General Assistance

California law requires that each county have a program to assist its low-income residents who are not eligible for cash assistance from other State and/or Federal programs. Calaveras County’s program is called “General Assistance” or “GA.” The GA Program provides monthly loans to eligible persons legally residing in the County who have no other means of support.

GA is a LOAN PROGRAM and must be paid back.

Whether or not a person is eligible to receive GA benefits depends on a number of things, including employment status, income, residency, property value, and citizenship status. The eligibility information listed below will give you an idea of whether or not you may be eligible to receive GA benefits. However, GA regulations are complex and eligibility for the program can only be fully evaluated by an Eligibility Worker (EW) at the Human Services Office.

Medical Assistance

You may be eligible for medical assistance through the Medi-Cal Program.
Visit their website by selecting the logo below.

CalFresh

You may be eligible for food assistance through the CalFresh Program.

Visit their website by selecting the logo below.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

Individuals generally must be at least 18 years of age to receive GA. Unmarried minors (under 18 years of age) are not eligible for GA. Persons under 18 who are married, divorced, or legally separated are not considered minors and may be eligible.

You must be unemployed, employed with income less than the grant level, or unable to work because of a physical, mental or functional disability.
Unemployed persons who are able to work will get benefits for 3 months ONLY.
All applicants/recipients are required to sign an Authorization for Reimbursement of Interim Assistance form at application and when it is required.
Personal property is limited to $500. Personal property includes bank accounts (checking or savings), stocks, bonds, cash on hand and so on.
One motor vehicle, five years old or older with a gross market value of not more than $4,650.00 may be exempt.
There is no limit on the value of real property if it is used as your home. If it is NOT used as your home, then 6% of the value is counted as income.

Liens/Reimbursement/Recoupment/Overpayments

All General Assistance received is a debt payable to the County of Calaveras. Any application for such aid shall incorporate an acknowledgment of such debt and an agreement to repay it when able. If a person acquires real property, the County shall have a claim against him/her for monies expended.
As condition of receipt of General Assistance, a recipient must sign a lien on any equity in real property that he or she owns an interest.
If a recipient performs on a work project with enough hours sufficient to reimburse the grant amount, no lien shall be attached nor executed upon.
All overpayments shall be recouped via grant reduction at no less than ten percent (10%) nor more than twenty percent (20%), of the monthly grant amount, based upon the individual circumstances.

Applying for General Assistance

7 December 2022

Applying for General Assistance

Apply for General Assistance at Calaveras Health and Human Services Agency located at 509 East St. Charles Street, San Andreas, CA 95249 or at any of our outstations.

Phone (209) 754-6452

Employable Recipients (only eligible to 3 months of GA)

7 December 2022

Employable Recipients (only eligible to 3 months of GA)

Persons who are able to work must be available for, and actively seek, full-time employment. The Employment Services department will assign employable persons to various activities. Employment Services completes and Appraisal, and assigns GA Participants to 3 months of job search. GA Participant is required to submit a weekly job search to Employment Services.

Income Limits

7 December 2022

Income Limits

All income received from any source must be reported and is subtracted from the monthly GA loan. All GA applicants and recipients must apply for other type(s) of income which they may be eligible to receive. Persons who are entitled to other public assistance programs (like CalWORKs or SSI) are NOT eligible for GA.

Unemployable Recipients

7 December 2022

Unemployable Recipients

Persons who claim that they are unable to work must provide medical verification and are required to cooperate in planning for rehabilitation as appropriate.

Vendor Payment for Rent

7 December 2022

Vendor Payment for Rent

Verification of housing costs must be provided. The GA rent amount is paid directly to the landlord. This payment is called a “vendor payment”.

Documents You Will Need to Provide

Your Eligibility Worker will tell you which documents you need to see if you are eligible for GA. These documents will also determine how much you’ll be receiving per month. Couples applying for GA must provide a marriage certificate. The following list contains examples of other kinds of documents you may need to give your Eligibility Worker.

Note: A housing verification form and a W-9 form will be included in your packet when you come in to apply for GA. Your Landlord may complete these forms to establish vendor payments. All vendor payments (up to the maximum allowable GA grant) are paid directly to the Landlord

Proof of Citizenship, Non-citizen Status, or Immigrant Status

7 December 2022

Proof of Citizenship, Non-citizen Status, or Immigrant Status

Birth Certificate
Alien Registration Card

Proof of Identity

7 December 2022

Proof of Identity

Picture Identification Card or Driver’s License from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or two pieces of identification which have a signature and/or physical description of yourself.