GENERAL RELIEF

41-112 Countywide Benefits Entitlement Services Team Remote Referral For Supplemental Security Income Advocacy Services

Purpose

(  ) To release a new policy

(  ) To release a new form

(  ) To convert existing policy to new writing style only – No concept changes

(X) Revision of existing policy and/or form(s)

What changed?

1.    Countywide Benefits Entitlement Services Team (CBEST) appointments and benefits advocacy services have resumed for all 14 General Relief (GR) district offices and are completed remotely via telephone.

2.    GR participants designated with a Temporary Unemployable or Temporary Needs Special Assistance (NSA) status for 12 of the previous 18 months will no longer be referred for a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Advocacy appointment with a CBEST Advocate.

3.    References to Your Benefits Now have been replaced with BenefitsCal, which is the new statewide self-service portal.

4.    Unemployable or NSA participants in the General Relief Housing Subsidy and Case Management Program (GRHSCMP) are required to apply for SSI to be eligible for the program, and they may be referred to CBEST if not already enrolled.

5.    References to General Relief Opportunities for Work (GROW) have been replaced with Skills and Training to Achieve Readiness for Tomorrow (START). The GROW term will be used only when referencing CalSAWS pages until the system is fully programmed. All notices and forms that are currently available in CalSAWS will also display the GROW term pending the system change.

Note:  Changes are shown highlighted in gray throughout the document.

Policy

GR participants designated with an Unemployable or NSA status in CalSAWS based on medical verification or Mental Health Assessment (MHA) are potentially eligible for SSI, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), or other disability benefits. As a condition of GR eligibility, participants must pursue all potential income, including SSI benefits. The CBEST Program is designed to provide advocacy services to Unemployable participants and persons experiencing homelessness who are potentially eligible for SSI, SSDI or other disability benefits.

The CBEST Program is contracted to the Department of Health Services (DHS) and provides SSI Advocacy and additional services such as housing, transportation and case management services for GR applicants/participants.

Participants who meet either of these two criteria are considered potentially eligible for SSI and referred to the CBEST Program:

1.    Permanent Unemployable based on a medical condition; or

2.    Permanent NSA.

The GR Policy for “warm hand-offs” as described in 41-100.1 Mental Health Assessment Process remains in effect as a method for the Department of Mental Health (DMH) Clinicians to also make referrals to CBEST. After the MHA interview is completed, the DMH Clinician will refer participants who are potentially SSI eligible to CBEST Advocates for SSI Advocacy and Housing Disability Advocacy Program services. DMH Clinician will refer participants who are:

1.    Potentially SSI eligible;

2.    Permanent NSA; or

3.    Permanent Unemployable.

GR Unemployable participants based on a medical condition or NSA status in GRHSCMP as described in 46-103 General Relief Housing Subsidy and Case Management Program are required to pursue SSI as a condition of eligibility for GRHSCMP. These participants may pursue SSI on their own and through their own representation, or they may pursue SSI through the CBEST Program. The General Relief Housing Case Managers may refer GR Unemployable participants to CBEST that are not already enrolled in CBEST through their own internal referral process. Upon receiving the referral, a CBEST Advocate will then call the referred participant by telephone to continue the CBEST enrollment process and provide services.

During the initial CBEST telephone interview, the CBEST Advocate will assess the participant’s medical records and history to determine whether there is potential eligibility for SSI, SSDI, or other disability benefits. Participants with limited or no medical history may need more time to develop a medical record or history to be eligible for SSI or other benefits.

When a participant informs the CBEST Advocate that they have already filed an SSI application through a third-party representative or on their own, the CBEST Advocate will consider the participant to have other representation or to be self-represented and update the CalSAWS Supplemental Security Income Advocacy Program (SSIAP) Summary page and Journal with the name and contact information of the participant’s representative. The CBEST Advocate will also update the “Refused SSIAP Services” field on the SSIAP Summary page to “Yes” since the participant will not be utilizing the CBEST services to pursue SSI. Two months after a participant qualifies for a mandatory referral to CBEST and whose case is marked as “Yes” for Refused SSIAP Services, CalSAWS automatically sends an ABP SSI-1 Request for SSI/SSP Application Information form (Attachment I) by batch to the participant. The ABP SSI-1 requests the participant to provide a status update on their SSI application and information on their third-party representative. After the first issuance of the ABP SSI-1, CalSAWS will automatically mail the form to the participant by batch every three months.

