Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Claire Cunningham, Director, Human Services Agency
Subject: Authorization of Change to General Assistance Program
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution authorizing modification to the rules and regulations of the General Assistance Program by establishing time limits of six (6) months of aid in a twelve (12) month period for General Assistance (GA) recipients who are determined employable.
body
BACKGROUND:
State law requires counties to provide support for indigent county residents who do not qualify for other financial assistance. Counties meet this requirement by providing financial assistance through the GA program.
Pursuant to Section 2.30.050 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code, the Human Services Agency (HSA) is responsible for formulating the rules and regulations concerning policies and procedures in the administration of all social service programs in the County of San Mateo. Such rules and regulations are presented for review to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
DISCUSSION:
GA program requirements in San Mateo County have not previously included time limits. HSA reviewed the San Mateo County GA program requirement amounts and conducted a comparative analysis with other counties within the state and found that forty-six (46) California counties currently impose time limits for their GA programs, including the nearby counties of Alameda and Marin.
The County seeks to change the GA program administration rules to implement time limits of six (6) months of aid in a twelve (12) month period on employable GA recipients receiving aid in San Mateo County. Currently, more than half of the aided individuals in any given month are employable.
Employable recipients who do not meet any exemptions are mandated to participate in HSA’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) where they are assigned to various work activities including supervised job search.
During the proposed six (6) month time limit, our colleagues at Employment Services will continue to work with GA recipients with a shared goal of obtaining job skills and opportunities for full-time employment. These time limits would not be applicable to our non-employable/disabled GA recipients.
The proposed changes to the GA program would be implemented no later than July 1, 2026. Full implementation will include the publication of a revised GA policy handbook; the development of notices of action and related documentation to inform applicants and recipients of the new regulations; the issuance of system instructions to ensure accurate determinations of GA eligibility and time on aid under the revised time-limit requirements; comprehensive staff training on both program requirements and system procedures; and coordinated communication with stakeholders to support a smooth and effective rollout of the changes.
Once implemented, HSA proposes that the time limits for current active employable GA recipients be implemented at the time at which they complete their upcoming annual redetermination. This will minimize caseload impact on the HSA VRS team while allowing HSA ample time to notify currently impacted GA recipients of upcoming changes, ensuring time to plan and prepare for the change.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
There are no performances measure with this item.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
The proposed action will impact employable GA applicants and recipients as there will be a six (6) month time limit in a twelve (12) month period in which they are eligible to receive GA benefits. HSA will continue to work with the employable recipients through programs offered through VRS to assist the recipient in obtaining job skills and locating opportunities for employment to replace the monthly GA grant with income. There will be no impact to unemployable/disabled GA applicants and recipients as they will not be held to the six (6) month time limit. As of November 2025, there were a total of 587 active GA recipients. Of that number, 374 recipients are in the employable category and 213 are in the non-employable/disabled category.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed Board action to implement a (6) six-month time limit within a (12) twelve-month period for active GA employable recipients is expected to reduce program expenditures for this population. The average monthly cost for active GA employable recipients has increased in recent periods, with a (6) six-month average of approximately $290,000 per month. Using this figure, the projected gross cost for (12) twelve months under the current policy is estimated at $3,480,000.
Implementing the six-month limit is anticipated to reduce expenditure by approximately 50% of current annual costs, resulting in potential Net County Cost savings of up to $1,740,000 annually.