California Welfare and Institutions Code § 10618.9

Welfare and Institutions Code
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(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the procedure described in this section is sufficient to meet any applicable due process requirements for the programs described in this section. Furthermore, for the purposes of those programs, it is the intent of the Legislature to promote the fair and expeditious resolution of disputes through the creation of complaint resolution processes and to establish minimum standards for the development of individualized written housing plans. (b) (1) Counties opting to participate in any of the following programs shall have written program policies and make them available to the public, including on the internet website of the county, and implement and conduct county-level complaint resolution processes according to minimum requirements developed by the department: (A) The CalWORKs Housing Support Program (Article 3.3 (commencing with Section 11330) of Chapter 2 of Part 3). (B) The Home Safe Program (Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 15770) of Part 3). (C) The Bringing Families Home Program (Article 6 (commencing with Section 16523) of Chapter 5 of Part 4). (D) The Housing and Disability Income Advocacy Program (Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 18999) of Part 6). (2) The minimum requirements developed by the department pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include all of the following elements: (A) A statewide standardized notice informing applicants for, and recipients of, the programs of the county-level complaint resolution process and state hearings process pursuant to subdivision (c), including all associated timelines, the right to submit a complaint within 30 calendar days from the date of the county action that gave rise to the complaint, and what constitutes good cause, as defined by future guidance to be developed by the department, for submitting a complaint after 30 calendar days. This information shall be provided in writing at the time of enrollment and discontinuance from the program, and shall meet all language and accessibility requirements, as prescribed by the department. The statewide standardized notice, which may be modified by counties to reflect their county-level complaint resolution process, shall be developed in consultation with stakeholders, including advocates for program applicants and recipients, representatives of labor organizations, the County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA), and legislative staff. (B) An objective decisionmaker who is a neutral person not directly involved in the county action that gave rise to the complaint and who has knowledge of the program’s written policies, the program requirements, and departmental guidance. (C) The right for any party to the complaint to present information in support of the complaint. Any party to the complaint shall also have the right to request a meeting to present information in person, by phone, or virtually, and to be represented by someone of their choosing. The meeting shall be held within 30 calendar days of receipt of a complaint. (D) A written decision describing the outcome of the complaint, including information about the complaint, the date of the decision, the basis of the county’s decision, including the relevant policies, laws, and facts, county contact information for any questions about the decision, and notice of the right to appeal the decision to a state hearing pursuant to subdivision (c). The decision shall be issued within the following timelines: (i) If no meeting is requested, a written decision shall be issued by the county no later than 30 calendar days following receipt of a complaint. (ii) If a meeting is requested, a written decision shall be issued within 15 working days from the date of the meeting. (E) Any other criteria or clarifying guidance determined by the department, in collaboration with CWDA, counties, and advocates for program applicants and recipients. (3) The department shall develop program guidance on a procedure for counties to inform recipi

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