash and food assistance benefits to meet their basic needs.

There are no other proposed investments in CalFresh despite the looming CalFresh “benefits cliff” that participants will face at the end of March. See more below.

Urgent Budget Action Needed: Anti-hunger advocates are deeply concerned about the impending cut to CalFresh benefits. March 2023 will be the last month that CalFresh participants receive pandemic-era “Emergency Allotments,” which boosted benefits to the maximum monthly allotment for all CalFresh participants. Beginning in April, the average participant will lose $130 per month in vital food assistance, and nearly 15 percent of participants — over 300,000 households will see their benefits reduced to only $23 per month.

Take Action: Join the Campaign to Boost CalFresh Benefits by extending and expanding successful supplemental benefit programs and by raising the minimum benefit to $50 per month.

Early Care Nutrition

The Budget includes $1.5 million for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to reflect an estimated statutory COLA of 8.13 percent. We are pleased that the state reimbursement rate for CACFP will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the higher cost of food due to inflation. The proposed budget fails, however, to bring equity to child care nutrition programs by eliminating the state meal reimbursement rate gap that unjustly discriminates against providers feeding younger children in family child care settings.

Take Action: Join the Food with Care 2023 Campaign to ensure healthy meals for our youngest learners and full reimbursement for child care providers. 

Safety Net and Income Support 

Below is a summary of the Governor’s budget proposals with respect to the broader social safety net.

CalWORKS

The proposed budget projects a 2.9-percent increase to CalWORKs Maximum Aid Payment levels, with an estimated cost of $87 million in 2023-24. We are pleased that the Governor recognizes the need for increased cash assistance — particularly in a time of high inflation. But the increase still falls short of the true need among participants. 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) / State Supplementary Payment (SSP)

The proposed budget includes $146 million General Fund in 2023-24 and $292 million ongoing for an additional SSP increase of approximately 8.6 percent, effective January 1, 2024. 

Child Care

The Budget includes $301.7 million General Fund for Child Care and Development Programs to reflect an estimated statutory COLA of 8.13 percent. Unfortunately, the Governor also proposes to delay the expansion of 20,000 additional child care slots from 2023-24 to 2024-25. Given the high, often prohibitive, cost of child care in our state, we are disappointed that the administration is proposing to delay this long overdue expansion.

Department of Developmental Services Safety Net Plan Update

The Budget includes $28.7 million ($22.1 million General Fund) to expand safety net services to further support individuals with complex needs and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Health Care

We are very pleased that the proposed budget maintains funding levels to expand full-scope Medi-Cal eligibility to all income-eligible adults ages 26 to 49 regardless of immigration status on January 1, 2024. We are very pleased that the Governor kept his commitment to expanding health care access to all immigrants. For more information, see the California Immigrant Policy Center’s budget statement.

Additionally, the Budget maintains the approximately $10 billion total funds commitment to continue transforming the health care delivery system through California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), including programs providing medically-tailored and medically-supportive meals to Californians with specific dietary needs.

Justice-Involved Individuals

The proposed budget also funds the Cal-AIM Justice Involved Individuals initiatives that seek to address poor health outcomes among justice-involved individuals. According to DHCS, “at least 80 percent of justice-involved individuals are eligible for Medi-Cal. CalAIM has the potential to make a significant difference in the health of this population.” Nourish California and our Thriving Transitions coalition partners are calling on state leaders to go further to connect justice-involved individuals with food and nutrition resources like CalFresh.

Take Action: Join the Thriving Transitions Campaign to support justice-impacted  Californians accessing food, housing, employment, and other support immediately upon and after release. 

Homelessness and Housing

The Governor’s January budget maintains previously promised funds from the 2022-23 Budget Act, including: $1 billion General Fund for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program, $400 million G for encampments resolution grants for local jurisdictions, and $250 million for the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program. Unfortunately, no new funding was allocated in the proposed budget. Rather, the administration is pushing for stronger accountability measures.

What’s Next?

The Legislature has begun holding budget hearings to discuss the Governor’s January budget proposal and to begin crafting the Budget Act of 2023. Negotiations between the Legislature and the Administration will help craft the Governor’s May Revision of his budget proposal. The Legislature has until June 15 to pass a budget bill. The Governor then faces a July 1 deadline to sign and enact the final budget.

Listen to Jared Call, Nourish California’s Senior Advocate, give public comment on the budget:

The state budget reflects our collective values and priorities. Your advocacy can shape the state budget. Join our campaign actions and stay up to date by visiting our new action center: act.nourishca.org 

For more information, contact Jared Call at jared@nourishca.org.

