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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign four financial operational Memorandum of Understandings (MOU) for CalFresh mutual aid plan protocol for post-disaster services accommodation to mutually support partnering county human services agencies and their ability to maintain services in times of disaster or other emergencies, for the term of November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2028, with no stated maximum obligation:
a) MOU 9740 with Calaveras County;
b) MOU 9741 with Mendocino County;
c) MOU 9758 with Tuolumne County; and
d) MOU 9779 with the Alpine County;
2) Authorize the HHSA Director, or Chief Assistant Director, to execute further documents relating to MOUs 9740, 9741, 9758 and 9779, including amendments that do not increase Net County Cost or the term of the MOUs, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
FUNDING: 50% Federal United States Department of Agriculture, 40% State General Fund, and 10% 1991 Realignment funding.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) CalFresh Program, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, provides monthly food benefits to low-income individuals and families. CalFresh is the largest food program in California and provides an essential hunger safety net. CalFresh helps to improve the health and well-being of qualified households and individuals by providing them with CalFresh benefits to afford nutritious food, including more fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods. The amount of benefits a household receives is dependent on household size, countable income, and monthly expenses, such as housing and utilities. CalFresh is a federally mandated program that is state-supervised and county-operated.
Disaster CalFresh (D-CalFresh) is a component of the CDSS CalFresh program, which provides temporary benefits to eligible disaster survivors while also facilitating the issuance of supplemental CalFresh benefits for ongoing households. D-CalFresh provides a month's worth of benefits on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card which can be used to purchase food at authorized retail stores. D-CalFresh is only available when a Presidential Declaration for Individual Assistance has been declared in the affected area.
The CDSS requires coordination between regional counties to ensure that D-CalFresh benefits are readily available to disaster impacted households. Under the provisions of Assembly Bill (AB) 607 and California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 18917, all counties are required to submit a D-CalFresh county plan annually, which includes a mutual aid region made up of two or more counties.
To meet these requirements, HHSA has previously partnered with Alpine County, Calaveras County, Mendocino County, and Tuolumne County as mutual aid counties in the event of a disaster in the region that requires CalFresh benefits. The purpose of the Mutual Aid MOUs is to support partnering county human services agencies within the region and increase their ability to maintain services in times of a local disaster. Each county agrees to provide up to 14 calendar days of mutual aid and can make special arrangements to extend beyond that period as needed. These MOUs will be ready for use in the event of a disaster and funding may vary based on each county’s available funding at the time of a disaster.
This round of MOUs is the third such set between the County and these four partnering counties, with the first set of MOUs starting in 2019 and the most recent set of MOUs approved by the Board and signed by the Chair on January 10, 2023 (Legistar file 22-2295).
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve this recommendation, HHSA would be out of compliance with CDSS regulations that require the County to establish mutual aid partnerships with other counties in times of disaster.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
01/10/23, 22-2295, HHSA Disaster CF MOU's
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost impact associated with this item. If applicable, during times of disaster, any County costs that are incurred through the Supporting County (“the county providing assistance”) to a Disaster County (“the county declared to be in disaster”) through these MOUs, HHSA can request expense claiming from CDSS for D-CalFresh expenditures. Additionally, the Disaster County is responsible for reimbursing the Supporting County with all associated costs for personnel support provided by Supporting County.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS:
Clerk of the Board to obtain signature of Chair on original MOUs 9740, 9741, 9758 and 9779.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
N/A
CONTACT:
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Director, Health and Human Services Agency