Cal. WIC § 11322.6 — California Code / Code wic / Division 9 / Part 3 / Chapter 2 / Article 3.2 / Section 11322.6
Section 11322.6
Status: in_force

[Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 79, Sec. 10.   (SB 119)   Effective July 29, 2025.   Conditionally inoperative on or after July 1, 2026, as prescribed by its own provisions.     Conditionally repealed January 1 following the inoperative date.   See later operative version added by Sec. 11 of Stats. 2025, Ch. 79.]
The welfare-to-work plan developed by the county welfare department and the participant pursuant to this article shall provide for welfare-to-work activities. Welfare-to-work activities may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

(a) Unsubsidized employment.

(b) Subsidized private sector employment.

(c) Subsidized public sector employment.

(d) Work experience, which means public or private sector work that shall help provide basic job skills, enhance existing job skills in a position related to the participant’s experience, or provide a needed community service that will lead to employment. Unpaid work experience shall be limited to 12 months, unless the county welfare department and the recipient agree to extend this period by an amendment to the welfare-to-work plan. The county welfare department shall review the work experience assignment as appropriate and make revisions as necessary to ensure that it continues to be consistent with the participant’s plan and effective in preparing the participant to attain employment.

(e) On-the-job training.

(f) (1) Grant-based on-the-job training, which means public or private sector employment or on-the-job training in which the recipient’s cash grant, or a portion thereof, or the aid grant savings resulting from employment, or both, is diverted to the employer as a wage subsidy to partially or wholly offset the payment of wages to the participant, so long as the total amount diverted does not exceed the family’s maximum aid payment.

(2) A county shall not assign a participant to grant-based on-the-job training unless and until the participant has voluntarily agreed to participate in grant-based on-the-job training by executing a voluntary agreement form, which shall be developed by the department. The agreement shall include, but not be limited to, information on the following:

(A) How job termination or another event will not result in loss of the recipient’s grant funds, pursuant to department regulations.

(B) (i) How to obtain the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), including the Advance EITC, and increased CalFresh benefits, which may become available due to increased earned income.

(ii) This subparagraph shall only become operative when and to the extent that the department determines that it reflects current federal law and Internal Revenue Service regulations.

(C) How these financial supports should increase the participant’s current income and how increasing earned income should increase the recipient’s future social security income.

(3) Grant-based on-the-job training shall include community service positions pursuant to Section 11322.9.

(4) Any portion of a wage from employment that is funded by the diversion of a recipient’s cash grant, or the grant savings from employment pursuant to this subdivision, or both, shall not be exempt under Section 11451.5 from the calculation of the income of the family for purposes of subdivision (a) of Section 11450.

(g) Supported work or transitional employment, which means forms of grant-based on-the-job training in which the recipient’s cash grant, or a portion thereof, or the aid grant savings from employment, is diverted to an intermediary service provider, to partially or wholly offset the payment of wages to the participant.

(h) Work study.

(i) Self-employment.

(j) Community service.

(k) Adult basic education, which shall include reading, writing, arithmetic, high school proficiency, or general educational development certificate of instruction, and English as a second language. Participants under this subdivision shall be referred to appropriate service providers that include, but are not limited to, educational programs operated by school districts or county offices of education that have contracted with the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide services to participants pursuant to Section 33117.5 of the Education Code.

(l) Job skills training directly related to employment.

(m) Vocational education and training, including, but not limited to, college and community college education, adult education, regional occupational centers, and regional occupational programs.

(n) Job search and job readiness assistance, which means providing the recipient with training to learn job seeking and interviewing skills, to understand employer expectations, and learn skills designed to enhance an individual’s capacity to move toward self-sufficiency, including financial management education.

(o) Education directly related to employment.

(p) Satisfactory progress in secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general educational development, in the case of a recipient who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate.

(q) Mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence services, described in Sections 11325.7 and 11325.8, and Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 11495), that are necessary to obtain and retain employment.

(r) Other activities necessary to assist an individual in obtaining unsubsidized employment.

Assignment to an educational activity identified in subdivisions (k), (m), (o), and (p) is limited to those situations in which the education is needed to become employed.

(s) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2026, or, if automation is necessary, the later of July 1, 2026, or when the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement this section, as added by the act that added this subdivision, and, as of January 1 of the following year, is repealed.

