Texting Policy Updates to Increase Participation
In June of 2019, individuals in California who receive Supplemental Security Income / Payment (SSI) will become eligible for CalFresh. Assembly Bill 1811 reverses the policy that previously exempted SSI recipients from receiving the benefit and will allow hundreds of thousands of seniors and people with disabilities to become new CalFresh recipients. There will be no change to monthly SSI income once recipients also start receiving CalFresh.
The California Department of Social Services estimates that 360,000 individual SSI recipients will become eligible for CalFresh, and 125,000 SSI recipients in CalFresh households will now be included on their household members’ cases. Some counties estimate that this SSI cash-in will increase CalFresh caseloads by 33% in the first month of implementation.
To support readiness and implementation, one opportunity we’re excited to pursue will be engaging SSI recipients on behalf of county agencies. These lists provided by CDSS via SSA (also known as the SSI/IDHS files) are lists we are well positioned to engage because:
- We already have a template of an executed MOU with Yolo County to text on behalf of a county agency.
- We are well-versed in TCPA compliance to ensure you aren’t breaking any laws.
- We can provide an actionable next step to screen and then apply for CalFresh.
Engaging SSI clients who may now be eligible for CalFresh is one exciting use-case to consider. However, engaging lists in a compliant way can be useful to enable your agency to connect Medicaid clients, WIC clients, or clients who may be in need who have subscribed to other programs. Another common use-case is clients who screened ineligible before the rules changed.
Check out the text we sent in Illinois in 2016 when the FPL for SNAP increased from 130% to 165%.