Food4All in the News!

Posted on by Jackie Mendelson

Check out what the media is saying about Food4All:

2024:

2023:

2022:

Join our Food4All movement! Visit our action center for Food4All advocacy opportunities!

Questions? Contact Jackie Mendelson at jackie@nourishca.org.

 

Food4All Coalition Statement in Response to the Governor’s January Budget

Posted on by Muneera Gardezi

Food4All Coalition Statement in Response to the Governor’s January Budget

Published on Jan 11, 2023 in CalFresh, Immigrants, State Legislation

Advocates Disappointed by Lack of New Investments for Food4All in Governor Newsom’s Budget Proposal, Call for Removal of Harmful Exclusions

Los Angeles – Immigrant rights and anti-hunger advocates are deeply disappointed that Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2023-24 state budget plan announced today lacks new investments to remove exclusions to the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for Californians ages 54 and under, regardless of immigration status, while delaying the implementation date for the historic expansion of CFAP for all Californians ages 55 and older by four years.

Every day that the Governor delays removing exclusions to CFAP and implementing last year’s budget allocation, immigrant communities across California continue to worry about getting food on the table for their families. This includes 75,000 Californians who are estimated to be eligible for the expansion of CFAP for ages 55 and older, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO). Nearly half (45%) of undocumented Californians and two out of every three (64%) undocumented children are affected by food insecurity, according to data analysis conducted in partnership with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

The Food4All coalition is committed to working with its Food4All Legislative champions, the Legislature, and the Governor’s office to ensure that all Californians, regardless of age or immigration status, have timely access to the food they need. No exceptions, no exclusions. In response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement of his proposed 2023-24 state budget plan today, the below members of the Food4All coalition issued the following statements:

Betzabel Estudillo, Director of Engagement at Nourish California:

“The delay in the implementation date for providing food assistance to Californians 55 and older as included in the Governor’s proposed budget means that immigrant communities in California who are hurting right now and facing skyrocketing prices of food will continue to experience exacerbated hunger and hardship. The proposed budget misses a critical opportunity to fully expand access to CFAP to Californians ages 54 and under, regardless of their immigration status, and build on last year’s historic expansion of CFAP to older Californians. Until all Californians can access food assistance when and if they need it, our state does not truly reflect our values of equity and inclusion. Now is the time to bring equity to our food safety net and remove racist and xenophobic policies so that everyone can access the food they need.”

Benyamin Chao, Health & Public Benefits Policy Manager at California Immigrant Policy Center:

“By delaying the implementation of food assistance for Californians age 55 and over who are currently excluded due to their immigration status to 2027, the governor’s budget puts off timely, tangible solutions to income inequality and poverty.  These issues disproportionately impact older undocumented adults, who are grappling with the rising cost of food today. The budget items funded during a financial shortfall show where our priorities are as a state. Food4All will put people first, invest in our communities, and share resources equitably instead of keeping them concentrated in the hands of a wealthy few. By failing to extend food assistance to currently excluded Californians, this budget misses a historic opportunity to build equity and benefits for those that have faced the greatest barriers.”

Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger):

“Hunger knows no border, no race, no nationality. As long as many California immigrants continue to be excluded from safety net programs, Food4All continues to be an urgent and essential priority to address food insecurity in our state. Unfortunately, the Governor’s proposed budget does not address this urgent need and delays a commitment made in last year’s budget to extend food assistance to all Californians ages 55 and older. I will continue to champion the Food4All proposal in the Legislature and this year’s budget process so that low-income families in my district and across the state no longer have to worry about where their next meal will come from.”

Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles):

“As state leaders, we are responsible for building a budget that is equitable and inclusive of all California families. With so many low-income households struggling with the daily costs of living, we have an opportunity and an obligation to ensure that everyone who calls California home has a fair chance to thrive. Given the lack of a full investment in Food4All and the delay of anticipated food assistance for all Californians ages 55 and older to 2027, I look forward to championing the Food4All proposal this year and fighting until everyone has access to food.”

Stephanie Butler, Director of Nutrition & Food Security Program at National Health Foundation:

“We are extremely disappointed that Governor’s budget did not include funding for expanding California’s Food Assistance Program to include everyone regardless of immigration status or age. Access to food is a humanitarian issue that severely effects undocumented residents within our state. Our safety net programs help our fellow Californians thrive but exclude our most vulnerable residents. Access to food and our safety net programs should be accessible for all, regardless of immigration status and age. No exceptions. No exclusion.

