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CalWORKS/Medi-Cal/Food Stamp Immunization Project Background The CalWORKs/Medi-Cal/Food Stamp Immunization Project was started in June of 1996 as a collaborative effort between the county’s Child Welfare Services and Immunization programs. It was designed to meet the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and State CalWORKs requirement that dependent children under 6 years of age receiving assistance be fully immunized. In addition, the program alerts parents with dependent children under 6 years of age who receive Medi-Cal or Food Stamps about missing immunizations. By September 1998, all HHSA Family Resource Centers were participating in the immunization record assessment, which also included HHSA’s Medi-Cal & Food Stamp programs. By December 2004 ALL HHSA sites were accessing the web-based San Diego Regional Immunization Registry (SDIR) to enter and assess children’s immunizations. How CalWORKS and Immunizations work together At time of application or renewal, the client is asked to provide immunization records for children under the age of 6 to verify up-to-date status of immunizations. The record for that child will then be searched for in the San Diego Regional Immunization Registry (SDIR). Upon verification of immunizations, the family is granted benefits. If the child is not up-to-date at time of application or renewal, the family will be given 45 days to comply. If family does not comply one adult in family will be sanctioned. If the child is not already in the SDIR, the Human Services Specialist or clerk will enter the child into the SDIR to verify up-to-date status of immunizations. Project support for CalWORK/Medi-Cal and Food Stamps The CalWORKs Project Manager presents information to HHSA CalWORKs staff and explains the benefits of participating in the SDIR. She assesses each HHSA CalWORKs site for their layout and procedures (equipment, client flow, paper stream, etc.) to ensure that each site can effectively use the SDIR in their assessment activities. She also trains the CalWORKS staff how to use the SDIR and provides ongoing support. Currently, ALL County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency’s CalWORKs sites are assessing immunization records by using the SDIR. For more information on the CalWORKS project, please contact:
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