State officials outline steps to boost CalFresh access for older adults, including ESAP expansion and CFAP timeline

Jennifer Troya, director of the California Department of Social Services, told the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services that CalFresh is the state’s largest anti-hunger program and described recent steps to increase participation among older adults and people with disabilities.

The department said the 2019 expansion that allowed Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients to enroll in CalFresh drove a large portion of the increase in older adult participation, and officials described two federal demonstration projects and state outreach to sustain gains. The department also reiterated that the state-funded California Food Assistance Program expansion for income-eligible people age 55 and older remains on track for an October 1, 2027, start, but that automation work is paused and will resume in January 2026.

Why it matters: CalFresh provides food benefits to more than 5.5 million Californians and is the state’s primary anti-hunger program. Older adults now represent a larger share of the caseload, and advocates and county welfare directors told the committee that continued state investments and targeted outreach are needed to close remaining participation gaps and raise benefit adequacy.

What officials reported

- Troya said CalFresh delivers roughly $1.1 billion in federally funded food benefits each month to just over 5.5 million Californians and that the program has historically under‑reached some eligible groups.

- The department reported a state estimate of approximately 77% participation in 2021 using a program reach index and told the committee that participation rose about 35% between 2017 and 2022. Officials said 22% of the December 2024 CalFresh caseload were older adults (about 1.3 million people).

- Deputy Director Alexis Fernandez Garcia described two federal demonstration projects: the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) and a standard medical deduction demonstration. ESAP eliminates the recertification interview and periodic reporting for eligible households composed entirely of older adults or people with disabilities and extends certification periods to 36 months; the department said ESAP is approved through September 2026 and had over 1.1 million participants in federal fiscal year 2025.

- The department said outreach partners include the California Department of Aging, the statewide CalFresh outreach network, county enrollment efforts tied to Medi-Cal and pilot projects with the Social Security Administration to enable electronic application submission through BenefitsCal.

Advocates and counties

- Becky Silva, director of government relations for the California Association of Food Banks, and Trinh Phan of Justice in Aging both urged the legislature to build on the 2019 eligibility expansion and to increase minimum benefit pilots; Silva noted a 2023–24 state pilot that raised minimum benefits for some households to $60 per month.

- The County Welfare Directors Association said counties are using every touchpoint with Medi-Cal beneficiaries to encourage CalFresh enrollment and that electronic application flows from Social Security benefit interactions have reduced administrative barriers.

Department commitments and next steps

- CDSS told the committee it is developing a new, more granular methodology to measure CalFresh participation and plans to publish that methodology this summer and provide annual updates via an accessible data dashboard.

- The department said general policy guidance for the CFAP expansion was released in 2023 and remaining guidance is on track to be published by the end of 2025; automation work will resume January 2026 to meet the statutory October 1, 2027, implementation date.

Quotations

“CalFresh is the State’s largest anti-hunger program, providing monthly food and economic benefits to low‑income individuals, families, and communities,” CDSS Director Jennifer Troya told the subcommittee.

“Participation in SNAP among older adults is associated with greater medical adherence, fewer hospital visits, lower healthcare costs, and greater food security,” Troya added.

What the committee pressed on

Members asked how federal budget proposals that would cut SNAP could affect Californians. Department and finance staff said the federal benefit payments flow directly to recipients and that federal reductions would be felt by families and local economies even if they do not all show up on the state ledger.

Ending

Committee members asked CDSS and the Legislative Analyst’s Office to continue technical work on the participation denominator and to provide staff-level assistance on outreach and the methodology. CDSS also committed to continuing stakeholder engagement and to publish the participation methodology this summer.