Ezer Pamintuan, Policy Advocate at the Alameda County Community Food Bank

“We are disappointed that Governor Newsom’s proposed budget failed to include funding to expand access to the California Food Assistance Program to all regardless of immigration status or age. Food is a basic human right, yet millions of Californians are unjustly excluded from crucial nutrition programs solely due to their immigration status. These nutrition programs are intended to serve as a ‘safety net’ that protects people from falling into poverty, but California’s safety net is full of holes. We call on the governor and our state legislators to work together to expand immigrant inclusion in the safety net, which will promote equitable health outcomes, advance the economic prosperity of the whole state, and build a community where everyone belongs.”

###

The Food4All coalition is a diverse, robust coalition of more than 100 anti-hunger, anti-poverty, immigrant rights and grassroot organizations that are working together to bring an equitable nutrition safety net that does not discriminate based on immigration status.

Founded in 1992 and operating for over a quarter century as California Food Policy Advocates, Nourish California is a nonpartisan, statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We engage in policy advocacy and research at the local, regional, and state levels in California and at the federal level. When our small team isn’t out meeting with communities, partners and policymakers, we can be found in our offices in Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego.

The California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) is a statewide immigrant rights organization that advocates for policies that protect and advance the rights of immigrants and their families throughout California. CIPC combines legislative and policy advocacy, strategic communications, statewide organizing, and regional coalition capacity building to pursue its mission of advocating for policies that uphold the humanity of immigrants and refugees while advancing racial, social, and economic justice.

CONTACT

Nourish CA: Betzabel Estudillo, betzabel@nourishca.org, (213) 422-7833

CIPC:  Ian Moor, communications@caimmigrant.org, (323) 303-4372

You Might Also Find This Interesting...

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Community Partners Unite To Support the Thriving Transitions campaign: Calls for Policymakers to Bolster Services Accessible to Individuals Exiting California’s Legal System

Posted on by Kameron Mims-Jones

The campaign is committed to raising awareness about the need to integrate the CalFresh application into the re-entry process statewide.

We proudly announce the official launch of the statewide Thriving Transitions campaign! Nourish California is a founding partner of this statewide initiative focused on raising awareness about what resources and services are necessary to support the transition out of the correction system and return back to the community. 

Where are we starting? 

The CalFresh application should be part of a statewide re-entry process for individuals transitioning from prisons and jails back into community. 

Why does this matter? 

Research shows that one in five formerly incarcerated individuals has reported difficulty obtaining regular meals. This campaign is dedicated to addressing the issue of food insecurity that continues to surround those formerly incarcerated and ultimately hinder their successful reentry journey. 

We are calling for the statewide integration of CalFresh, our state's largest food program; which provides resources for households and individuals to support their nutritional needs will be an important first step to a thriving transition

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests when individuals transitioning from the legal system have access to supportive services they are:

  • Less likely to experience food insecurity
  • Less likely to experience poverty connected to unemployment
  • Less at risk of being unhoused
  • Less at risk for experiencing cyclical economic exclusion associated with returning to jail and or prison(recidivism)

Who’s on board? 

Our founding partners are All of Us or None, Root & Rebound, and Justice in Aging. They do vital work in communities across California to ensure the systems and services are in place to help individuals and their families during the re-entry process from jail or prison. 

Note: California State University, Chico Center for Healthy Communities has been a key founding partner in our coalition. Although they were not officially listed at the time this post was originally created, their contributions from the very beginning have been instrumental in our collective efforts.

We need you!

There’s work to be done. Join us. Visit our action center to sign the petition. If you are part of an organization that wants to officially join us, reach out here

Questions? Contact Kameron Mims-Jones

Thriving Transitions

    Transitions are hard.

    Food helps.

“Our goal is to bring together a coalition of advocates from community based organizations who may not be working directly to reduce the impact of the criminal legal system on individuals and/or prison reform, but are committed to creating an equitable tomorrow for all Californians; which should include access to vital resources such as food and housing “

Kameron Mims-Jones, Nourish California.

Learn More About the Campaign

2022 Legislative Session Recap: Anti-Hunger Victories but More Help Needed

Posted on by Jared Call

Throughout the 2022 Legislative session, Nourish California worked with members of California’s State Assembly and State Senate to help connect Californians to the food they need to live a better life. More importantly, we worked with organizations and individuals across the state that share our values and vision of a California for all. Together, we made progress toward our ultimate goal of disrupting poverty, ending hunger, and ensuring equitable opportunity.

