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CalWORKs

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The California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program is the California welfare implementation of the federal welfare-to-work Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that gives cash aid and services to eligible needy California families.

Contents

Eligibility

To qualify for eligibility, one must:

  • have residency in California,
  • be either pregnant or responsible for a child under 19 years of age,
  • be a U.S. national, citizen, legal alien, or permanent resident,
  • have low or very low income, and
  • be either under-employed (working for very low wages), unemployed, or about to become unemployed.

    • Administration

    It is managed by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), but is operated and administered locally by the 58 counties of California.

    In Los Angeles County, the county Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) administers CalWORKs. It has a caseload larger than any other jurisdiction except the States of California and New York and an annual budget of over $3 billion.

    History

    It was created by the Welfare-to-Work Act of 1997. It replaced the former Greater Avenues to Independence (GAIN) program, the California implementation of the federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.

    References

    CalWORKs Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA