Additional courses can be developed to meet the particular needs of agencies.

The Certificate Program in Public Assistance offers agencies an in-depth program for developing eligibility staff with a broad understanding of their work.

Client Support

Encouraging Self-Sufficiency
Supporting Client Job Retention
Alternatives for Clients Denied Benefits

Job Management for Eligibility Workers

Caseload Management
Effective Case Recording
Understanding the Social Services Side of the Agency
Understanding Employment Services

Fraud Detection and Prevention

Detecting and Preventing Applicant Fraud
Fraud Detection and Prevention Techniques
Altered and Forged Documents
Fraud Confrontation Interviewing
Competency and Credibility: Keys to Fraud Prevention

CalWORKs and Public Assistance

Orientation to Public Assistance
Introduction to CalWORKs
CalWORKs Eligibility Criteria
CalWORKs Standard Filing and Assistance Unit Composition
CalWORKs Property and Food Stamp Resource Determinations
Valuing Vehicles in the CalWORKs and Food Stamp Programs
Cooperation Requirements for CalWORKs
Treatment of Income for CalWORKs and Food Stamps
Prospective and Retrospective Budgeting
Processing the Monthly Eligibility Report
Specialized CalWORKs Assistance Units
Minor Parent Regulations--Teen Pregnancy Disincentive Program
RISPs, Recurring and Nonrecurring Special Needs Payments
Child Care Programs
Identifying and Calculating Overpayments

Food Stamps

Introduction to Food Stamps
Determining Household Composition in the Food Stamp Program
Noncitizen Eligibility in the Food Stamp Program
Resource Determinations for Food Stamps
Valuing Vehicles in the Food Stamp Program
Work Registration and ABAWD Requirements in the Food Stamp Program
Income and Income Deductions in the Food Stamp Program
Food Stamp Budgeting Concepts
Food Stamp Budgeting for Excluded and Nonhousehold Members
Nonmonthly Reporting Households in the Food Stamp Program
Identifying and Calculating Food Stamp Overissuances

Medi-Cal

Introduction to Medi-Cal
Linkage to AFDC-Based Medi-Cal
SSI Linkage to Medi-Cal: Age, Blindness and Disability
Establishing the Medi-Cal Family Budget Unit
Evaluating Medi-Cal Property
Treatment of Income--Basic Medi-Cal Budgeting
Specialized Medi-Cal Budgeting
Medi-Cal Percent Programs
Sneede v. Kizer: Applications in Medi-Cal Eligibility
Noncitizen Eligibility for Medi-Cal
Transitional Medi-Cal
Medi-Cal Section 1931
Medi-Cal Section 1931 Resources
Long-Term Care Cases
Medicare Premium Programs in Medi-Cal
Understanding MEDS

Automation Issues

The Interactive Interview
Managing the Automated Caseload
ISAWS End-Dating Concepts
Reviewing Cases in ISAWS

Additional Training for Eligibility Staff

Agencies where eligibility staff have case management responsibilities will find related training described in Service Integration and Case Management for TANF and CalWORKs. Other training useful for eligibility staff can be found in Substance Abuse, Mental Health, Civil Rights and Diversity, Interpersonal Conflict and Violence, and Automation and CWS/CMS Training.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Certificate Program in Public Assistance

For Professionals in Eligibility Work

The pressures of eligibility work are well known. Caseloads grow in size and complexity. The pace of regulatory change demands that workers learn, adapt and respond quickly. The goal of this certificate program is to enable eligibility workers to reach a new level of professionalism. Courses help participants develop a greater understanding of their work. Graduates can serve clients with more skill and sensitivity, and find more satisfaction in their work.

The Advantage to Agencies

Workers with a broad view of their responsibilities can better serve their clients and their agencies. This certificate program provides a way for workers to develop a conceptual framework for more effective job performance; learn to deal with an increasingly complex social environment and client population; and prepare to meet the challenges of change in the welfare system.

Instruction in Concepts and Applications

The program provides instruction in topics usually covered only in degree programs such as: the mandates of welfare policy, dynamics of poverty complexities of human behavior. Practical considerations include worker-client interactions, legal aspects and computer applications.

About Academic Credit for Certificate Programs

Because certificate programs are academic, they require a rigorous course of study. All courses have reading assignments, papers and/or final exams. Letter grades are assigned and a grade of C or better is required for each course to be applied to a certificate. All certificate program courses are reviewed and approved by the Organized Public Service Committee of the UC Davis Academic Senate. Academic approval is granted by appropriate university departments. Academic credit earned through the program may be applied toward degrees at other institutions of higher education at the discretion of those institutions.

A Noncredit Option

Agencies may elect to offer courses on a noncredit basis. Courses taken on this basis do not require assignments or tests. However, noncredit courses cannot be applied toward completion of a certificate.

The Curriculum

The certificate is awarded upon successful completion of 10 required courses (15 quarter units) representing 120 classroom hours and a 90-hour practicum.

Social Welfare History, Policies and Programs
Socioeconomic and Cultural Issues in Public Assistance
Legal Aspects of Public Assistance
Human Behavior in the Social Environment
The Worker in the Organization
Worker-Client Interactions
Special Needs Populations
Professional Ethics in Public Assistance
Computer Concepts and Applications
Practicum and Integrative Seminar