Major Win for Immigrants and Equity

The 2022-23 budget includes funding for Food4All to remove exclusions to the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP)/CalFresh for Californians 55 and older, regardless of immigration status. This means that California will be the first state in the nation to provide food assistance benefits to undocumented adults. We thank our cosponsors, the California Immigrant Policy Center, the over 140 organizations in the Food4All Coalition, Governor Newsom, our Legislative champions — in particular Senator Nancy Skinner, Senator Toni Atkins, Assemblymember Phil Ting, Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, Senator Eggman, and Assemblymember Santiago for their leadership and their vision to build a truly equitable nutrition safety net.

While this is a win for the Food4All campaign as well as older adult immigrants who will be able to receive critical food assistance through access to CalFresh benefits, it is not enough. There are many more California immigrants younger than 55 who will continue to face rising food insecurity and inequitable access to our nutrition safety net without a full investment in Food4All. We invite you to join us as we continue to build our campaign in 2023. 

More Help Needed to Feed Our Youngest Learners

We also cosponsored SB 1481 (Becker) with the CACFP Roundtable. This timely and important bill would increase funding for child care meals and end the “pay penalty” that discriminates against daycare home child care providers. These are mainly Black, Brown, and immigrant women who are often facing significant food hardship with more than half reporting often or sometimes running out of food.

Nourish California will continue to champion policies and state investments to adequately fund child care and will lift up the need for dedicated child care nutrition funding in the state budget. We invite you to join our Food with Care campaign and lend your voice and support.

Opportunities to Improve CalFresh Remain

Our campaign to boost benefits in CalFresh will continue despite AB 2153 (Arambula), which we cosponsored with SPUR, being held in Assembly Appropriations. We are committed to breaking down barriers to accessing CalFresh, and ensuring that benefit amounts allow participants to purchase the foods they want and need to stay healthy. We’ll continue that fight with our many anti-hunger partners in 2023. Join our campaign to make CalFresh work better for everyone.

Advancing Equity In Partnership

As we do each year, we analyzed and took public positions in support of numerous bills and budget proposals. While we supported many bills and proposals focused on fighting hunger in California, we also supported proposals across a range of issues. All had these common aims: to advance equity, reduce hardship and poverty, and support the health and well-being of Californians with low-income. We are proud to work alongside so many dedicated and values-centered organizations to build a California where everyone has the resources and opportunity they need to thrive. 

What’s Next?

While we celebrate our progress, we are already hard at work listening and learning about the lives and experiences of Californians with low income to inform our 2023 policy agendas. One thing that will not change in 2023 is our urgent focus on improving access to food for Californians who face the greatest needs and the starkest inequities. We look forward to working with you and the larger movement of individuals, communities, and organizations fighting for human rights, dignity, and justice, both within California and beyond.

Questions?

Contact Jared Call at jared@nourishca.org or 323.401.4972

Nourish California Shares 2023 Farm Bill Priorities with CDFA

Posted on by Jared Call

On September 30, Nourish California submitted our 2023 Farm Bill priorities to the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA). We urge CDFA to support our recommendations and call on our California Congressional Delegation to work to enact them for the benefit of all Californians who need help putting food on the table.

You can read our detailed comments and recommendations here.

From small farming towns in the Central Valley to large urban centers, Californians in every community deserve an opportunity to put nutritious food on the table, especially the food grown here in our state. We have an obligation to make the next Farm Bill work for all Californians. 

The Farm Bill is the nation’s most important piece of food and farming legislation and includes our state’s largest anti-hunger investment, CalFresh. Each year, over four million California residents gain access to the food they need through CalFresh. As Congress drafts the next Farm Bill, it is critical that SNAP/CalFresh is strengthened by advancing equity, removing barriers to access, and improving benefit adequacy.

We need solutions that help everyone in our great state make ends meet. As Congress drafts the next Farm Bill, we call on our elected leaders to make sure that all Californians – from farm workers to military veterans, college students to working families, and the very youngest to the very oldest among us – have enough to eat. 

We Envision a Farm Bill Built on the Following Principles

  • Prioritize food for all, targeting improvements to nutrition assistance programs to close accessibility and benefits adequacy gaps for populations struggling with hunger.
  • Center the needs of individuals with lived experience of hunger, intergenerational poverty, and systemic racism.
  • Provide adequate resources for states and counties to administer nutrition assistance programs with built in flexibility to address access issues unique to the state.

