Federal law establishes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Legislation passed in 2019 required the State Department of Education, the State Department of Health Care Services, and the State Department of Social Services to work together with specified stakeholders to develop a proposed statewide process for using data collected for purposes of the CalFresh program and other public benefits programs in order to increase enrollment in the CalFresh program.
Assembly Bill 518 (AB 518) requires that, on or before July 1, 2025, the State Department of Social Services (Department), in consultation with various stakeholders, develop a methodology for estimating the CalFresh participation rate and identifying characteristics of Californians who are eligible for, but not receiving, CalFresh benefits. The law requires the Department to utilize the data and metrics to develop informed and targeted outreach strategies and to maximize federal funding for CalFresh outreach to reach Californians who are eligible for CalFresh benefits.
The law also provides that the Department may identify data-sharing opportunities with other state and local public entities. Notwithstanding any other state law, the law authorizes public entities, including early education programs, the State Department of Education, the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, to share data with the Department for the for the purposes of improving the administration of CalFresh and increasing CalFresh participation.
(AB 518 adds sections 18901.58 and 18901.59 to the Welfare and Institutions Code.)