CalFresh and Medi-Cal Work Requirements

Some people must meet work requirements to keep receiving CalFresh and Medi-Cal benefits. In California, work requirements for CalFresh begin June 1, 2026, and for Medi-Cal begin January 1, 2027. These rules mean you may need to complete a set number of hours each month through work or approved activities.

What Are Work Requirements?

Work requirements generally apply to individuals who are able to work and do not qualify for an exemption. To keep getting benefits, you must complete assigned monthly hours through approved work-related activities or volunteer service.

DPSS will tell you what you need to do and how to report your hours. Click here for additional information on the CalFresh Work Rules.

Meeting Work Requirements

You can meet these hours through work, Employment and Training activities, Workfare, or Community Service. If you need to meet work requirements, you must complete a set number of hours each month to keep your benefits. You can do this through approved activities that also help your community.

If you receive CalFresh, starting June 1, 2026, you can meet your work requirements through work, Workfare, Community Service, or Employment and Training activities.

If you are receiving Medi-Cal, starting January 1, 2027, you may need to meet work requirements. You can do this through work or community engagement activities, such as education or Community Service.

DPSS will let you know if these rules apply to you and how many hours you need to complete each month.

Workfare

What is Workfare?

Workfare is an activity that allows participants to meet the work requirements by volunteering at a local public or private nonprofit agency in Los Angeles County. Workfare provides you with unpaid hands-on work experience and an opportunity to develop work habits that can help you move into regular employment. If you choose to meet your work requirements through Workfare, you will have to verify your completed hours every month. Starting on June 1, 2026, you will have the option to self-initiate Workfare by finding a worksite of your choosing to complete your hours, so long as the agency is a public or private nonprofit and can verify your hours. DPSS is developing partnerships with public and private nonprofit agencies to help guide you to worksite options in the near future.

You can select a nonprofit organization where you want to complete your hours, provided it is willing to verify your participation by completing the verification form. In the near future, DPSS can help guide you to an existing workfare partner.

If you need some help finding a worksite where you can complete the hours assigned to you, you can click here to download the PA 6284, Workfare and Community Service Resource Guide or you can ask your DPSS worker for a copy to help your search. You can also look for volunteering opportunities online, below are some examples of websites you could use to search for places to volunteer in your area.

GreatNonprofits.org

Idealist.org

LAWorks.com

LetsVolunteerLA.org

These websites can provide volunteering organizations for you to consider, but please note that these do not belong to DPSS, and DPSS cannot guarantee that they will have opportunities available. It is up to you to confirm that the organization is accepting volunteers, that the activity can meet your work requirement, and that the organization can verify your hours completed.

Once you find a location you're interested in, you can sign up online, give them a call, or send an email to ask if they are accepting volunteers. If the organization confirms that they are accepting volunteers, let them know you need them to complete a form that verifies the number of hours completed. When you report to the organization, show them the form that they need to complete to verify your completed hours.

You will need to provide monthly verification completed by the worksite supervisor, such as a signed PA 811, Workfare Assignment and Attendance Verification Form, to verify that you successfully completed your assigned hours. Your worksite supervisor may complete other forms of verification for you, but it must provide information similar to the PA 811. You can download the PA 811 below and submit the verification form to your worker by uploading it to your BenefitsCal account at www.BenefitsCal.com, by mail, or in person at your local county office.

To verify your completed Workfare hours, DPSS may accept the following:

PA 811, Workfare Assignment and Attendance Verification Form;
CF 888, Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents Volunteer Work Hours Verification Form; or
A written or verbal statement from a representative of the nonprofit organization where you completed your hours that includes the organization's name, organization's contact information, representative's signature, number of hours you completed for the month, and whether your assignment will continue for the next month or if it was one-time only.

The number of hours you will work at a worksite is determined by dividing the amount of monthly CalFresh benefits your household receives by the County's minimum wage.

