The Los Angeles Post

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY FROM DPSS DIRECTOR ANTONIA JIMÉNEZ

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Dear DPSS New and Current Customers:

It has been two weeks since the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health asked us to close our doors to the public to help slow the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID‑19). These extraordinary times require extreme measures; the good news is that you do not need to personally visit any of our offices to apply for or renew your benefits.

We know that in times of crisis, individuals and families need our services more than ever. While our doors are temporarily closed, I want to assure everyone in our community that DPSS is still open for business and ready to serve you.

We are fortunate that our State and federal government partners have waived some reporting requirements to ensure that you continue to receive benefits. Below are some of the highlights:

Good News for Existing DPSS Customers

1. If you are currently receiving CalFresh, CalWORKs, General Relief, Refugee Cash Assistance, or Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), your benefits will continue at the same level for March, April and May 2020. You do not have to submit a SAR-7, QR-7, or a recertification packet. You do not need to call our office as your benefits will continue without interruption. Your recertification will be due six months from your original due date. You will receive a notification letter informing you of when your next recertification is due.

If your recertification packet was due in:

  • March 2020 – Your recertification is now due in September 2020.
  • April 2020 – Your recertification is now due in October 2020.
  • May 2020 – Your recertification is now due in November 2020.

Individuals should resume submitting the SAR-7 and QR-7 beginning in June 2020.

2. If you are currently receiving Medi-Cal, your benefits will continue for March, April and May 2020. However, you will still need to comply with the renewal reporting requirement for Medi-Cal or your benefits will be terminated after the 90 days.

If you have received your renewal packet, you can mail or upload it via http://www.dpss.lacounty.gov/ and click on the Your Benefits Now (YBN) logo.

3. If you are currently receiving General Relief, your benefits will continue for March, April and May 2020. You do not need to submit a QR-7. You do not need to call our office as your benefits will continue.

4. CalWORKs and General Relief Welfare-to-Work requirements have been waived for March, April, and May 2020.

5. In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) reassessments have been suspended for 90 days.  However, our social workers will contact IHSS recipients to conduct assessments via telephone and perform welfare checks.  Unfortunately, the State still requires a face-to-face interview for new applications.  DPSS will streamline this process by completing the application via telephone and scheduling the required face‑to‑face interview.  To apply for IHSS, please call (888) 944‑4477, or if you have questions, please contact our IHSS Helpline at (888) 822-9622.

Additional Relief for Existing CalFresh Customers

  1. A CalFresh Emergency Allotment will be automatically added to your EBT card. This allotment will increase your CalFresh benefit to the maximum benefit amount for eligible household members up to a maximum of six members. For example, if you are a single adult receiving $140 per month, you will get an additional $54 for a maximum benefit amount of $194.
  • March allotment will be distributed sometime in mid-April 2020.
  • April allotment will be distributed at the end of April 2020.

Please visit the DPSS website or our social media pages for up-to-date information including the actual dates for issuance of the emergency allotments.    

Good News for Individuals Who Need to Apply for Benefits

If you have lost your job, or just need assistance, please apply for benefits online by visiting the Your Benefits Now website at http://www.dpss.lacounty.gov/ and clicking on the YBN logo to get started.

If you are applying for CalWORKs, General Relief, Refugee Cash Assistance, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, or CalFresh, please submit all the required documentation with the application and we will waive the application interview. We are accepting self-certification/attestation for photo-identification, residency, income and expense requirements when applying for all programs. For information about program requirements, please visit our website at http://www.dpss.lacounty.gov/ and click on the Programs & Services tab.

We are also posting the latest customer service updates on our website and on the County’s COVID-19 website at https://covid19.lacounty.gov/covid19/closures/. For immediate assistance by phone, please call our Customer Service Center at (866) 613-3777.

As we continue to provide our services online and over the phone, I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to our nurses, doctors, grocery store workers, first responders, delivery drivers, pharmacy workers, food service employees, our eligibility workers and social workers who are working hard to save lives and keep us all going until this crisis is behind us.

I am asking for your help in sharing this important message with our community. If you would like to contact me directly and share your thoughts or ideas, please email me at [email protected].

Stay Safe and Be Well.

AJ Signature