Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR)

CalWORKs Eligibility Bureau:
- Timothy Lawless, Policy Manager
- Amreet Sandhu, Program Analyst
CalFresh Bureau:
- David Badal, Policy Manager
- Tawny Macedo, Program Analyst
2

• Legislative & Program History
• Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR)
• Annual Reporting/Child Only (AR/CO)
Cases
• CalFresh Verified Upon Receipt
• Questions & Answers
3

• SAR was mandated by Assembly Bill 6 (Chapter
501, Statutes of 2011)
• Considered a simplified reporting option for
CalFresh
• Beneficial to both clients and county welfare
departments (CWDs)
• Mandates alignment between CalWORKs &
CalFresh
5

Main differences to be covered:
1. Terminology & Forms
2. Income Reporting Threshold (IRT)
3. Budgeting
4. Redeterminations/Recertifications (RD/RC)
7

• SAR Data Month
• SAR Submit Month
• SAR Payment Period
Note: The SAR payment period is
based on the beginning date of aid,
not the date of application.
8

• SAR 2 (IRT informing notice)
• SAR 3 (replaces QR 3-CW/CF mid-period changes)
• SAR 7 (replaces QR 7), required once per year
• SAWS 2 (revised to capture data month income
information), required once per year
Instructions for using SAR forms can be found in:
ACLs 12-59, 13-26, 13-57, 13-74, and 13-80.
9

The IRT is lower under SAR
• QR IRT: Higher of:
• The amount likely to render ineligible for CalWORKs
• 130% of the federal poverty level (FPL)
• SAR IRT: Lower of:
• Tier 1: 55% of FPL for a family of three (currently $875,
soon to be $895), plus amount of income last budgeted
• Tier 2: Amount likely to render ineligible for CalWORKs
• Tier 3: 130% of FPL
10

• Example: A family of three with $200 in
monthly income
SAR
Tier One $1075
Tier Two $1388
QR
$2116
Tier Three $2116
11

• Reasonably anticipated definition
• Amount of income needs to be known, verified, and
have a start date
12

• Use of data month information
• Importance of case comments
• Good practice to use historical income
information in cases of fluctuating income
13

Example:
Unstable Income
Example:
Fluctuating Income
Month
Income
Month
Income
Data
month
$ 0.00
Data
Month
$ 500
1-2 some income ?
1-2 $ 200
3-6 $ 0.00
3-6 $ 250-350+ ?
14

Income is generally not averaged over the SAR
payment period.
• Under QR, anticipated income in each month of the
quarter was averaged.
• Under SAR, data month income is used along with
any known changes.
• Conversion factors are still used as needed, to
determine monthly income.
15

Example : Some to None
Month Income Conversion
Factor
March
(data month)
$ 100.00
bi-weekly
March - July $ 216.00 x 2.167
August $ 0.00
16

There are instances where CalFresh averages income.
• For CalFresh, in cases where the receipt of income is reasonably certain
but the monthly amount may fluctuate, the household may elect to
average income.
• Households which, by contract or self-employment, derive their annual
income in a period of time shorter than 1 year shall have that income
averaged over a 12-month period, provided the income from the
contract is not received on an hourly or piecework basis.
• These households may include: school employees, sharecroppers, farmers,
and other self-employed households.
17

• For program alignment purposes and
administrative simplicity, when CalFresh is
required to average, CalWORKs will average
as well.
18

Example: No averaging rule – the exception
Months
September – May
Income
Yes
June (SAR 7 submitted) No
19

• The SAWS 2 replaces the second SAR 7
• RD and RC should be aligned
• Because there is no second SAR 7, the regulations
regarding RDs have been expanded
• Complete SAWS 2 is due by the 15th of the
submit month
• RD due date helps clients obtain timely benefits
and reduces overpayments
20

• IRT is much lower and can be changed
• Income cannot be averaged, with certain exceptions
• The SAWS 2 takes the place of the second SAR 7
• RD now due by the 15 th of the month
21

• Result of Senate Bill 1041
• Refocused limited CalWORKs resources
• Achieves administrative savings
• Pertains to cases without an aided adult
23

• Total CalWORKs Caseload of 567,000
• AR/CO cases represent about 266,000 cases, or 47%
• Of the 266,000 AR/CO cases, about 73,000 are
safety net and 193,000 are other child-only
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• The legislative intent was to model AR/CO after SAR
• Three key differences:
• No SAR 7
• Changes in household composition are mandatory
• Overpayment recoupment can be initiated midperiod
25