For example, for a household of one receiving a monthly CalFresh allotment of $298, the monthly participation hours would be calculated by dividing the benefit amount by the Los Angeles County minimum wage of $18.47 for fiscal year 2026-2027, resulting in approximately 16 hours.

You will receive a CF 892, CalFresh Informing Notice - Participating in Workfare, which will provide you an overview of your reporting responsibilities and expectations, and the number of monthly hours assigned to your household. If you lose the CF 892, you may also contact the Customer Service Center at (866) 613-3777 to confirm the number of monthly Workfare hours your household is assigned to complete.

Community Service or Volunteer Work

What is Community Service or Volunteer Work?

Community Service or Volunteer Work is an activity that allows you to meet the work requirements through unpaid volunteering at a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles County. Community Service or Volunteer Work provides you with a way to contribute to your local communities through volunteering, and an opportunity to develop work habits that enable you to move into regular employment.

You can select any nonprofit organization where you want to complete your volunteer hours, provided that the organization is willing to verify participation.

GreatNonprofits.org

Idealist.org

LAWorks.com

LetsVolunteerLA.org

You will need to provide verification completed by the worksite supervisor, such as a signed CF 888, CalFresh Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents Volunteer Work Hours Verification Form, to verify that you successfully completed your assigned hours. Your worksite supervisor may provide other forms of verification for you, but it must provide information similar to the CF 888. You can download the CF 888 below and submit the verification form to your worker by uploading it to your BenefitsCal account at www.BenefitsCal.com, by mail, or in person at your local county office.

To verify your completed Community Service hours, DPSS may accept the following:

CF 888, Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents Volunteer Work Hours Verification Form; or
A written or verbal statement from a representative of the nonprofit organization where you completed your hours that includes the organization's name, organization's contact information, representative's signature, number of hours you completed for the month, and whether your assignment will continue for the next month or if it was one-time only.

The Community Service activity requires you to complete 20 hours per week or an average of 80 hours per month.

Employment and Training

CalFresh Employment and Training (CFET)

What is CFET?

CFET is a voluntary program available to California residents who want to enhance their employment opportunities through education, training, or work-based learning. In Los Angeles County, the CFET Program is administered by DPSS, and CFET services are provided by CFET partner agencies.

You can meet your CalFresh work requirements through CFET by participating in an approved workforce program. When you apply for or renew CalFresh, you will be screened for CFET. If you are eligible and choose to participate, you will receive a CFET Provider Resource Guide with a list of approved agencies in Los Angeles County. Enrolling and actively participating in one of these programs will count toward meeting your CalFresh work requirements:

Education;
Job Retention;
Self-Employment Training;
Supervised Job Search, only when operated under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), under section 236 of the Trade Act, or a program of employment and training for veterans operated by the Department of Labor or the Department of Veterans Affairs;
Workfare; and
Work Experience.

If you are looking for a site where you can complete the hours assigned to you, you can use the resource guide and websites linked below to help your search.

CFET Provider Resource Guide (placeholder)
CalJobs.gov
Indeed.com

When you volunteer for the CFET program, you will receive an ABP 4082, Employment, Training, and Education Verification Form. Take this form to the agency where you complete your hours so they can fill it out. Once completed, you must return the form to DPSS within 10 days to ensure your completed hours are properly recorded. The agency may provide you with another form of verification, but it must show the same information requested on the ABP 4082.

To verify your CFET participation hours, DPSS may accept the following:

ABP 4082, Employment, Training, and Education Verification Form (placeholder); or
A written or verbal statement from a representative of the agency where you completed your hours that includes the agency's name, agency's contact information, representative's signature, number of hours you completed for the month, and whether your assignment will continue for the next month or if it was one-time only.

You must complete 20 hours a week, or 80 hours a month of CFET activities to meet the CalFresh work requirements.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

What is WIOA?

