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. For additional information on CalFresh Work Rules, please click here.

Meeting Work Requirements

You can meet these hours through work, CalFresh Employment and Training (CFET) 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. This activity will not be available to you if you are only receiving Medi-Cal benefits. 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 and will offer direct referrals to their worksites 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, you will also have the option of getting a direct referral to an existing workfare partner.

If you are looking for a worksite where you can complete the hours assigned to you, you can use the resource guides and websites linked below to help your search. The websites can provide volunteering organizations for you to consider, but it is up to you to confirm that they are accepting volunteers, that they meet your work requirement, and that they can verify your hours completed.

Resource Guide Link Placeholder

GreatNonprofits: https://greatnonprofits.org/

Idealist: https://www.idealist.org/en/volunteer

L.A. Works: https://www.laworks.com/get-started

VolunteerLA: https://letsvolunteerla.org/

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 the PA 811 Workfare Assignment and Attendance Verification form, signed by the worksite supervisor, to verify that you successfully completed your assigned hours. 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 Workfare hours please use the PA 811 Workfare Assignment and Attendance Verification Form.

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 $17.81 for fiscal year 2025-2026, resulting in approximately 16 hours.

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 community 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 community organization where you want to complete your volunteer hours, provided that the organization is willing to verify participation.

Resource Guide Link Placeholder

GreatNonprofits: https://greatnonprofits.org/

Idealist: https://www.idealist.org/en/volunteer

L.A. Works: https://www.laworks.com/get-started

VolunteerLA: https://letsvolunteerla.org/

You will need to provide the CF 888 CalFresh Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents Volunteer Work Hours Verification Form, signed by the worksite supervisor, to verify that you successfully completed your assigned hours. 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 Community Service hours please use the CF 888, Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents Volunteer Work Hours Verification Form.

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: https://www.caljobs.ca.gov/vosnet/default.aspx
Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/

When you volunteer for the CFET program, you will receive a CFET Enrollment and 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.

To verify your CFET participation please use the form CFET Enrollment and Verification Form (placeholder)

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 https://www.ajcc.lacounty.gov/home.

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 https://www.ajcc.lacounty.gov/home, 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 a Work and Commmunity Engagement 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.

To verify your participation in a WIOA program use the form Work and Community Engagement Verification Form (placeholder)

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

Resources

If you are looking for work or a worksite where you can complete the hours assigned to you, you can use the resource guides and websites linked below to help your search. The websites can provide volunteering organizations for you to consider, but it is up to you to confirm that they are accepting volunteers, that they meet your work requirement, and that they can verify your completed hours.

Resource Guide Links Placeholder

CalJobs: https://www.caljobs.ca.gov/vosnet/default.aspx

GreatNonprofits: https://greatnonprofits.org/

Idealist: https://www.idealist.org/en/volunteer

Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/

L.A. Works: https://www.laworks.com/get-started

VolunteerLA: https://letsvolunteerla.org/

Partnership Opportunities

Workfare Worksite Opportunities

Workfare Worksites provide opportunities for individuals who need to meet work requirements to gain unpaid work experience in a practical way while maintaining their benefits.

If you have a private or public non-profit organization and are interested in becoming a Workfare Worksite, please reach out to us via email: Workfare@dpss.lacounty.gov.

Community Service Worksite Opportunities

If you have a community organization interested in partnering with DPSS as a Community Service worksite, please contact us by email: CommtySvc@dpss.lacounty.gov.

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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