Since the SSI Advocacy services are provided remotely via telephone by the CBEST Advocates, the appointment notices that are sent to the participants have wording that inform the participants the SSI Advocacy appointments are telephonic appointments.

1.    The ABP SSI-3 Supplemental Security Income Advocate Telephone Appointment Notice (Attachment II) informs the participant to contact their CBEST Advocate on their telephone appointment date.

2.    The ABP SSI-4 Supplemental Security Income Telephone Appointment Notice (Attachment III) is sent out after two missed appointments with the CBEST Advocate to inform the GR NSA participant to contact Eligibility Staff on their telephone appointment date.

GR participants who do not participate in their scheduled CBEST appointment(s), regardless of the reasons, will be subject to noncompliance actions unless there is Good Cause. To reduce noncompliance, CBEST Advocates are required to make three attempts to contact participants who missed their appointments to determine if the participant is potentially eligible for SSI or other state or federal benefits. Participants who missed their CBEST appointments should be encouraged to contact their CBEST Advocate and resolve their noncompliance via the phone. 

Background

On August 17, 2015, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) launched the Homeless Initiative to combat homelessness in Los Angeles County (LAC). The primary objective of the Homeless Initiative was to develop a coordinated set of recommended strategies to combat homelessness. This effort resulted in 47 recommended strategies that were approved by the LACBOS on February 9, 2016. 

One of the 47 strategies directed DHS to collaborate with the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) and other relevant County departments to establish a Countywide SSI Advocacy Program. In response, DHS created the CBEST Program. Community Based Organizations contracted with DHS to provide SSI Advocacy services, such as homeless assistance and case management. Since April 2017, DHS and its subcontractors have been handling CBEST appointments at the DPSS GR district offices and providing SSI benefits advocacy services to GR participants. CBEST Advocates were provided CalSAWS access and were responsible for updating CalSAWS with CBEST information.

CBEST appointments, which were halted in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, resumed via telephonic appointments in phases at all 14 GR district offices effective October 2021 for CBEST SSI Advocacy and housing services for homeless or at risk of homelessness GR participants with physical and/or mental health conditions. 

Definitions

Requirements

All GR participants must review and sign the California State version of the SSP 14, Authorization for Reimbursement of Interim Assistance Initial Claim or Post Eligibility Case form during the following times:

1.    At application;

2.    Every time a new person is added to the case;

3.    At each Annual Renewal;

4.    Every time a new SSI/SSP application is completed;

5.    When the staff is aware that the SSI/SSP application has been denied and the participant fails to file for the next SSI/SSP stage; and

6.    When there has been a Social Security Number or a legal name change (i.e., marriage or divorce).

Effective August 2023, the SSP 14 is no longer included with the General Relief Annual Renewal (GR RE) packet, but must still be completed by the GR participants once every 12 months. The form continues to be auto-generated on the third calendar day of the Report Month and mailed to the participant separately from the GR RE packet. Participants with a physical or mental disability may be eligible for disability benefits that provide for higher monthly benefits than GR. As a condition to continue receiving GR benefits, participants with a physical or mental disability are expected to apply for and pursue any potential federal or state benefits to which they may be eligible for. CBEST Advocacy services will assist with applying for these benefits. 

Participants who are already pursuing disability benefits and have a lawyer, advocate, representative or are representing themselves, may continue to receive GR benefits until their application is approved or denied. These participants are “self-represented” and must cooperate with the GR requirements to provide their advocacy representative contact information and an application status update by completing and submitting the ABP SSI-1 Request for SSI/SSP Application Information form which is generated quarterly by CalSAWS.

Participants who are using the district office address as their mailing address are required to check their mail at the GR office once a week to ensure they receive their notices and appointment letters. Participants may also access BenefitsCal to review their DPSS notices and CBEST appointments. Participants may also contact the Customer Service Center (CSC) to check if they are scheduled for a CBEST appointment.

Verification Documents

N/A