WIOA programs offer a variety of services to help job seekers improve skills and find a career, such as job search and resume workshops, job fairs, job referrals, and training at no cost. WIOA programs are administered through a network of America's Job Center of California (AJCC) locations across Los Angeles County. For more information or to find your nearest AJCC, you can visit ajcc.lacounty.gov.

You can meet your CalFresh work requirements through WIOA by participating in an approved WIOA program at an AJCC. You can find your nearest AJCC by visiting ajcc.lacounty.gov, and contacting the AJCC to see what services may be available to you. Enrolling and actively participating in one of these programs will count toward meeting your CalFresh work requirements.

When you enroll in a WIOA program, you can request an ABP 4082, Employment, Training, and Education Verification Form from DPSS. Take this form to the AJCC that you are enrolled with so they can fill it out. Once completed, you must return the form to DPSS within 10 days to ensure your completed hours are properly recorded. The agency may provide you with another form of verification, but it must show the same information requested on the ABP 4082.

To verify your participation in a WIOA program, DPSS may accept the following:

ABP 4082, Employment, Training, and Education Verification Form (placeholder), or
A written or verbal statement from a representative of the AJCC where you completed your hours that includes the AJCC's name, AJCC's contact information, representative's signature, number of hours you completed for the month, and whether your assignment will continue for the next month or if it was one-time only.

You must complete 20 hours a week, or 80 hours a month of WIOA activities to meet the CalFresh work requirements.

Resources

DPSS Resource Guide

If you are looking for work or a worksite where you can complete your required hours, you can use the PA 6284, Workfare and Community Service Resource Guide to help your search. The PA 6284 lists nonprofit organizations that may offer volunteer opportunities. Before you visit an organization, contact them to confirm that they are currently accepting volunteers.

Volunteer Search Websites

The websites listed below can help you search for work or volunteer opportunities. These websites are not affiliated with DPSS, and DPSS cannot guarantee that volunteer opportunities will be available. Before you begin volunteering, confirm that the organization is accepting volunteers, that the activity can meet your work requirement, and that the organization can verify your completed hours.

CalJobs.org

GreatNonprofits.org

Idealist.org

Indeed.com

LAWorks.com

LetsVolunteerLA.org

Verification Forms

You can download and print copies of verification forms below to take to the organization where you will complete your assigned hours.

ABP 4082, Employment, Training, and Education Verification Form (placeholder)
CF 888, Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents Volunteer Work Hours Verification Form
PA 811, Workfare Assignment and Attendance Verification Form

Partnership Opportunities

Community Partners

Community Partners is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit intermediary organization that works to foster, launch, and grow creative solutions to community challenges. Community Partners is supporting DPSS by hosting information sessions to inform nonprofit and community-based organizations of HR 1 impacts, help the Los Angeles community navigate HR 1 changes to stay enrolled, and prepare for Medi-Cal Community Engagement requirements coming in January 2027.

DPSS is also working with Community Partners to create relationships with nonprofit organizations across Los Angeles County that can provide volunteering opportunities to help individuals meet their work requirements to maintain their benefits, while gaining valuable unpaid work experience serving their communities.

Information Sessions

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a worksite, please register for an upcoming information session by visiting the Community Partners Los Angeles County Workfare/Community Service Hub.

Questions

If you have a nonprofit organization and are interested in becoming a worksite, you can email us about Workfare at Workfare@dpss.lacounty.gov or about Community Service at CommtySvc@dpss.lacounty.gov, where we can answer your questions and connect you with Community Partners for more information.

Funding provided in part by United States Department of Agriculture. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer, and Lender.

Apply On-Line with BenefitsCal

The easiest and quickest way to apply for CalFresh or Medi-Cal is online at BenefitsCal.

Apply by Telephone!

You can apply by phone. Call the Customer Service Center (CSC) (866) 613-3777 to have an application mailed to you.

Apply In Person

You can apply In person at any Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) District Office or outreach site.

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