In summary, the next Farm Bill should advance bold, transformative policies that expand and strengthen federal nutrition programs; and establish an inclusive, equitable safety net open to all who call the United States home. Everyone in the United States should have the food they need and want to thrive. Our nation’s long history of exclusionary, inequitable policies and government-sanctioned oppression requires a re-visioning and rebuilding of our public systems if we are to truly eliminate hunger and ensure the well being of all. 

Have questions? Contact Angeles Nelson, Policy Advocate, at angeles@nourishca.org.

Nourish California Public Comment: Serving SNAP Applicants and Participants with Limited English Proficiency

Posted on by Tia Shimada

On September 9, Nourish California submitted public comment to the Federal Register in response to a proposed rule that seeks comment on a proposed information collection for the contract Serving Supplementation Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Applicants and Participants with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The purpose of the Servicing SNAP LEP study is “to provide FNS with a comprehensive understanding of the language landscapes in which SNAP and Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) agencies operate, as well as the LEP policy and operations landscapes.” Our comments focus on “ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected” per the Federal Register (document number 2022-14662).

Nourish California recognizes the root causes of hunger and poverty include the historic and ongoing harms of racial discrimination, systemic racism, xenophobia, and anti-immigrant policies. To eliminate consequent inequities, communities, policymakers, researchers, advocates, and other stakeholders must be able to assess outcomes according to preferred language, among other factors. This requires meaningful measures of how well public services such as the federal nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are reaching populations with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). 

Our comments include the following recommendations to USDA Food and Nutrition Service:

  • Collect and consider input from directly affected households.
  • Collect information from applicants/participants rather than relying on proxy metrics.
  • Ensure that the selection of case studies (with respect to number and location) will encompass states that serve the majority of SNAP participants/applicants with LEP. 

You can read our full comments here.

Have questions? Contact Tia Shimada, Director of Programs, at tia@nourishca.org.

New Policy Brief: Bridging Gaps in CalFresh Enrollment Among Newborn Infants

Posted on by Michelle Lee

Improving Access to Food Assistance at Birth

Background

CalFresh is a crucial resource for many families that helps to feed their children and reduce poverty. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 49 percent of California children receive CalFresh at some point in their first five years of life. 

Yet despite its importance in safeguarding families’ health and well-being, more than one in three families with children struggle to enroll their newborn child in the program by three months’ age. This results in hundreds of dollars in vital food assistance potentially missed out on annually by families who qualify for increased benefits.

Learn more by reading our newest policy brief, Bridging Gaps in CalFresh Enrollment Among Newborn Infants.

CalFresh benefits are meant for the whole household. Babies could be either partially or fully relying on formula, which is expensive. CalFresh can be used to purchase formula, as well as to purchase additional food for breastfeeding parents with increased nutritional needs. Parents who are recovering from birth need consistent access to nutritious food to recover. Considering how critical nutrition is for mothers and infants during this stage of life, as well as how much new parents are dealing with in those first three months, county and state administrators must take the necessary steps to ensure that families have the resources to the food they need to thrive.

What the policies and stakeholders say

1. Families are being asked for more information than necessary.

For families who want to add their newborn infant onto their existing CalFresh case, only the baby’s name and date of birth should be required. However, sometimes families are mistakenly asked by County CalFresh Eligibility Workers to verify unnecessary information, such as a Social Security Number (SSN) and proof that the baby has been born. Families should only need to provide the federally mandated documentation to enroll newborns into CalFresh.

2. Newborn enrollment outcomes differ from county to county.

In some counties, there is often a significant gap between when a baby is born and when eligibility workers learn of the birth. Even if families report an expected birth, they must reach out again once the baby is born to get the newborn enrolled. In some instances, it’s not enough for families to report the birth – they are asked and expected to proactively request CalFresh benefits for their newborn baby. 

3. Though newborn enrollment is straightforward and expedited for Medi-Cal, the enrollment procedures are not aligned with CalFresh.

For newborn enrollment into Medi-Cal, eligibility workers actively collect information from families, hospital workers enroll babies at the hospital, and the process is simplified if the baby’s parents are already enrolled in Medi-Cal. These processes don’t happen in CalFresh cases, even if the family is receiving Medi-Cal. 

The onus should not be on the family to juggle through the paperwork and navigate a complex process to get food benefits to which they are entitled. CalFresh administrators should institute policies and procedures to proactively reach out to families to enroll newborns in CalFresh.

Quote: “I’ve heard more than once that families have been told [by the eligibility worker] the baby needs to be ‘eating’ or walking in order to receive CalFresh.”

