CA SB 950

Title: Reentry from incarceration: programs and benefits.
Author: Thomas J. Umberg

Summary
SB 950, as amended, Skinner. Reentry from incarceration: programs and benefits. Existing federal law establishes various disability benefits programs, including the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, under which cash assistance is provided to qualified low-income aged, blind, and disabled persons. Existing federal law requires the federal Commissioner of Social Security to develop a system under which an individual can apply for SSI benefits prior to the discharge or release of the individual from a public institution.Existing law also provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions.This bill would require the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to establish and maintain a statewide memoranda of understanding with the federal Social Security Administration to allow a person incarcerated in a correctional institution to apply for and receive a replacement social security card and to allow the administration to process SSI claims under the prerelease program.Existing law establishes the Board of State and Community Corrections to provide statewide leadership, coordination, and technical assistance to promote effective state and local efforts and partnerships in California’s adult and juvenile criminal justice system, as specified. Under existing law, the board administers several grant programs, including a mentally ill offender crime reduction grant program, a medication-assisted treatment grant program, and a violence intervention and prevention grant program. Existing law authorizes CDCR to contract for the establishment and operation of community correctional reentry centers to provide an enhancement program to increase the likelihood of a successful parole and to assist inmates with educational and employment training, among other objectives.This bill would require the board to work in collaboration with drug and alcohol recovery experts and reentry advocates, among others, to develop recommendations for expanding existing grant programs to better serve people with special needs with permanent supportive housing options. The bill would require CDCR to work with the California Department of Aging, among others, to develop a report exploring alternatives to incarceration for individuals who are advanced in age or disabled and who would otherwise qualify for a community correctional reentry center. The bill would also require CDCR to convene a working group of certain vendors holding community-based reentry contracts to develop a plan for establishing statewide in-reach efforts available under specified Medi-Cal programs. The bill would require the board and CDCR to make these recommendations and reports to the Legislature on or before March 31, 2025.Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing federal law generally prohibits a resident of a correctional institution from receiving supplemental nutrition assistance benefits. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, if the department deems it necessary to maximize CalFresh enrollment outcomes or employment placement success rates for individuals reentering the community from the state prison or a county jail, to request from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service a waiver of that prohibition to allow for preenrollment of applicants prior to their release.This bill would require CDCR to ensure that all eligible residents of a community correctional reentry center are enrolled in the Medi-Cal program within 30 days

Status
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (April 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

Bill Documents
CA SB 950 - 03/13/24 - Amended Senate
03/13/24 - CA SB 950 (03/13/24 - Amended Senate)