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Board approves General Assistance policy changes amid worker warnings of severe backlog and staffing shortfall
Summary
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved procedural changes to the county's General Assistance (GA) program while county eligibility staff and their union warned of a backlog and staffing reductions that they said risk leaving thousands of applicants waiting months for benefits.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 approved recommended changes to the county's General Assistance policy intended to streamline eligibility and reduce retroactive payments, while staff and union representatives warned the cutbacks in staff handling GA could deepen an existing backlog.
Supporters of the change and county managers said the policy adjustments will align GA eligibility with Medi-Cal and CalFresh documentation to reduce redundant verification steps and speed approvals. "We have created a GA-only unit," said Ethan Dye, director for the Department of Human Assistance, explaining the intent to apply documentation collected for Medi-Cal and CalFresh to GA cases.
Why it matters: Supervisors approved the item on the consent calendar; the county intends the procedural changes to shorten application processing time and reduce retroactive payouts. But multiple employees and union leaders told the board the program already faces severe understaffing and long delays that will…
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