Recommendations

Policies and procedures should standardize the required verification to enroll newborns into CalFresh at birth, which is solely the baby’s name and their date of birth. There should be a process to ensure that the report of a newborn to a household’s Medi-Cal case gets applied to CalFresh as well, especially since county workers are now required to dually enroll individuals into CalFresh if they qualify for and are receiving Medi-Cal. Eligibility workers, administrators, and advocates must all work proactively to ensure timely receipt of additional CalFresh benefits for families without unnecessary and harmful delays.

What’s next?

Want to learn more and receive timely calls to action to improve CalFresh? Join our campaign to eliminate barriers and boost benefits in CalFresh. Sign up here.

Questions? Contact Michelle Lee at michelle@nourishca.org.

Food4All Town Hall Materials & Further Actions

Posted on by Betzabel Estudillo

Thank you for attending the Food4All Town Hall on Wednesday, July 27th hosted by Nourish California, Latino Coalition for a Health California (LCHC), and California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC). We had such a robust conversation about the continued fight for #Food4All with one of our budget champions Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), as well as presentations from our advocates Mar Velez of LCHC, Benyamin Chao of CIPC, and Sonia Guiñansaca of Gender Justice LA. 

We also want to thank Governor Newsom, SB 464 (Food4All) bill author Senator Hurtado, Budget Committee Chair Senator Skinner, Budget Subcommittee #3 Chair Senator Eggman, Senate Pro Tem Atkins, Assembly Leadership, and all of Food4All’s supporters in the Legislature for centering equity and making history by including Food4All funding for immigrants aged 55+ in the 2022-23 state budget.

Thank you for all of the thoughtful comments and questions. See below for webinar materials and further actions:

Presentation Content

Stay Connected + Take Action

Contact info for our speakers + campaign leads: 

  • Mar Velez, LCHC: mvelez@lchc.org
  • Benyamin Chao, CIPC: bchao@caimmigrant.org 
  • Sonia Guiñansaca, GJLA: sonia@gjla.org 
  • Janette Villafana, LA Taco:
    • Twitter: @Janette_v
    • Instagram: @_janette_v
  • Assemblymember Miguel Santiago:
      • Twitter: @SantiagoAD53
      • Instagram: @miguelsantiagoad53

Thank you so much again for attending our Food4All Town Hall!

Gracias por asistir a nuestro evento de Food4All el miércoles 27 de julio organizado por Nourish California, Latino Coalition for a Health California (LCHC) y California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC). Tuvimos una conversación sobre la lucha por #Food4All con nuestro líder de nuestra propuesta de presupuesto, el asambleísta Miguel Santiago, así como presentaciones de nuestros defensores Mar Velez de LCHC, Benyamin Chao de CIPC y Sonia Guiñansaca de Gender Justice LA.

También queremos agradecer al autor del proyecto de ley SB 464 (Food4All): Senadora Hurtado, la Presidenta del Comité de Presupuesto: Senadora Skinner, la Presidenta del Subcomité de Presupuesto n.º 3: Senadora Eggman, Senadora Pro Tem Atkins, Liderazgo de la Asamblea y al Gobernador Newsom por centrar la equidad y hacer historia al incluir los fondos de Food4All para inmigrantes mayores de 55 años en el presupuesto estatal  2022-23.

Gracias por todos los comentarios y preguntas. A continuación los materiales del evento y otras acciones:

Contenido de la presentación

Manténgase conectado + Actúe

  • Agradezca a sus legisladores por financiar Food4All para los californianos indocumentados mayores de 55 años e úrgalos que apoyen a Food4All para todas las edades en el presupuesto estatal del próximo año haciendo clic aquí.
  • Manténgase actualizado sobre otras acciones de Food4All en el Centro de Acción de Nourish California.
  • Suscríbase a las actualizaciones de Food4All y obtenga más información sobre la campaña aquí.

Información de contacto de nuestros oradores + líderes de campaña:

  • Mar Vélez, LCHC: mvelez@lchc.org
  • Benyamin Chao, CIPC: bchao@caimmigrant.org
  • Sonia Guiñansaca, GJLA: sonia@gjla.org
  • Janette Villafaña, LA Taco:
    • Twitter: @Janette_v
    • Instagram: @_janette_v
  • Asambleísta Miguel Santiago:
    • Twitter: @SantiagoAD53
    • Instagram: @miguelsantiagoad53

¡Muchas gracias de nuevo por asistir a nuestro evento de Food4All!

«« Previous Posts∞Older Posts »»