(a) The State Department of Social Services shall submit a request to the United States Department of Agriculture for a waiver to permit a CalFresh household to retain funds in the restricted savings account as specified in subdivision (a) of Section 11155.2 and as accumulated while participating in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. The participation requirements for this specific savings account as specified in subdivision (a) of Section 11155.2 shall apply to CalFresh. Penalties for nonqualifying withdrawal of these funds shall result in a calculation of a period of ineligibility for all persons in the CalFresh household, to be determined by dividing the balance in the account immediately prior to the withdrawal by the CalFresh allotment to which the household is entitled. The resulting whole number shall be the number of months of ineligibility. The period of ineligibility may be reduced when the divisor, which is the CalFresh allotment, increases as a result of a cost-of-living adjustment.

(b) The director may waive, with federal approval, the enforcement of specific federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program requirements, regulations, and standards necessary to implement this provision.

(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 227, Sec. 92. (AB 1400) Effective January 1, 2012.)