• Clients transition from SAR to AR/CO and vice-versa
• For CalWORKs, clients must be provided the CW
2211 and CW2212, as appropriate
• Other common AR forms include the AR 2 (IRT
informing notice) and AR 3 (mid-period report form)
26

• During conversion to AR/CO, CalFresh households
associated with AR/CO cases that had Quarterly
Reporting (QR) requirements were switched to
CalFresh Change Reporting requirements.
• AR/CO Change Reporting households that were QR
Public Assistance CalFresh (PACF) cases are now SAR.
• CalFresh Change Reporting households continue to
report Change Reporting requirements.
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• VUR means that the information provided is not
questionable, the provider is the primary source of the
information, and no further information is needed to take
action.
• If secondary information is requested for verification in
order to act on a change in another program (such as Medi-
Cal), then by definition it is not VUR. Once verified, okay to
act on change.
• A voluntary report of household composition change by the
head of household or responsible adult HH member is
considered VUR, and must be acted on.
29

• A mom calls and reports one of her children has
left the home.
• If the household is CalFresh only, act on the change and reduce
the household size and send out a notice of action.
• If the household is a Public Assistance CalFresh case, CalWORKs
considers this report a voluntary report and does not act. For
CalFresh, this report is considered VUR and must be acted on.
Reduce the household size and send out a notice of action.
30

• A household voluntarily reports mid period that a new member
with income has moved in. For CalFresh, this report is
considered VUR. The CWD will inquire if total income is over
IRT.
• If income is under IRT, the CWD will send out a Notice of
Information/Verification Needed (CF 377.6) requesting
information from the household to add the new member to the
case.
• If income is over the IRT, send out a Request for Contact (CF 32)
requesting information from the household to add the new
member to the case. 31

ACL 12-25:
Implementation Of The Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) System In The
California Work Opportunity And Responsibility To Kids
(CalWORKs) And CalFresh Programs
ACL 12-49:
CalWORKs and CalFresh Programs: Implementation of the
Annual Reporting/Child Only System
ACL 12-49E:
CalWORKs and CalFresh Programs:
ACL 12-59:
CalWORKs and CalFresh Programs: New and Revised Forms and
NOAs for the Semi- Annual Reporting (SAR) System
ACL 13-08:
CalFresh Semi-Annual Reporting Waivers
ACL 13-17:
Updated Information For Semi-Annual Reporting Implementation
For CalFresh
32

ACL 13-26:
ACL 13-28:
ACL 13-57:
ACL 13-74:
ACIN I-58-13:
ACL 13-80:
CalWORKs and CalFresh Programs: New and Revised Forms and
NOAs for the Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) System
CalWORKs and CalFresh Programs: Implementation of the
Annual Reporting/Child Only System Questions and Answers
(Q&A)
CalFresh: New (and Revised) Forms for the Semi-Annual
Reporting (SAR) System
CalFresh: New (and Revised) Forms for the Semi-Annual
Reporting (SAR) System
CalFresh: Implementation of the Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR)
System Questions and Answers (Q & A)
CalWORKs and CalFresh Programs: New and Revised forms and
NOAs for the Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) System
Additional SAR & AR/CO resources will continue to be provided.
All CDSS forms can be accessed online at: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/PG19.htm
33

Name:
Phone:
Email:
County:
Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) Crossword
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Down
1. For QR, benefits were determined for this
many months
2. This type of income is treated differently
under SAR than under QR.
3. Income can be reasonably anticipated if it
has a _____ amount; (1 of 3)
4. Previous reporting system
5. An incomplete SAR 7 causes this
6. Income which would likely place program
participant above 130% of the Federal
Poverty Level requires this type of mid-period
report
9. Status that requires a mid-period report,
fleeing ____.
11. Income can be reasonably anticipated if it
is ____; (2 of 3)
15. And income can be reasonably
anticipated if it has a _____ date. (3 of 3)
16. How is income anticipated?
17. Month in which SAR data is due
18. Under SAR, the new Income Reporting
Threshold has been _____.
Across
7. Under SAR, benefits are determined for
this many months, also number for assembly
bill which caused the change
8. Violations that must be reported midperiod
10. Entity which ensures households receive
a SAR 7 at the end of the SAR data month
12. How many times per year is the SAWS 2
due?
13. The new redetermination/recertification
rules in CalWORKs and CalFresh promotes
program _____.
14. One main goal of the transition
15. Name of SAR month in which program
participant redetermination/recertification
forms are due to CWD
19. SAR cycles are based on the beginning
date of ____, not date of application.
21. Under SAR, how is income budgeted?
22. Violations that must be reported midperiod
23. For CalFresh, an address change is this
type of mid-period report
20. Name of SAR month in which all benefits
are paid and issued

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