January 16, 2012: Detailing the three new stages of CalWORKs that have been proposed in Governor Brown's 2012-13 budget released January 5, Sacramento Bee reporter Kevin Yamamura includes more information than we have published heretofore on the dire category called "child maintenance":
...Nearly all of the 304,100 "safety net" cases – families without a qualified working parent – would move to a new Child Maintenance program. Their average family grant would drop from $463 to $392. The state would loosen paperwork requirements and require an annual child health exam.
"We want the CalWORKs program for those focused on work and becoming self-sufficient," said Todd Bland, deputy director of the welfare-to-work division at [state Dept. of Social Services]. "Child Maintenance would be for those who cannot work, who are unwilling, sanctioned or undocumented. For them, it's not about complying with work requirements."
Parents who can't find work after two years would move to the new ... program, where their monthly grant would drop from the $638 in traditional CalWORKs to $375 for a family of three in Child Maintenance. The only time limit occurs when a child turns 18.
The new CalWORKs time limits would be retroactive. But parents on the verge of maxing out when the changes begin in October would have a grace period through April. DSS spokesman Michael Weston said about 60,000 cases would drop by that time.
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