Social Services Bills

Makes technical changes to adult protective services investigation guidelines.

Requires foster care monthly supplements to be adjusted for inflation starting January 2026. Maintains the existing $489 monthly supplement for foster care providers caring for children. Protects local agencies from unfunded cost increases through state funding requirements.

Requires counties to develop trauma-informed care plans for foster youth by January 2027. Mandates counties to expand slots in short-term residential therapeutic programs. Establishes biennial plan updates to improve support for traumatized foster youth. Creates new county requirements without guaranteeing state funding for implementation.

Excludes student board member compensation from counting as income for public assistance programs and scholarships. Establishes monthly compensation rates for county education board members based on county size. Allows school boards to award student members both course credit and financial compensation for their service.

Authorizes counties to develop specialized emergency response procedures for individuals with autism and disabilities. Requires mobile response teams to use specific deescalation techniques based on individual circumstances. Mandates collaboration between behavioral health directors and law enforcement on emergency response training.

Makes technical changes to provisions regarding misuse of veterans' benefit funds.

Allows dependents of veterans to receive state educational benefits while simultaneously accessing federal educational benefits or other government assistance. Expands educational opportunities for spouses of totally disabled veterans by removing restrictions on concurrent benefit receipt. Takes effect immediately upon passage with a majority vote requirement.

Strengthens elder abuse protections by allowing courts to lower the evidence standard when nursing homes or residential care facilities intentionally destroy or hide evidence. Requires courts to award attorney fees and costs to plaintiffs who prove physical abuse, neglect, or abandonment under the new evidence standard. Applies specifically to residential care facilities for the elderly and skilled nursing facilities, with exceptions for hospitals and certain licensed facilities. Becomes inoperative if the state must provide Medi-Cal reimbursement to facilities for associated costs and the Legislature fails to appropriate sufficient funds.

Excludes veterans' disability compensation from monthly income calculations when determining eligibility for court fee waivers. Expands access to court fee waivers for veterans while maintaining existing income thresholds of 200% or less of federal poverty guidelines for other applicants. Requires courts to implement this veterans' exemption when evaluating fee waiver applications.

Establishes new coordination requirements between county human services agencies and public colleges to better connect students with food, housing, and other basic needs assistance. Requires the Department of Social Services to develop training programs for campus basic needs staff and create a statewide workgroup with quarterly meetings to share best practices. Mandates counties to incorporate input from campus basic needs directors when developing protocols for student assistance programs. Requires the Department to submit reports every three years starting May 2027 on student enrollment trends and service effectiveness.

Makes technical changes to provisions regarding disabled veterans' benefit eligibility requirements.

Establishes a guaranteed income program providing homeless high school seniors $1,000 monthly from May to August 2026. Excludes program payments from income calculations for state benefits like CalWORKs and CalFresh. Requires school liaisons to confidentially distribute program information to eligible homeless students. Mandates program evaluation focusing on college enrollment and economic security outcomes.