California Department of Social Services - State Hearings Division
Notes from the Training Bureau - August 12, 2003

Reference:  ACLs 00-54, 00-12

A workgroup consisting of CDSS staff, advocates and county representatives met over a one-year period to discuss WTW supportive service issues. This ACL provides questions and answers to a variety of questions regarding WTW transportation services. The answers to some of those questions are as follows:

· Counties must reimburse a WTW participant for mileage for using a private vehicle if there is no public transportation available, or round-trip travel time using public transportation exceeds two hours. The two-hour round trip excludes transporting children to school or child care. The county must pay mileage at the rate used in the county.

· If a participant is commuting across county lines to participate in a county approved activity the county must reimburse the participant for mileage, even if the reimbursement amount seems excessive. Capping, or imposing a limit on supportive services is prohibited under MPP §42-750.112 and ACL 00-12.

· To avoid excessive transportation costs a county could establish a rate that decreases after a set number of miles. The decrease would have to be based on the fact that the regional market rate is partly intended to reimburse the participant for fixed costs. If the county implements a new change to an existing transportation reimbursement rate, it would have to do so in writing and submit the proposed changes to the State for review and certification.

· A county must reimburse a participant for mileage if the participant is using the vehicle to participate in an approved WTW activity even if the participant is not the registered owner of the vehicle.

· If there are participants in the county who speak a language other than English, the county must provide these participants with forms in their primary language if the CDSS translates the forms in the participant's language. Bilingual/translation services must be provided to all non-English and limited-English speaking participants regardless of whether the state has translated forms.

· Per MPP §42-750.411, notices of action must be issued to CalWORKs participants: when supportive services are approved (including the level and method of payment), when a request for supportive services is denied, when changes are made to existing supportive services including termination of such services, when the county seeks to collect a supportive service overpayment and when the amount of transportation made is less than the amount requested.