SB 1391 Summary

• Establishes procedures for recovering CalFresh (SNAP) overissuances by reducing current and future benefits based on the cause of the overissuance (intentional program violation, fraud, inadvertent household error, or administrative error).

• Sets reduction limits: administrative error at 5% or $10 minimum, inadvertent household error at 10% or $10 minimum, and intentional violation/fraud at 20% or $20 minimum of monthly benefits.

• Prohibits collection attempts for administrative error overissuances under $125 (or higher state-established threshold) when households no longer receive CalFresh benefits, but requires collection attempts for inadvertent household error overissuances of $35 or more.

• Requires households receive adequate notice of overissuances including calculation, reason, appeal information, and repayment instructions before benefits can be reduced.

• Authorizes the State Department of Social Services to establish a cost-effective collection threshold and permits implementation through departmental instructions rather than formal rulemaking by January 1, 2014.