Section 11322.64.

(a) (1) The department, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, shall develop an allocation methodology to distribute additional funding for expanded subsidized employment programs for CalWORKs recipients.

(2) Funds allocated pursuant to this section may be utilized to cover all expenditures related to the operational costs of the expanded subsidized employment program, including the cost of overseeing the program, developing work sites, and providing training to participants, as well as wage and nonwage costs.

(3) The department, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, shall determine the amount or proportion of funding allocated pursuant to this section that may be utilized for operational costs, consistent with the number of employment slots anticipated to be created and the funding provided.

(b) Funds allocated for expanded subsidized employment shall be in addition to, and independent of, the county allocations made pursuant to Section 15204.2 and shall not be used by a county to fund subsidized employment pursuant to Section 11322.63.

(c) Each county shall submit to the department a plan regarding how it intends to utilize the funds allocated pursuant to this section.

(d) (1) Participation in subsidized employment pursuant to this section shall be limited to a maximum of six months for each participant.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a county may extend participation beyond the six-month limitation described in paragraph (1) for up to an additional three months at a time, to a maximum of no more than 12 total months. Extensions may be granted pursuant to this paragraph if the county determines that the additional time will increase the likelihood of either of the following:

(A) The participant obtaining unsubsidized employment with the participating employer.

(B) The participant obtaining specific skills and experiences relevant for unsubsidized employment in a particular field.

(e) A county may continue to provide subsidized employment funded under this section to individuals who become ineligible for CalWORKs benefits in accordance with Section 11323.25.

(f) Upon application for CalWORKs assistance after a participant's subsidized employment ends, if an assistance unit is otherwise eligible within three calendar months of the date that subsidized employment ended, the income exemption requirements contained in Section 11451.5 and the work requirements contained in subdivision (c) of Section 11201 shall apply. If aid is restored after the expiration of that three-month period, the income exemption requirements contained in Section 11450.12 and the work requirements contained in subdivision (b) of Section 11201 shall apply.

(g) No later than April 1, 2015, the State Department of Social Services shall submit at least the following information regarding implementation of this section to the Legislature:

(1) The number of CalWORKs recipients that entered subsidized employment.

(2) The number of CalWORKs recipients who found nonsubsidized employment after the subsidy ends.

(3) The earnings of the program participants before and after the subsidy.

(4) The impact of this program on the state's work participation rate.

(Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 21, Sec. 25. Effective June 27, 2013.)