[Repealed (in Sec. 10) and added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 79, Sec. 11.   (SB 119)   Effective July 29, 2025.   Conditionally operative on or after July 1, 2026, as prescribed by its own provisions.]
(a) The welfare-to-work plan developed pursuant to this article shall provide for welfare-to-work activities. Welfare-to-work activities may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

(1) Educational activities, which may include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(A) Postsecondary education leading to a degree or certificate, which may be attended in person or online.

(B) Obtaining a high school diploma.

(C) Technical training and vocational education and training, including, but not limited to, college and community college education, adult education, regional occupational centers, and regional occupational programs.

(D) Career-specific education.

(E) Job skills training.

(F) Adult basic education, which shall include reading, writing, arithmetic, high school proficiency, or a general educational development certificate of instruction, and English as a second language. Participants under this subparagraph shall be referred to appropriate service providers that include, but are not limited to, educational programs operated by school districts or county offices of education that have contracted with the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide services to participants pursuant to Section 33117.5 of the Education Code.

(2) Work activities, which may include, but are not limited to, those set forth in Section 261.30 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and any of the following:

(A) Unsubsidized employment.

(B) Subsidized private or public sector employment.

(C) Work experience, which means public or private sector work that shall help provide basic job skills, enhance existing job skills in a position related to the participant’s experience, or provide a needed community service that will lead to employment. Unpaid work experience shall be limited to 12 months, unless the county welfare department and the recipient agree to extend this period by an amendment to the welfare-to-work plan. The county welfare department shall review the work experience assignment as appropriate and make revisions as necessary to ensure that it continues to be consistent with the participant’s plan and effective in preparing the participant to attain employment.

(D) On-the-job training.

(E) (i) Grant-based on-the-job training, which means public or private sector employment or on-the-job training in which the recipient’s cash grant, or a portion thereof, or the aid grant savings resulting from employment, or both, is diverted to the employer as a wage subsidy to partially or wholly offset the payment of wages to the participant, so long as the total amount diverted does not exceed the family’s maximum aid payment.

(ii) A county shall not assign a participant to grant-based on-the-job training unless and until the participant has voluntarily agreed to participate in grant-based on-the-job training by executing a voluntary agreement form, which shall be developed by the department. The agreement shall include, but not be limited to, information on the following:

(I) How job termination or another event will not result in loss of the recipient’s grant funds, pursuant to department regulations.

(II) (ia) How to obtain the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), including the Advance EITC, and increased CalFresh benefits, which may become available due to increased earned income.

(ib) This subparagraph shall only become operative when and to the extent that the department determines that it reflects current federal law and Internal Revenue Service regulations.

(III) How these financial supports should increase the participant’s current income and how increasing earned income should increase the recipient’s future social security income.

(iii) Grant-based on-the-job training shall include community service positions pursuant to Section 11322.9.

(iv) Any portion of a wage from employment that is funded by the diversion of a recipient’s cash grant, or the grant savings from employment pursuant to this subdivision, or both, shall not be exempt under Section 11451.5 from the calculation of the income of the family for purposes of subdivision (a) of Section 11450.

(F) Supported work or transitional employment, which means forms of grant-based on-the-job training in which the recipient’s cash grant, or a portion thereof, or the aid grant savings from employment, is diverted to an intermediary service provider, to partially or wholly offset the payment of wages to the participant.

(3) Barrier removal services, when available, which may include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(A) Mental health services, as described in Section 11325.7; substance abuse treatment services, as described in Section 11325.8; CalWORKs Home Visiting Program services, as described in Article 3.4 (commencing with Section 11330.6); and domestic violence services, as described in Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 11495).

(B) Financial literacy classes and coaching.

(C) Activities that develop and enhance workplace skills, including, but not limited to, career-specific training programs, English language learning, literacy and mathematics skill courses, or credential programs.

(D) Working with children’s health and school professionals, parenting classes, education-related appointments for the participant or their dependents, child welfare or child welfare-related activities, and any other activities to help ensure child well-being and family unity.

(E) Activities that build foundations for employment, including, but not limited to, housing search efforts.

(F) Activities related to legal issues or housing stability, including, but not limited to, court appearances, housing searches and tenant rights and obligation classes, homeless support programs, and shelter participation requirements.

(b) The department shall have the discretion to identify additional plan activities that improve employment opportunities and family well-being.

(c) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this section by means of all-county letters or similar written instructions from the department until regulations are adopted. These all-county letters or similar instructions shall have the same force and effect as regulations until the adoption of regulations.

(d) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026, or, if automation is necessary, the later of July 1, 2026, or when the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement this section.